How much does a lesson cost?
- 70,- euro excl. VAT (84,70 incl. VAT), if your lessons are paid partly or fully by an employer/insurer/fund.
- 49,59 euro excl. VAT (60,- incl. VAT) if you have to pay for the lessons yourself
- 41,32 euro excl. VAT (50,- incl.VAT): in some cases children under 18 or students can apply for this reduced fee.
Lessons last 45 min.
If you have a minimum income and would have difficulty paying for lessons, please contact me.
Some people can deduct the VAT and their lessons from taxes (professional musicians for instance).
Some people can be sponsored by their employers (persoonlijke portefeuille for Dutch residents), or performing arts subsidy programmes like Sociaal Fonds Podiumkunsten, or ‘Werktuig PPO’.
Health care insurance companies usually don’t reimburse, but please check this with your own insurer.
How much does a workshop cost?
Individuals can look at the workshop page.
If you would like me to give a workshop for your company or foundation please contact me for more information; m@thinkup.nl
Do you also teach online?
Yes I do: I have students from very different parts of the world. I’ve found that I can teach almost everything I know via cyberspace too! Online lessons can have the advantage that students take more responsibility for themselves. And obviously online lessons can sometimes be the only possibility, due to travel distance or circumstances like a pandemic.
Online lessons can happen via Zoom, Teams, Facetime etc.
What happens in a lesson?
Most lessons consist of three elements:
- Sitting and standing from a chair, in order to learn the basic principles from this simple movement
- Lying semi-supine on a table, to allow the spine and the intervertebral discs to recover from downward pressure, and release unnecessary tension in your muscles
- An activity from daily life, in which we pay attention to how you do it, for instance walking, biking, computer work, playing a musical instrument, sleeping, running, vacuuming etc.
Obviously I use verbal instructions in a lesson. But I am also trained to use my hands to help you release tension, free up stiff, uncoordinated movements, or I use my hands for instance to remind you to keep lengthening your neck or keep breathing to your ribs.
Are lessons individual or in groups?
The lessons are individual although I sometimes give introductory workshops or ‘deepen-your-AT workshops’ to small groups. See workshop page.
What do I need to wear?
It is best to come to a lesson in clothes that allow for easy movement.
How long does a lesson last?
Lessons last between 45 min. Sometimes I go a little overtime, so it is best not to plan anything just before or immediately after the lesson.
Do I get exercises or homework?
Yes. Learning the Alexander Technique is like learning to play an instrument. I expect my Alexander Technique students to do the active-rest exercise for 15 minutes every day, and to think of the basic principles during everyday activities.
How many lessons do I need?
To see whether the Alexander Technique is something for you, you need only two or three lessons. If it appeals to you, a short series of 10 lessons may be enough. Some people have more complicated problems and need more time. People also come for a longer period because they want to deepen their knowledge.
How often do I get a lesson?
Lessons are weekly in the beginning. This frequency will save you time and money because you’ll learn the Alexander Technique more quickly. Later, your lessons will be less frequent until you continue on your own, independent from me.
Why isn’t the Alexander Technique called alexander therapy?
The Alexander Technique is a form of re-education, or un-learning. You will learn a technique that you will be able to apply to all your daily activities. After a series of lessons you will have the means to take care of your own health, coordination, calm and well-being. It is not a passive treatment where you are dependent on the therapist for cure; you actively learn a lot and take responsibility for yourself. Having said that, the therapeutic effects can of course be big, and pain and other symptoms can diminish or disappear.
What is unique about the Alexander Technique?
- release of what is unnecessary, instead of doing something else, which only creates tension in a different area and shifts the problem to another part.
- re-programming the brain to re-coordinate movement and change a habit.
- having the means to be in the present moment.
- how to enhance free, full and natural breathing during daily activities.
- efficiency: you put the Alexander Technique into practice during your daily life: you don’t have to stop doing what you are doing.
- focusing on coordinating the whole body, rather than the part where the problem lies. Often the cause of the problem is not found in the part that hurts/feels tense.
- encouraging your body to lengthen and widen without strain.
- unity: the Alexander Technique addresses the whole you: what you think, what you do and how you feel are constantly influencing each other.
- enhancing your awareness of the space and of yourself in it, at any moment you wish.