Rebecca Ferguson Keays teaches Mindful Alexander Technique (MAT) evidence-based Alexander Technique (AT) mindful movement practices for improving posture, mobility, balance, and breathing—
as well as changing habitual behaviors.
Rebecca is certified with the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT).
The AT requires no skill or prior experience, and is accessible for all ages and abilities.
Renowned for over 100 years in the performing arts for poise, presence and performance improvement, the AT is taught world-wide in music, dance, and theatre programs at colleges and universities such as the Yale School of Drama, Juilliard, and London’s Royal Academy of Music.
Contemporary performing artists who practice the AT include: Hugh Jackman; Sting;
Lupita Nyong’o; Cate Blanchett; Paul McCartney; John Cleese, and Madonna.
Other celebrities and/or notable people who practiced the AT include: Marilyn Monroe,
Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Alan Rickman; Aldous Huxley; and George Bernard Shaw.
AT practices are also taught worldwide by Integrative Medicine and Behavioral Health providers such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins.
Since 2012 Rebecca has taught the AT as an in-the-body mindfulness and movement practice for improving mobility and posture, as well as for pain and stress reduction—
and for contemporary social and health/wellness issues such as PTSD, drug/alcohol
dependency, and eating disorders.
The AT can be effective in improving self-regulation, which can be helpful for a broad spectrum of Behavioral Health issues, including anxiety and depression.
Rebecca’s AT teaching incorporates ongoing, current neuroscience research, and the writings of Dr Norman Doidge.
In additon to one-on-one lessons, Rebecca has developed AT classes for individuals from all demographics, especially underserved groups who might not otherwise have access.
She has taught the AT in a variety of settings that include: Heartwood Center, Evanston, IL; Carle Hospital, Urbana, IL; University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria; a court-mandated Champaign County alternative drug sentencing program; and pro bono classes for incarcerated women in an alternative sentencing program at Chicago’s Cook County Jail.
Since 2012, Rebecca has taught the AT for a wide range of applications, including:
- Performing arts.
- Speakers/presenters.
- Mobility, balance, and related issues.
- “Text Neck” prevention, and improved sitting while using a computer.
- Osteoporosis/osteopenia, kyphosis prevention, and other bone/skeletal issues.
- Depression and anxiety.
- Breast cancer patients and survivors, including members of the Young Survival Coalition: https://www.youngsurvival.org/
- Eating disorders; PTSD; Traumatic Brain Injury; and scleroderma.
- Individuals with early Alzheimer’s and other dementing issues.
- Individuals in gender transitioning processes with hormone treatments, and/or undergoing a gender-affirming surgery.
With regular practice of the AT, clients can rapidly experience benefits, including:
- Calming.
- Pain and stress reduction.
- Reduced stress reactivity.
- Mood elevation.
- Increased self-awareness and confidence.
- Greater ease and improved mobility, movement, and balance.
- Improved poise and presence.
Clients are taught easy, self-directed practices to use on their own.
For more information go to the Lessons / Classes page.
Note:The Alexander Technique and Mindful Alexander Technique (MAT) are wellness practices, not medical treatment.