“In 2016 I started Pilates classes on the recommendation of my chiropractor and to address persistent back and neck pain. Before starting Pilates, I had to see a chiropractor at least once a month and used painkillers on a daily basis. Since September 2016, I have only been to the chiropractor twice, and a few months into Pilates classes I was able to stop using painkillers on a daily basis. I hardly need to take them at all now, the weekly individual sessions have taught me about why I am experiencing the pain, and how to address the pain. Now, when I slip out of posture and feel pain, I immediately increase the exercises I have learnt, and the pain subsides after a day or two. Sean is an excellent teacher, he is patient and persistent, and my health has improved significantly.”
-Elinor Kern, client
“Pilates creates a space to be present and in tune with your body – I feel stronger, more flexible and less stressed and distracted. Sean is an expert Pilates coach and teacher, supportive, but also motivates you to push yourself. Only exercise I’ve been able to commit to for over four years!”
-Amelia Muller, client
“My sessions with Sean are definitely making a huge difference. I have and will continue to recommend to others to give it a try.”
-Clive Gillman,client
“During all the trauma and sorting of donations and moving into a new place after the fire, I had only two episodes of debilitating back pain. That is: two episodes over a period of more than three months, for someone who saw a chiropractor between one and three times a week for months on end! (Before you started working with me, of course.) During the first episode, I went to a chiropractor in Bryanston. It helped, but he told me that I would have to come back every two days until the situation is resolved. When I saw him two days later, the pain was virtually gone. He was astounded. I have not seen him since.
The second episode was bad. I don’t know what I did, but the pain was intense and my mobility was severely restricted. I’m not just talking about bending or sitting down and getting up: I had difficulty walking. I was on painkillers and anti-inflammatories and my son and friends urged me to start the process to get that back operation that I was told was inevitable. I didn’t. And I didn’t go to the chiropractor this time, because I knew that I had the knowledge to sort the problem myself. I would simply lie in the position that you taught me and gently do the simplest of movements you showed me. I could hear your voice in my head: “Nothing happening in the neck … nothing happening anywhere … the body knows how to heal itself …” And it did.
I know that I have to be ever vigilant of my posture and how I do things, but it is something I do gladly, because I sit, walk, lie down and move like someone without a back problem, when I do. As I told you before: your work is a call to consciousness … in more ways than one. I use the mantra you taught me during the very first lesson umpteen times a day. “Neck free … head forward and up … spine lengthened … etc.” It is amazing how it creates the “space” for the body to correct itself.”
-Therésa Müller, client
“Experiencing the Alexander Technique and embodying the principles, have benefited me not only on a personal level but also as a Pilates Teacher. Firstly, it has helped me to do less, in terms of getting in the way of my body’s natural response to movement and more importantly allowing my body to move with ease and less tension. I am guiding my clients to take responsibility rather than instructing them, and this is with the help of the specific cueing that was taught to me. These tools have made cueing easier and the clients understanding clearer. I am calmer and more at ease when I teach, and I am able to maintain my focus for a prolonged period. I also have a deeper connection with my clients. I have remained injury free because I embody the principles whilst I am hands on with my clients, so that I do not compensate whilst assisting them in the process. I am happy that I have had the opportunity to learn from Sean the Alexander principles and after four years going into my fith year, I am still incorporating them on a personal and on a professional capacity.”
-Olga Rosenberg, BASI Pilates Instructor, Olinia Pilates Studio
“Through Sean’s Pilates sessions I gained natural movement in my knee after an injury. The exercises gave me a full body routine for holistic rehabilitation. Sean’s extensive knowledge of body works, and care in addressing my injuries, helped me be more mindful of my motion. The Pilates exercises relieved tension from the injury. I also noticed significant improvements on my posture and overall body strength as I continued my Pilates lessons working with Sean. The results were uplifting. Each lesson I was encouraged and challenged to go further and be more mindful of my body’s natural posture vs habitual neck crunching office desk posture. The lessons I will never forget, they were truly beneficial.” – Cydne Sen
