About James Crow
How I Became an
Alexander Technique Teacher
It started with an injury, a long list of things that didn't help, and a reluctant trip to London.
James Crow
Alexander Technique teacher · Teaching since 2007
Professionally trained Alexander Technique teacher based in Manchester and Stockport. Teaching since 2007.
The problem
From IT Consultant to Chronic Pain
In my late twenties, I was working as an IT consultant, with long hours at a desk, tight deadlines, and a lot of stress. I was reasonably fit, exercised regularly, and had no obvious reason to expect what came next.
Over a period of months, I developed severe RSI, repetitive strain injury, in my arms and shoulders. At its worst, I couldn't lift a kettle, couldn't type for more than a few minutes, and was in near-constant pain. My career was at risk. My quality of life was collapsing.
I did what most people do: I tried everything.
The search
Everything I Tried Before Alexander Technique
Over several years I worked through a long list of therapies, some helpful for a while, none of them lasting:
Each gave temporary relief or addressed symptoms without touching the underlying cause. I'd feel a little better for a few days, then drift back to the same patterns. I was frustrated, increasingly sceptical, and running out of options.
The turning point
A Harley Street Recommendation
Eventually I saw a specialist on Harley Street, someone who worked with musicians and performers dealing with occupational injuries. After examining me, he was quite direct: "Have you tried the Alexander Technique?"
I hadn't. I'd vaguely heard of it but assumed it was something for actors or ballet dancers. He explained that it wasn't a treatment: it was a way of understanding and changing the habits of movement and tension that were driving my symptoms. Unlike everything else I'd tried, it worked at the level of cause rather than effect.
I was sceptical, but I was also desperate. So I booked a lesson.
The discovery
What Happened in My First Lesson
My teacher was Dr. Miriam Wohl, one of the UK's most respected Alexander Technique teachers, based in Leicester. I drove up not really knowing what to expect.
Within the first lesson, something shifted. It's hard to describe: not a dramatic cure, but a genuine change in how I held myself, how I breathed, how my arms felt as they moved. The tension I'd assumed was just "how I was" turned out to be something I was actively doing to myself, and could stop doing.
Over the following weeks of lessons, my RSI improved steadily. Not because someone had fixed me, but because I'd learned to stop interfering with the way my body was designed to work.
The decision
Becoming a Teacher
The results were significant enough that I wanted to understand it more deeply. Over time, that curiosity turned into a conviction: this was something I wanted to teach.
I trained formally as an Alexander Technique teacher, completing a three-year full-time professional training programme in 2007.
I've been teaching in the Manchester area ever since, working with individuals one-to-one and running workshops for organisations including the Royal Northern College of Music, the University of Manchester, and the BBC.
My approach
What I Bring to Every Session
Because I came to Alexander Technique as a patient rather than as an enthusiast, I understand scepticism. I understand what it's like to have tried things that didn't work. I know how frustrating it is when you're doing everything "right" and still in pain.
I don't promise miracles and I don't use jargon. I work practically, patiently, and with a clear explanation of what I'm doing and why. Most clients notice something in their first session. That's not a sales pitch, it's what usually happens when you work at the level of cause rather than symptom.
"He has saved me from agonising pain. INCREDIBLE!!"
Edie Moss
Heaton Moor · Scoliosis & severe back pain
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