PLEASE tell me people can change...
Some people seem happier with change than others. I quite like changing things up a bit; my husband less so. Whenever I suggest moving...
My Blog - Frances Butt
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- Jun 9
- 3 min
What is flexibility?
Some people are ‘bendy'. I'm not one of them. If, like me, you were one of those kids who couldn’t even do cartwheels and handstands,...
- Mar 29
- 4 min
Strength or Stability?
Under-use certain muscles for any reason, and other muscles will always step up to accommodate the deficit - bless them.
- Mar 4
- 2 min
More Important Things...
I had been thinking of writing something about deep spinal stabiliser muscles, for the March blog... ...and then Russia invaded Ukraine,...
- Jan 31
- 3 min
Functional, Structural, or Both?
For over a hundred years now, the Alexander Technique has been helping thousands of people all over the world how to move with greater...
- Oct 25, 2021
- 4 min
'Muscle Memory'...
... AND THE POWER OF BRAIN TRAINING I was talking to my sister recently and she told me a story that really got me thinking. T was a...
- Sep 28, 2021
- 3 min
The 'Stile'
A brilliant example of leaving a bad experience in an activity behind and creating a good one.
- Aug 28, 2021
- 3 min
On Good Form
The word ‘form’ is often on my mind, these days. All human movement can be made effectively or ineffectively. That’s all 'form' means,...
- Jul 31, 2021
- 2 min
Process, not Outcome
Why it can be hard to change, whether with movement performance or cyclical thoughts, and where to find help
- Jun 29, 2021
- 2 min
Not getting away with it
I read in the news recently that one of UK’s Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers is struggling with osteoarthritis in both knees....
- Apr 15, 2021
- 2 min
Getting in Your Own Way...
If you've ever used your hands to push down on your thighs, in order to stand up, you may well believe it helps. It might feel like it...
- Sep 25, 2020
- 3 min
Molly's Story
This is our gorgeous Molly. 50% English Bulldog, 37.5% Labrador, 12.5% Staffie, 100% nutcase. A happy ball of energy with big sad eyes...
- Aug 5, 2020
- 3 min
Pills for Chronic Pain
Recent headlines caught my eye about the recommendation to use anti-depressants instead of paracetamol and ibuprofen for chronic pain;...
- Jul 6, 2020
- 1 min
A Picture of Doing Nothing
I was searching online recently for free stock images of someone sitting quietly (you know, letting go, allowing themselves to just stop...
- Jun 11, 2020
- 4 min
What is Control?
What do you first think of, when you hear the word ‘control’? “Control your dog!” “You need to control that temper.” Drug control, crowd...
- May 14, 2020
- 3 min
The Ergonomics of YOU
The word ‘ergonomic’ comes from the Greek ‘érgon’: ‘work’, and ‘nomós: ‘distribution’. The term was first used by Polish scientist...
- May 4, 2020
- 2 min
Catching the Eye...
Soo many thought-provoking wellbeing posts out there vying for your attention, in the great social media department store. Sometimes, a...
- Apr 13, 2020
- 2 min
Adapt and Thrive... doing well with less.
Unlike all the heroes working harder and ever harder to keep us all safe, many of us have suddenly found ourselves with less to do - or...
- Apr 2, 2020
- 3 min
Online Services: to Charge or Not to Charge?
At the moment, many thousands of business owners are suddenly seeking ways to offer services online. If you can still benefit your...
- Dec 23, 2019
- 3 min
Ten years that changed everything
Are you in reflective mood? Are you looking back not just over this year, but the last decade? My head spins to think about how much...
- Aug 10, 2019
- 2 min
Which do you notice more...?
Which do you notice more... the five hundred things that are going well, or the one thing that isn't?
- Jul 18, 2019
- 2 min
Curiosity in a Crisis
Anyone who has experienced anxiety, panic, grief, rage or despair may recognise the metaphor (and sensation) of being in a maelstrom...
- May 21, 2019
- 3 min
Quiet... and how to have more of it
A curious thing happens when someone successfully eliminates some or all of their tension by putting Alexander’s principles into practice...
- Apr 2, 2019
- 1 min
"Discouraged as I was...
...I refused to believe that the problem was hopeless.” So writes FM Alexander in his third book; a considerable way into the long, long...
- Feb 27, 2019
- 3 min
Pain, Pain, Go Away...
Marketing experts always recommend speaking to prospective clients' ‘pain points’. This is entirely reasonable when you’re seeking to...
- Feb 6, 2019
- 2 min
Case Study: Photographer
Great lesson with a lovely photographer, exploring how she uses her camera and how she might reduce strain and fatigue in her chosen...
- Jan 13, 2019
- 2 min
How an injury can be good for you
I broke my wrist last week - tripped over my slippers, letting our new puppy out for a wee at 2.30am. Heigh-ho, a silly accident. I am so...
- Dec 6, 2018
- 3 min
"The Body Keeps the Score"
I was talking to my wonderful sister the other night. She’s a counsellor who helps many people through all kinds of deep mental and...
- Nov 21, 2018
- 2 min
Case Study: Silversmithing
I often get to work with people at their desktops or laptops, but this week I had the rare pleasure of something rather different; a look...
- Nov 16, 2018
- 2 min
Imposter Syndrome...
So, this beautiful new website is up and running and it really is super-fancy and impressive. I am so thankful to designer Helen Game,...
- Sep 30, 2018
- 3 min
Not liking the feeling - or feeling nothing at all
Well now, this is an odd thing about the Alexander Technique. Sometimes (especially in early lessons) people make a constructive,...
- Sep 20, 2018
- 3 min
FMF: Five Minutes from Frances - Standing for Long Spells
Caveats: 1. Though we always work ‘in activity’ in ITM Alexander Technique lessons, we don't address specific issues like lower back...
- Aug 26, 2018
- 1 min
'They're' doing great, ergo I'm not
Ever slide into this kind of thinking? I still catch myself, sometimes. The constant bombardment of (apparent) advertising perfection...
- Aug 13, 2018
- 2 min
When the dog bites, when the bee stings...
“When I’m feeling sad…” Everyone has painful memories. For the luckier among us, they aren’t bad enough to affect present-day life too...
- Apr 10, 2018
- 2 min
Strong good… soft also good.
Are you fit and muscly? Try squeezing your bicep without ‘flexing’ it. Is it squashy, or rather ‘bouncy’? Which is preferable? Many...
- Mar 2, 2018
- 2 min
My condition, my response.
Hot flushes at forty-two. I would have minded less without all the “gosh, that’s SO early!” “Oh dear, you’re very young for that, aren’t...
- Feb 14, 2018
- 2 min
Anti-thinking thinking
What is it with this practically phobic response to the idea of consciously directed thinking? “Eeuw, all that ‘think yourself happy...
- Jan 17, 2018
- 2 min
Self Drive
What a great effort learning to drive seems at first: remembering which pedal is where; knowing what gear is next and how to find it...
- Aug 13, 2017
- 2 min
Zero settings
So, you're just standing there minding your own business when something somewhere starts niggling. You wriggle around a bit to try and...
- May 5, 2017
- 2 min
Handbrake Warning
Though we all need to move, we often visualise our bodies in rather fixed terms. We may even have been told to arrange them in...
- Mar 3, 2017
- 2 min
Doing, undoing, and not doing in the first place
1. Doing. You move in awkward ways that make certain activities hard going or even painful. You can’t figure out what the problem is. 2....
- Feb 2, 2017
- 2 min
For the Hobblers Out There
“Moving through life with freedom and ease” is a line often used in ITM Alexander Technique marketing material. If you’re struggling with...
- Jan 4, 2017
- 3 min
Super Powers
Did you know we all have super powers? It's true. Believe me. I come up against them quite often; my own, and other people’s. We don't...