Pregnancy, Labour, and Parenthood The Benefits of Learning the Alexander Technique in Pregnancy A great many women develop painful and lasting back pain during their pregnancies – tragically, since this is almost always avoidable. None of the pregnant women who have been my pupils have complained of back pain. The Technique can help to stabilise blood pressure at a healthy level. The change in weight distribution can be a major cause of discomfort and unease. While we tend to blame these discomforts (including back pain) on the pregnancy, they are usually the result of bad habits already developed in ordinary life, but exaggerated during pregnancy. Its calming and stabilising effects are most welcome during a time when change is so pervasive, irresistable, and  often, bewildering.   There are few times in human life when the draw on our resources is greater than in pregnancy. It is not a time to waste energy with excess tension - it’s hard enough as it is! The Technique can help you to work when you’re working and rest when you’re resting.  The alignment of the mother’s anatomy can be a major influence (positive or negative) on the pregnancy and delivery.  The Alexander Technique tends to establish a more natural and functional alignment of bones, muscles and viscera, which is sustainable both in ordinary activity and under stress. It requires no special exercises or positions. The Technique concerns itself with our reactions to stimuli, and this is very helpful in regulating one’s unhelpful reactions to the extraordinary stimuli of childbirth. Labour is not the end of the challenges of motherhood. The demands continue to change and surprise for quite a while longer. Nursing, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, bathing...the list goes on and on. Soon they'll want the keys to the car... Learning the Alexander Technique won’t prevent these surprises, challenges, or  disappointments. But it will help you to cope effectively. You will be freer to enjoy motherhood and life.   I am happy to answer any questions in person or by phone or e-mail. There are also two fine books dealing with the Alexander Technique in relation to pregnancy, childbirth, and the aftermath. To make the Technique a part of your moment to moment life, the only way is to have a series of private lessons. The Alexander Technique is neither a curative 'magic bullet' therapy, nor a cosmetic treatment to allay uncomfortable symptoms.  It is concerned with problems that have their roots in the way we use ourselves in all activities.  It is educational in the most profound sense of the word. An introductory class can begin to make you aware your own habits of movement and balance and point you toward reliable information and help when you realise you need them. You may also decide to preempt trouble by learning the Technique before or during your pregnancy. 
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