ATTGP offers monthly online Alexander Technique workshops for the public on a variety of topics.
The workshops will be conducted on Zoom and cost only $10 to attend.
To be kept up to date on these workshops and other ATTGP offerings, sign up for our newsletter. We’ll also notify you about other events by ATTGP teachers, tips, resources and more. Sign up here >>
2024 ATTGP Workshops:
Note: All times are US Eastern Time.
Use this Time Zone Converter to find your time.
Practicing Inhibition
with Diane Sussman
Monday, February 19, 2024
7:00 – 8:00 PM US Eastern Time
Zoom
In this workshop we will explore the four principles of the Alexander Technique in more depth; Awareness, Direction, Inhibition, and “The Means Where by”, with more emphasis on Inhibiton as a skillful process which brings better facilitation of conscious control to all of your daily activities. As we learn to adapt the “pause that refreshes” more and more into our awareness and use,
other aspects of positive change come online.
Diane Sussman began her private and group teaching in 1987, after graduating from The American Center for the Alexander Technique (ACAT). She continued her connection with ACAT on the faculty
and over 23 years trained many others to become Alexander Technique teachers. Diane has also applied her work to her Pilates and Yoga classes, and for musicians. As a Life Coach, Diane views the Alexander study as a life-long journey of discovery and self awareness, and views it as foundational practice for a life well lived. She can be reached through her website www.bodymindbalance.net.
Cost: $10
Contact Diane at diane.bodymind@verizon.net to register.
The Power of a Positive “No”
with Amy Ward Brimmer
Sunday, March 24, 2024
1:00 – 2:00 PM US Eastern Time
Zoom
We don’t want [an] activity to be carried out by the doing process, we want it to be carried out by a releasing process. The only way you’ll get a releasing process is if you stop. — Walter Carrington
Learning how to change habitual ways of moving requires a new way of thinking, a wish to say “no” to doing an activity. This is a positive No, a non-doing, and often one of the more challenging aspects of the Alexander Technique for many people.
In this workshop we will experiment with non-doing, “negative” directions, and withholding consent to move in familiar ways. We’ll give ourselves the time and space to discover fresh responses, revealing what is possible when movement is guided by release instead of habitual effort.
Is it really possible to leave yourself alone? What happens when you let your bodymind wisdom lead you into action? How does a change in thinking bring about a change in your physical experience?
These and other questions will be explored during this workshop.
Amy Ward Brimmer is the owner of Way Opens Wellness in Yardley, PA, where she offers Alexander Technique, Somatic Release bodywork, Compassionate Listening, and meditation instruction. With a specialty in the performing arts, and training in psychotherapy and trauma recovery, Amy has been teaching the AT since 1994. She has served on the faculties of Yale, Villanova, and Brooklyn College, and has taught diverse groups in a wide variety of settings.
Cost $10
More information and register at: https://wayopenswellness.com/
Questions? Contact Amy at amy@wayopenswellness.com.
Discover the Secret of Electrifying Performances & Auditions
with Joseph Arnold
Tuesday April 23, 2024
7:00 – 8:00 PM US Eastern Time
Zoom
You’re up on stage. You’re giving it your best. You did all the right techniques… but something’s off. Why isn’t it connecting? Where’s the flow, the thrill, the electrifying energy that could have your audiences on the edge of their seats? What’s the missing piece?
It’s the “X factor,” the indefinable aura of authenticity, aliveness, and connection that every actor longs to express, and that every audience wants to experience. But can the X factor be learned, or is it just a matter of luck?
Yes! The X factor can be learned. And here’s the secret: the X factor already lies in wait within you, ready to burst forth – if you simply learn how to get out of the way of it.
In this fun and engaging masterclass, you will learn how to discover your X factor and to channel it, even in the most challenging circumstances, such as performances and auditions.
Using methods based on the Alexander Technique, you will learn to let go of unnecessary tension so you can improve your stage presence and access a fuller, more dynamic expressive range. This special ability will make your performances shine, both on stage and in auditions!
Joseph Arnold is a certified Alexander Technique teacher, professional violinist, author, and Director of the Soulforce Arts Institute. He is dedicated to helping artists reconnect with their creative Soulforce so they can experience greater well-being, make transcendent art, and be of greater service to a world in need. More information at SoulforceArts.com
Cost: $10
Contact Joseph to register at: Joseph@soulforcearts.com
Building Awareness to Enable Change
with Heather Gardner
Saturday, May 25, 2024
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM US Eastern Time
Zoom
We often find ourselves wanting to make a change in our lives, maybe in the way we do an activity or the habitual choices we tend to make. But even when we are trying to implement a new choice we notice ourselves repeating the old behavior that we were hoping to change without being aware of it until after it’s already happened again.
In this workshop we will explore the roll awareness plays in making changes, whether physical or mental, big or small. By learning to bring more awareness to the activities we do every day, we can improve our control over the outcome and increase the quality and our enjoyment. We will play awareness games, learn to practice a new pattern with awareness and get to know our own habits of attention.
Heather Gardner is an Alexander Technique Teacher and musician living, working and teaching in the Philadelphia and New York City areas. She specializes in singing 20th and 21st century works though she is equally comfortable singing Brahms, Mozart or Bach. She holds a Master’s degree in vocal performance from Rutgers University and a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance from the Eastman School of Music, where she also studied violin and voice. Heather teaches AT, singing and violin out of her West Philly studio and at the Balance Arts Center in midtown Manhattan.
Cost: $10
Register at: https://heathergardnerstudio.com/Building-Awareness
If you have questions, contact Heather at: WestPhillyAT@icloud.com
Waking Your Expansive Awareness: Inviting Connection and Wholeness
with Anne Johnson
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
7:00 – 8:00 PM US Eastern Time
Zoom
By exploring pathways of thought through the body, participants will enliven the relationship between their mind, body sensation, breathing and the space around.
Anne Johnson has been teaching the Alexander Technique for 25 years to individuals and groups across the globe, in her private Philadelphia studio, the Mt Airy Learning Tree, as well as businesses in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. She taught at the Boyer College of Music at Temple University for 15 years. Her teaching practice includes both in-person and online lessons and workshops. Anne finds pleasure in sharing the benefits of this rich body of work with people of all ages, skill levels, diverse professions and backgrounds. More information at: alexandertechphiladelphia.com
Cost: $10
Email to Anne to register: annebeingwell@gmail.com
Summer Pause
The Magic Pause
with Joseph Arnold
Saturday, September 14, 2024
12 – 1 PM US Eastern Time
Zoom
The 3-second technique that is the single most powerful, easy-to-implement, and sure-fire method for instant relief from the tightness and tension that causes back pain and other chronic injuries.
The “Magic Pause” will allow you to reliably and quickly relieve muscle tension and strain so you can get back to doing the things you love. It’s easy to learn and you can use it to be able to sit more comfortably at the computer, play music more freely, or feel better when you exercise. In this class, you will learn the Magic Pause and how to apply it to many different activities.
Joseph Arnold is a certified Alexander Technique teacher, professional violinist, author, and Director of the Soulforce Arts Institute. He is dedicated to helping artists reconnect with their creative Soulforce so they can experience greater well-being, make transcendent art, and be of greater service to a world in need. More information at SoulforceArts.com
Cost: $10
Contact Joseph to register at: Joseph@soulforcearts.com
The Way You Do Everything
with Amy Ward Brimmer
Monday, October 21, 2024
7:00 – 8:00 PM US Eastern Time
Zoom
People typically decide to learn the Alexander Technique because they have a problem they wish to solve: chronic pain, a performance issue, a skill set they want to improve, or mental/emotional challenges like anxiety (to name a few).
The Alexander approach isn’t just for frozen shoulders and ADHD, however. It’s mindful movement for life, and in this workshop we will look at how to apply Alexander awareness to mundane activities that we do every day: bending, reaching, lifting, carrying, and fine motor skills like typing and chopping. Learning how to bring the AT into brushing your teeth or washing dishes or taking a shower reveals unconscious habits of interference and is a place of powerful practice.
You have to do chores anyway, why not do them with presence and ease?
There is a saying, “the way you do anything is the way you do everything.” Whether or not this holds true in all situations, it is accurate in daily life. The way you stand at the sink can reveal how you stand in line or at a party. The more you know about your habits, the more choices you have about how to do what you are doing.
Come prepared to stand, sit, bend, lunge, reach, hold, and let go. Open to all mobility levels – you don’t have to do any of these things well in order to learn how to do them better.
Amy Ward Brimmer is the owner of Way Opens Wellness in Yardley, PA, where she offers Alexander Technique, Somatic Release bodywork, Compassionate Listening, and meditation instruction. With a specialty in the performing arts, and training in psychotherapy and trauma recovery, Amy has been teaching the AT since 1994. She has served on the faculties of Yale, Villanova, and Brooklyn College, and has taught diverse groups in a wide variety of settings.
Cost $10
Contact Amy to register – amy@wayopenswellness.com
More workshops coming soon
Save the dates!
ATTGP’s Fifth Annual International ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE Online Summit is taking place
January 20-25, 2025
As always all classes are offered free for everyone.
To be kept up to date on these workshops and other ATTGP offerings, sign up for our newsletter. We’ll also notify you about other events by ATTGP teachers, tips, resources and more. Sign up here >>