Jessica Lee Morgan MSTAT, BA (Hons), MSc
It's like taking lessons on an instrument, or an advanced driving course.
Sometimes we feel that our bodies should behave better.
Sometimes we forget that our minds are connected with our bodies.
The Alexander Technique is a self-help method. You work one-to-one with a teacher to change habits that block effective movement and your full potential.
What can AT help with?
It can help everyone, of all ages and abilities, but it is particularly valuable in
It can help with
The teacher and pupil work together to identify certain habits that can impact on mental and physical well-being. We use simple movements such as standing, sitting and lying down. Sometimes we can explore more complex movements or as you have more lessons, something specific like playing an instrument.
You will be advised to wear comfortable clothing and be prepared to remove your shoes, but won't be asked to undress. Your teacher will put their hands on you lightly to help you identify muscular tension and promote easier use of yourself. The touch is gentle and guiding rather than that used in massage or chiropractic.
Initially a course of weekly lessons is recommended. A clinical study showed that 6 lessons effect some change in people with back pain, but 24 lessons had much longer-lasting benefits.
Just like learning any new skill, you need to take several lessons and be ready to apply what you have learned every day.
Although I can give online lessons, which have proved beneficial, in-person lessons are preferable as the Technique has always involved the use of the teacher's hands on the pupil.
Find out more about lessons and pricing, as well as terms and conditions, here.
Click here for a series of blogs on different applications of the Alexander Technique.
"For the last few months I have been having Alexander Technique sessions with Jessica. What we do in these sessions is so simple - standing, sitting, moving, feeling, thinking - but the benefits have been immense. My neck crepitus, which I have complained about for decades, has pretty much vanished. Back pain and TMJ, greatly diminished. And it's not from getting things 'aligned' or symptoms treated, it's all come from understanding my body better, and being aware of how it moves naturally.
"I've never really given thought to how to carry myself; I've always felt like my brain and body were separate selves in a way, each doing their own thing. What this technique has taught me is that everything is connected - how you move affects how you feel and how you feel affects how you move - and you can be mindful and intentional about how you take up space in the world.
"If anyone is thinking about giving it a go, I can heartily recommend Jess! She knows her stuff! it works!"
Leah Kardos
"I have to say that I went for lessons with Jessica because I had a permanent pain in the lower back. After not too many lessons, the pain has gone. AT works, well it did for me. Thanks Jess."
Peter Knight Jr.
Who was Alexander?
Frederick Matthias Alexander, known as FM, was born in 1869. He was an actor who had lost the use of his voice, and when no medical help or explanation could be found, he reasoned that it was due to the way he used his voice and body on the stage. Through his own rigorous research and experience, he discovered harmful habits that interfered with the proper working of the mind and body. With better use, the vocal problems he had been having disappeared and he dedicated the rest of his life to teaching his technique to others. His pupils included John Dewey, George Bernard Shaw, Henry Irving and Aldous Huxley. He trained teachers who would ensure that his work carried on to the present day.
There are many notable pupils of the Technique working today. In the entertainment world these include John Cleese, Sting, Lenny Henry, Paul McCartney, Sinead Cusack, Lulu and Judi Dench.
I am a professional musician - singer, guitar, piano and saxophone. I've toured the world and performed in tiny places and prestigious theatres. In this sphere alone I've honed my performance skills through general experience and through greater awareness of the AT. I've also seen plenty of examples of physical and mental problems among performers, stage technicians and touring crew.
My early career background was in Health and Social Care, working among service users right across the board to help them speak up about the services they use.
As a studio owner for several years, I worked with people with various needs: mental health, learning disability, children, adults, all of whom responded well to vocal coaching and events that we held.
AT and Me
My family has long had an interest in the Alexander Technique as well as music. You can read about the family and the music here. When touring with my father (who trained as an AT teacher in New York) or my partner Christian we're often to be found working on each other just before going on stage.
My first direct contact with AT was when I was organising a conference for service users in Cardiff. As part of a whole menu of well-being experts, I invited Cardiff teacher Tim Kjeldsen to present a session. Of course I thought I didn't need lessons myself until, consulting a GP about niggling lower back pain and being prescribed the usual back exercises, I thought I would get some lessons with Tim. He was great and I would often turn up at his teaching room feeling a mental wreck and leave feeling immensely better.
Then, one day on tour, I wondered what on earth I was to do with my life. I enjoyed vocal coaching and the great difference it made to people generally. Training in AT seemed a stable grounding for better music coaching skills.
I started training in 2018 at the Alexander Re-Education Centre in Oxfordshire with Ron Colyer (who trained with Walter Carrington, who in turn trained with FM Alexander himself) and Frankie Stringer (who trained with John and Carolyn Nicholls). The course consists of 1600 hours over three years. We learn how to work on ourselves and each other, and later in the course, on volunteer pupils.
We learn some anatomy, about the skeleton, muscles, ligaments, organs, the nervous system and reflexes. While this does not constitute medical training, it helps us to understand what's going on in the body as we work.
The pandemic provided some challenges on the course, as of course we weren't able to work in person with each other for some time, but we persevered and came through with a unique experience, a little longer than planned. We learned that AT can make us deal with unexpected events with resilience and patience.
What are those letters after my name?
MSTAT means member of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. Once we've completed the training to the approval of the society, we can use those letters.
BA (Hons) in English Literature at Cardiff University, where I met my partner Christian and spent most of my time putting on musical events.
MSc in Social Science Research Methods, Cardiff University, during which I conducted research in a day centre for homeless people in Cardiff. This led to jobs in Housing, Homelessness, and the wider Health and Social Care Field in Cardiff, working between voluntary and statutory sectors.
Phone 07871 054628
My page at the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique
Now booking private lessons in Reading and London.