Strength in Balance

Wow, until Gwynne, I had no idea that what I thought was «my good posture» was actually wreaking havoc on by entire body. I’m an Artist who spends hours in front of an easel or in front of a computer and on a mobile device. In my early twenties I developed neck and lower back issues. Tension in my neck and shoulders would escalate into an unmovable, stiff neck. It took a physical therapist to painfully and aggressively work it out. Problem was it would inevitably return. I dreaded it.
Now in my 30’s, thanks to Gwynne, I’m so much more aware of my movement and when something doesn’t feel right. I’m learning that I don’t have to live with pain and I want keep learning because I feel lighter, freer and even happier and more confident. Gwynne is knowledgeable, professional and a perfect model of graceful movement. She’s passionately devoted to helping people because it truly changes our lives.

I used to have back problems. Huge ones. Slipped discs. Constant aches. Shooting pain. I’ve been through several rounds of physical therapy, Chinese medicine doctors, orthopedists. I’ve had MRIs, been on pain meds, had spinal injections. I’ve seen it all. What no doctor or therapist EVER taught me was how to prevent getting into back trouble in the first place.
Gwynne has taught me Alexander Technique – basically the physical science of how to use your body in a more efficient way – the way it was designed to work – so that you stay out of pain and avoid fatigue. Sure, your grandmother yelled at you to sit up straight, but nobody really teaches us about how the structures of our bodies work, and how we can best use them to as they were designed.
This is at once a simple practice, and yet the difference it has made for me is profound. What do I learn in lessons? How to sit down. How to sit and work. How to rise. How to walk. How to reach and bend to grasp things. How to support my spine in everyday activities. This is subtle and life-​altering training. You may literally never have back pain again (it’s great for other things too, but this was my issue). And if you have a bout of trouble, as I have, you now know what to do to bring your body quickly out of it.
My gratitude is endless for Frederick Alexander and Gwynne Marshall, who have brought me out of what I thought were endless, inevitable cycles of pain. Gone. Give it a few sessions or more for it to sink in. You’re retraining your body out of bad habits. It doesn’t happen overnight. But if you’re committed to learning and really want to get out and stay out of pain, do yourself a favor and give Gwynne a call.

Gwynne knows so much about anatomy and how bodies work that she gives you a very good whole body workout through Pilates. I’ve grown much stronger and much better equipped to function in New York by working with her. She is really great.

Gwynn is really nice, and a terrific Alexander Technique teacher. I have felt much better since I began taking lessons with her. I have been moving much more freely, with better posture, and with fewer aches and pains.