Val joined our team of volunteer therapists in April 2025 and offers our visitors the opportunity to benefit from the Alexander Technique.
“The Alexander Technique is about being in the moment,” she says. “So often, we rush around and are not aware of where our bodies are. Even when we’re simply walking through Tunbridge Wells, we’re probably thinking about emails we need to answer or what to eat for lunch. Then, we might spiral into thoughts of where to buy ham for our sandwich, maybe we should pop into M&S but then, while there, perhaps we’ll look at those pink shorts again we saw last week… and so it goes on.”
She explains that mostly we’ve got to this place of swirling thoughts through habit and, like all habits, this is difficult to break.
“Little children go from 0-5 and back again in a matter of moments, but they always return to neutral,” Val says. “As we age, we rarely return to neutral and the Alexander Technique gives people the opportunity to experience that ‘natural state of being’ once again. I also give our visitors a few little techniques they can use in everyday life, which will help them step away from that stress pattern we all experience.”
Val has been practicing the Alexander Technique for around nine years.
“A Pickering volunteer had been coming to me for a while and she said that visitors to the Centre would also benefit, so she put us in touch,” says Val. “It is honestly a blessing for me to volunteer here. The chance to meet visitors and experience their willingness to be so open and willing to engage is just so rewarding. Pickering is a very special place.”