17 Apr 2021: Sarah-Linda Johnson - 'Attending to the Inner as well as the Outer self' — £35.00

This afternoon on-line workshop will run from 1:30pm UK time to 4:30pm with Sarah-Linda Johnson and your hosts, the directors from Hite.

Mindfulness for Alexander Technique teachers: attending to the ‘inner’ as well as the ‘outer’
As AT teachers, we know how to look after ourselves. We’re generally pretty good at inhibiting and directing when walking, bending or cleaning our teeth. But what happens when we get triggered or stressed or when feelings of sadness, anxiety or uncertainty arise? What do we do with uncomfortable feelings and are we inadvertently suppressing them when we inhibit and direct?

Mindfulness offers a way of moving closer to, and becoming more aware of, the whole of our experience. It is a way of extending our skills of non-doing to include the ‘doing’ of habitual thinking and feeling.

The most powerful and transformative aspect of mindfulness lies in the gradual but deliberate cultivation of certain qualities – qualities that have a huge impact on how we feel and how we behave. These qualities include gentleness; kindness; curiosity; trust; acceptance and compassion.

                “The overall tenor of mindfulness practice is gentle, appreciative, nurturing. Another way to                          think of it would be heartfulness” Jon Kabat-Zinn
During this workshop, using gentle guided practices and inquiry, we will begin to explore the potential of mindfulness and its relevance to our work as AT teachers. We will look at how subtle yet powerful shifts in awareness and attitudes can deeply enhance our personal wellbeing and bring depth and clarity to our teaching experience. We will practise cultivating some of the above qualities, and look at how we can bring ‘heartfulness’ into our teaching in a way that benefits both us and our pupils. And we will explore the possibility of meeting both ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ tension and discomfort with spaciousness and kindness, allowing the ‘right thing to do itself’.

Whether you are interested in exploring the potential of mindfulness and its relevance to our work as AT teachers, or you just want to practise some mindfulness for your own benefit, you are welcome on this workshop.

Practices will include sitting and lying down, so do bring whatever you might need in order to be comfortable (some water to drink, a blanket or some layers in case you cool down, a cushion, yoga mat, some books)

About Sarah-Linda Johnson

Sarah-Linda has been running a private AT practise since qualifying in 2008 at the CCARE school in Totnes where she also taught for several years. She began training in Mindfulness Based Approaches in 2013 and completed studies with Bangor University, Exeter University and Breathworks. She attends regular silent retreats, is registered on the UK MIndfulness Network and Mental Health Foundation listing of mindfulness teachers and abides by the Good Practice Guidelines

As well as offering private AT lessons, Sarah-Linda teaches mindfulness courses and sessions, including "Teaching From Wholeness: An 8 week course for Alexander Technique teachers"

Participants will receive a record of attendance after the event.

Please book early to avoid disappointment as places are limited and note that no refunds will be possible after 3rd April 2021.

HITE Ltd, 10 Harley Street, London W1G 9PF.
T: 020 7467 8461. E: info@hiteltd.co.uk