Group Classes and Workshops

Mindful Alexander Technique (MAT)  provides easy mind/body wellness practices for improved posture, breathing, mobility, and better performance in all activity.

Unlike yoga and meditation, MAT wellness practices require no special skills, strength or endurance, and are available to all ages & abilities. MAT offers a unique, embodied mindfulness practice that allows clients with issues ranging from pain and anxiety to addiction to “start where they are“, as Buddhist nun Pema Chodron puts it.

The self-directed MAT practices taught in group lessons are the same as those taught in individual private lessons, and “buddy lessons” for two.

Although clients in group classes do not receive as much one-on-one, hands-on work with the teacher, they benefit from a unique, interactive/dynamic learning experience within the context of each group.

Depending upon the size of the teaching facility, and specific requirements for each class/workshop or training, Rebecca teaches groups up to 12 people. Average group sizes are 6 – 8 people.

Contact Rebecca for costs and information: MindfulAlexander@gmail.com.

  • Classes are a fun, cost-effective way to learn basic, easy MAT in-the-body physical mindfulness practices for self-directed wellness and self-care, and performance improvement for a range of activities and issues.
  • Rebecca’s specialties include: Addiction; trauma; balance; walking and labyrinth walking; bone loss and bone health; Womens’ Health issues such as building resilience; jaw issues; and Survivor Wellness.
  • Improved performance, presence, poise and engagement for actors, singers, musicians, dancers and presenters/speakers.
  • Better posture, poise, mood, and self-esteem for men/women and boys/girls, including practices for correcting “Text Neck“, which affects millions of phone, laptop and other electronic device users with neck/back pain, depression, anxiety and other issues.
  • Reduction of pain/stress/muscle tension
  • Improvement in health issues related to poor posture/circulation/body mechanics and ineffective breathing.

 

Classes  include:

Mindful Labyrinth Walks (MLW)

Labyrinth walking and labyrinth art have been part of Rebecca Ferguson’s spiritual and personal development since college. Labyrinth walking is practiced globally for calming, meditation, and issues such as grief, stress, and PTSD.

Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, in 2011 Rebecca develeoped Mindful Labyrinth Walking practices that she began teaching to local groups at Urbana’s Crystal Lake Labyrinth. Veriditas is an international organization that promotes labyrinth walking, education and meditation.

Mindful Labyrinth Walking workshops are customized for issues such as addiction and co-occurring disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and eating disorders.

Go to “Mindful Labyrinth Walks“, under the MAT Specialties” sidebar for more information.


Mindful Moves
 
(MM)

Mindful Moves (MM) practices are designed to boost metabolic functions that help combat “Sitting Disease”, which is also known as “Metabolic Disorder”.

Mindful Moves help reduce stress, pain and fatigue especially when sitting, and/or working at a standing workstation.

Mindful Moves have been taught at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, and in many other venues since 2012.

For more information, please go to the “Mindful Moves” tab on the website.


Mindful Recovery Practices (MRP)

Mindful Recovery Practices have been taught since 2012 in customized classes for young adults to seniors in US treatment programs for drug and alcohol addiction, and co-occurring disorders such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and eating disorders.

MRP works in tandem with Behavioral Health programs such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and medication regimens such as Suboxone and Naltrexone therapy.

Mindful Recovery Practices have been taught at Carle Hospital Addiction Recovery Center, Urbana; at Cook County Jail in Chicago; and at Prairie Center Behavioral Health.

Go to “Mindful Recovery Practices“, under the MAT Specialties” sidebar for more information.


MAT for Cancer Survivors & Patients

MAT for Cancer Survivors & Patients offers easy “Mindful Moves” in-the-body self-care and wellness practices for cancer patients and survivors wherever they are on their journey: post-surgeries such as mastectomy and reconstruction, and/or during chemotherapy and radiation.

MAT for Cancer Survivors & Patients is helpful for reducing pain and stress, and improving circulation, which can be helpful with lymphedema issues.

Trained in Lymphatic Drainage, Rebecca brings extra knowledge to her AT work with patients and survivors.  Please note that Rebecca does not offer or teach lymphatic drainage with her AT teaching.

Rebecca has been a provider with the Evanston, IL-based Heartwood Foundation “Women and Cancer” Program; she has also taught at Gilda’s Club in Chicago;
and at Urbana’s Mills Breast Cancer.

Go to the “Survivor Wellness” tab on the website for more information

 

 

Contact Rebecca for more information, or to discuss working with her on Skype, or to schedule an appointment: MindfulAlexander@gmail.com or 224.239.5741.

Cancellation policy:   Please allow 24 hours for cancellation of a private lesson.
The student is responsible for payment when a lesson is missed without 24 hours cancellation notice, except in the case of unusual circumstances such as bad weather or illness.

 

MAT class and workshop/training offerings 

Rebecca teaches fun, dynamic customized classes, workshops and programs based in core MAT practices, including:

Mindful Moves 

  • Mindful Moves provide a form of “Low Intensity Physical Activity” (LIPA) that Inactivity Physiology studies show boost metabolic functions, for combatting “Sitting Disease”.  
  • Mindful Moves practices teach improved posture and body mechanics for reducing stress, pain and fatigue when sitting, and/or working at a standing workstation.

Clients include: University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria; and small businesses and private clients.

For more information, please go to the “Mindful Moves” page on the website.


Mindful Recovery Practices
(MRP)

  • MRP has been taught since 2012 in customized classes for young adults through seniors in US treatment programs for drug and alcohol addiction, and co-occurring disorders such as depression, anxiety, trauma and PTSD.  MRP incorporates 12 Step recovery principles, and complements standard Behavioral Health programs such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and medication regimens such as Suboxone and Naltrexone therapy.
  • MRP is also taught in alternative sentencing programs and a corrections facility.
  • MRP was presented in an experiential workshop at the 2015 Illinois Drug and Alcohol Dependency Association (IADDA) Conference.
  • Rebecca is a guest lecturer on addiction and recovery at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign.

For more information, please go to “Mindful Recovery Practices“, under the MAT Specialties” sidebar on the right side of the website.


Mindful Labyrinth Walks
and “Walking with Intention” Mindful Walking Practices

  • Mindful Walking, Mindful Labyrinth Walking and labyrinth art have been part of Rebecca Ferguson’s spiritual and personal development since college.
  • Rebecca developed MAT-basedMindful Labyrinth Walking” and “Walking with Intention” Mindful Walking Practices that are an integral part of her ongoing recovery from opioids, tranquilizers and alcohol, as well as provide empowering “embodied tools” for dealing daily with pain and PTSD issues.
  • Certified as a Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, Rebecca teaches MAT Mindful Labyrinth Walking and Walking with Intention classes and workshops for issues such as addiction, and co-occurring disorders, especially trauma and anxiety.
  • Mindful Labyrinth Walking and “Walking with Intention” Mindful Walking Practices classes and workshops are customized for group of all sizes, and often incorporate MRP practices and 12 Step principles.

For more information, please go to “Mindful Labyrinth Walks“, under the MAT Specialties” sidebar on the right side of the website.

MAT for Cancer Survivors & Patients

MAT offers easy “Mindful Moves” mind/body self-care and wellness practices for cancer patients and survivors wherever they are on their journey: post-surgeries such as mastectomy and reconstruction, and/or during chemotherapy and radiation.

Clients include: Mills Breast Cancer Institute; and Evanston, IL- based Heartwood Foundation Women & Cancer Program.

For more information, please go to the “Survivor Wellness” page on the website.

 Mindful Balance Classes

Balance is the foundation for all human movement. Improve your balance and improve your life, especially as you age.   We can comprehensively improve our mobility and fall prevention skills as we age, which builds confidence and poise.

Good balance is the result of proper posture and muscular-skeletal body mechanics.

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2.3 million nonfatal fall injuries by US adults over 50 were treated in emergency departments.  Regardless of your age, physical abilities or current bone health level, improving your balance promotes wellness in every aspect of your life.

For those wishing to improve their skills with ADLs – “Activities of Daily Living”, developing better balance is critical. We can comprehensively improve our mobility and fall prevention skills as we age, which also builds confidence.

For those with bone loss issues, the Alexander Technique offers weight-bearing body mechanics that can reduce osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Poor posture/body mechanics and habitual movement patterns result in: limited balance and coordination; pain, immobility and bone loss.

Mindful Balance practices teach us simple in-the-body practices to help restore our “Paleo” posture and muscular-skeletal body mechanics, which promotes better balance, coordination and healthy joint function in movements such as walking, sitting and stair climbing.

Mindful Balance classes promote:

* Improved posture and weight-bearing muscular-skeletal body mechanics
* Reduced muscle strain, tension and fatigue
*
Increased energy, stamina and awareness
*
Improved performance and ease of movement in all activi
*
Improved “Activities of Daily Living” such as walking, getting in and out of
chairs and stair climbing


Mindful Eating Classes

Mindful Eating classes provide a thoughtful introduction to a mindfulness practice. and learning to calm ourselves while developing new approaches for changing habitual eating patterns.

Mindful Eating is for all ages and abilities, as well as persons with eating disorders.