Heather Walker

Let me introduce myself and two of my passions in life: the Alexander Technique and Music. I’ve been playing French horn since the age of ten.  It’s a personal and artistic challenge for me, and a great deal of fun. However, at one point the years of intense music studies led to some very challenging problems; repetitive strain injuries, tension problems, and overuse.  After trying every conceivable form of treatment, I discovered the Alexander Technique, a method that taught me to “unlearn” my habits of inefficient movement and thought.

The Alexander Technique changed my life, and I became fascinated with this extraordinary tool that can enable each one of us to live in an integrated, balanced, and focused manner. I eventually completed the full time three-year training course to become a certified teacher. Through the Alexander Technique, I have the rewarding opportunity to help individuals change habits that are compromising the natural working coordination, ease, and efficiency of the whole person. More than a simple remedy for tension and poor posture, the Alexander Technique also changes ingrained thinking patterns and clears the way for a better quality of life. It can be used by anyone.

The Alexander Technique is a system of "un-learning" harmful patterns that we have layered over our natural coordination. This process helps you prevent or alleviate conditions associated with undue tension or poor posture. Many times these habits of tension lead to pain, joint and muscle problems, breathing disorders, and stress-related conditions. By changing your inefficient movement patterns, you re-establish good coordination and the symptoms often disappear on their own.

Through learning the Alexander Technique, you will be poised without stiffness, move gracefully with less effort, and be alert and focused with less strain. The benefits include freer, lighter, and more enjoyable movement, and ease in sitting, speaking, and performing. Coordination, balance and awareness improve.

Alexander Technique can provide a relief and treat a multitude of mild to bad conditions, such as headaches and migraines, tension in various parts of the body, back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and other types of pain. It can help heal various injuries, help you with balance improvement and other issues.

The Alexander Technique offers you a method for life-long learning. Anyone can learn to understand the basis of coordination and how to attend to process.  You can use it to develop self-awareness and self-reliance. The Technique adds a new dimension of creativity to your life and leads to ongoing self-discovery. These tools can enhance performance and functioning for anyone - athletes, CEOs, musicians, computer users, actors, parents, seniors, and you!

If you want to explore the possibility of lightness and freedom of movement, you can use the Alexander Technique to expand your awareness and change your habits.  Through gentle hands-on work and practical experiments, you can learn how to notice tightening, release muscle tension, re-establish better balance and move more efficiently.  If you are searching for more ease and centeredness in your life, the Alexander Technique is a specific tool to help you learn how to find it. Many public speakers, performing artists, and athletes around the world apply the Alexander Technique to their practice to increase clarity of perception, free up spontaneity, and manage stage fright, and improve stamina.

Client Testimonials:

"When Heather first introduced me to Alexander Technique, I didn’t believe that such a simple set of techniques could have such a profound effect on me both physically and mentally. I had a chronic problem with a rotated disc in my back, and after only a couple of sessions the symptoms had all but disappeared. It wasn’t until after a full dozen more sessions that I really gained the ability to relax my own tension at will, and found it affecting other areas of my life. Heather is a talented practitioner, very engaged in every moment that she is working with me. I highly recommend her." -- Jeremy, computer programmer

"Alexander Technique is for anyone, but specifically as a musician with injury, I have gained bodily awareness, insight into limiting habits, practical ways of dealing with stress and tension in my body and an overall better quality of playing and life due to her teachings. I’d be happy to recommend Heather Walker for any situation concerning Alexander Technique, she is an outstanding instructor and an amazing person." -- Vashti, pianist

"I have been taking Alexander Technique lessons with Heather Walker for about 5 months now and it has been wonderfully life changing in so many ways. She is very good at explaining concepts in creative and new ways and I find she is very respectful and mindful of personal space and comfort with this “hands-on” technique. I find the technique extremely applicable to myself as a musician; I wish I had started lessons earlier!" -- Cheryl, Percussionist