81 Tressillian Road, Brockley, London SE4 1XZ
020 8694 2714
Alexander Technique:
Aches and pains and eye strain from too much screen time?
The Alexander Technique has some very useful strategies to offer.
Alexander Technique teacher Michelle Cole is offering two introductory online class options in January.
One off session on Saturday 23rd January. 10.30am-12 midday. Maximum group number of 6. £25 for the session.
Four week class on Wednesday evenings starting 20th January. 6.30pm-7.45pm. Cost for the course is £80. Maximum of 6 participants.
Concession rates available on request.
Bookings through my website www.thealexandertechnique.co.uk. Further information or direct booking to michelle@thealexandertechnique.co.uk or telephone 07940 033728
Matwork Pilates Class Online with Rosamond Martin
Matwork Pilates:
07792513162
www.rosamondmartin.com
@RosamondMartinMovingBodies
I’ve been teaching movement of many kinds for over 15 years and, like many, only discovered the vast potential of teaching online last year and my students really have been the silver lining of 2020. It has allowed me to connect with all sorts of wonderful people near and far, strengthening community and providing, in some cases calming consistency, and in some cases playful diversion, in an otherwise tumultuous year.
There is a Feldenkrais® saying that goes “Movement is life. Life is a process. Improve the quality of movement and you improve the quality of life itself.” I love teaching movement because it makes people feel good, but over the last year, moving together online, staving off anxiety and injury, soothing pain and worry and even reminding people of the pleasure and possibility of the body, has felt more essential than ever. It is a privilege to students through a process which so evidently improves the quality of their life!
Looking after the body is looking after the mind and it has been enormously rewarding for me to see the clear benefit to people’s psychophysical health that my work can have. This is what has motivated me throughout the year, ultimately with equal benefit to my own wellbeing.
If you’re working toward a training goal, injured, anxious, lacking motivation, desperate or just curious… get in touch!
Rosamond continues to teach online in 2021 and offers private and public group classes, one-to-ones, movement therapies and consultations. Pre-paid Pilates courses run on Mondays at 7.30pm and on Saturdays at 9.30am and Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® drop-in lessons are on Mondays at 6.15pm. Follow Rosamond on Instagram @RosamondMartinMovingBodies for free movement and wellness practices, or see her website www.rosamondmartin.com for more information about classes and to contact her directly.
Student feedback:
“I can sense the alignment and it’s super useful. Thanks. Thanks so much.”
“Let’s stay sane… and thanks for your contribution to that!”
“It’s such a tricky time and it’s so exhausting worrying about what might happen, being able to still have this time each week with you to switch my brain off and concentrate on something else will be so valuable.”
“You are single-handedly keeping innumerable people’s chins (and legs!) up..”
"Transformational. Thank you so much.”
“You’ve been a rock to us all in 2020”
Our Doors are Slowly Opening...
Doors slowly opening
Domestic abuse charities have reported a 25% increase in calls made to The National Domestic Abuse helpline since lockdown was implemented in March.
Domestic Abuse and Lockdown
Jo Lane ~ Gestalt Counsellor
The past few months have brought about unprecedented changes to how societies function, impacting our behaviours and subsequently how we relate to others.
An issue which has become a focus internationally for governments and has received substantial coverage in the media, including the UK, is a rise in reported cases of domestic abuse during lockdown. Domestic abuse charities have reported a 25% increase in calls made to The National Domestic Abuse helpline since lockdown was implemented on the 23rd of March 2020.
Having spent 16 years as a frontline support worker for numerous domestic abuse charities and as a counsellor currently working in private practice at The Sunflower Centre, I am acutely aware of how the Covid-19 global pandemic, with the ensuing necessary government restrictions, may lead to a heightened risk to survivors living with a perpetrator. For many of us living in isolation, a lack of support from others or regular social contact is proving challenging, however, experiencing these struggles whilst living in an abusive dynamic may be not only challenging, but incredibly frightening, overwhelming and, in some cases, potentially life-threatening.
Tactics often employed by perpetrators in an attempt to enhance power and control over someone include isolating them from their friends and family, whilst restricting and monitoring their movements. The necessary safety guidelines which have been put in place by the government could, unintentionally, enable the perfect conditions for a perpetrator to increase control; leading to the potential escalation of abusive behaviour.
An area in which a perpetrator can continue coercive and controlling behaviour, even after separation, is through child contact arrangements. Due to certain restrictions implemented under the lockdown conditions - such as school closures and childcare facilities being unavailable - survivors may have had no option but to adjust child care needs, possibly requiring further support from the perpetrator regarding childcare. This could potentially leave the survivor in a vulnerable position, providing the perpetrator with an opportunity to withdraw, change or manipulate childcare arrangements and, ultimately, escalate abusive behaviours through asserting control.
Whilst risk and safety is paramount when considering individuals trapped in an abusive dynamic during the pandemic, it is of equal importance to consider survivors who have taken the brave decision to leave an abusive relationship and are living in the current lockdown conditions. Survivors who have experienced an abusive dynamic previously may have been isolated, cut-off from the support of their family and friends and closely monitored, leaving these individuals terrified, disempowered, anxious and with low self-worth. These precise conditions are, in many regards, being mirrored by the necessary government guidelines and may leave survivors feeling triggered right back to the restrictive, painful and traumatic experience of their past abusive dynamic.
If you feel these issues resonate with you, or know of someone who may be in a position similar to that described, I would like to express that you are not alone. There are innumerable support services, helplines, legal services and therapeutic services still working during the pandemic that can help you navigate these challenging times.
Womens Aid | Womans Trust | Solace Women's Aid
Rights of Women | Galop | Mankind | Refuge
The Sunflower Centre is offering as many of its therapies and classes online as possible during these times of social distancing. Anno Covid newsletter #2
Sunflower Centre Newsletter
The Sunflower Centre is offering as many of its therapies and classes online as possible during these times of social distancing.
Click here for our Anno Covid newsletter #2
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The Sunflower Centre responds to the impact on us all of the stringent social distancing measures to flatten the curve of incidences of Covid-19.
Monday 6th April
Sunflower Centre plans until the social distancing measures can be relaxed
Emotional Support
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