Cathy Dowden Alexander Technique

10/02/2026

Back from a few weeks in Tasmania and once again reminded why I love it so much. Time in nature, space to breathe, and this time, kayaking in Freycinet.

Kayaking is such a beautiful whole body activity. When you allow it, everything is involved. Sit bones and feet connecting you to the kayak, legs offering support and direction, arms moving freely, head and eyes orienting you in space. Nothing working in isolation. Every part contributing.

When the whole body is allowed to work together, the experience completely changes. The movement feels coordinated, light and efficient. You are not paddling with just your arms. You are allowing the whole system to organise itself around a clear intention.

It feels like a symphony within the body. Each part playing its role, perfectly timed, in relationship with the others. When everything is in unison, the effort drops away and the experience opens up.

This is where the Alexander Technique fits so naturally. Its principles can be applied to anything, including kayaking. Preparing your body before you get into the kayak, then carrying that awareness with you, enhances ease, balance and enjoyment on the water.

I find it incredibly exciting. When your whole body is involved and your intention is clear, movement feels organised, responsive, and alive. It has left me feeling genuinely excited about the possibility of exploring this further and sharing these skills with the Melbourne kayaking community in the future.

If you’re part of the Melbourne kayaking community and curious about a future workshop, send me a message and let me know.

04/02/2026

We’re well and truly back into routines. Work rhythms have picked up, school terms are underway, and many of us are spending longer stretches back at the screen.

And with that often comes the familiar pattern: leaning in, tightening the shoulders, bracing the neck, collapsing through the back… all without even realising it.

When I’m working with someone at the computer, I’m not “correcting posture.”
I’m helping them notice what their body is doing and unlearn the habits that create strain in the first place.

A small shift in awareness changes everything:
• releasing the neck instead of holding it
• letting the feet connect with the ground
• allowing the spine to lengthen, not stiffen
• softening the shoulders so the arms can move freely

These gentle adjustments don’t take effort, they come from removing the extra work your body doesn’t need to do.

The result?

More comfort, less tension, clearer breathing, and more sustainable focus as you move through your day.

If you’re back at work or study and want to move through the year feeling lighter in your body, the Alexander Technique can make an enormous difference.

You don’t have to push through discomfort.
You can learn a better way to sit, move, and simply be.

Want help getting started? Let me know and we can explore this together.

29/01/2026

As routines settle back in and work ramps up again, it’s easy to get pulled into constant doing. Eyes fixed. Body braced. Attention narrowed.

One of the simplest ways to interrupt that pattern is to shift your gaze.

When your eyes soften and move, your whole system gets a chance to reset. Your vision widens, your brain responds, and your body follows with more ease, space and connection. Your breath frees up. Unnecessary effort drops away.

This is why I often invite people to pause during the day rather than push through. To notice how you’re organising yourself and to allow something different to emerge.

I love rethinking ASAP as:
Allow Space And Pause.

Even brief moments of shifting focus can restore lightness and coordination, especially as working rhythms and daily patterns take shape again. Let your gaze wander around - and up - in the space you’re in, inside or outside, across rooms, through windows, into open space, and notice how your body softens as your vision widens.

These small changes are at the heart of the Alexander Technique and how I work with people.

If you’re noticing new patterns forming and want support creating more ease and awareness in your everyday activities, let’s connect.

Or why not try one of my upcoming free Alexander Technique workshops? The next one is on the 3rd of February at East Brunswick Village. Experience it for yourself.

22/01/2026

Join me for a free Alexander Technique workshop at East Brunswick Village.

I’m Cathy, an Alexander Technique teacher now consulting locally at the EBV Wellness Centre, I also work locally in Coburg.

I work with people who want to move with more ease, reduce tension and pain, and feel more comfortable in their everyday lives.

This one-hour Come & Try workshop is a gentle, hands-on introduction to the Alexander Technique. We will explore simple ways to
• reset your body to comfort
• reduce tension and breathe easier
• feel more coordinated and balanced
• discover how small changes can create big improvements

This workshop is suitable for all mobility levels and is ideal if you are new, curious, or looking for a refresher.

📍 Display Suite, East Brunswick Village
🗓 Tuesday 3 February or Tuesday 24 March
⏰ 6.00 to 7.00 pm
🎟 Free event. Bookings essential as numbers are limited.

https://www.cathydowden.com.au/alexander-technique-melbourne-events

If you live at EBV or nearby, this is a great opportunity to experience my work and see if the Alexander Technique is right for you. I’d love to welcome you.

16/01/2026

When I look up at the sky, something in me loosens. My breath feels freer. My body opens. I feel supported from the ground up.

There’s a lightness that moves through me, almost like my whole system remembers how to expand again.

Looking up gives me perspective. It reminds me that I’m part of something bigger, and that my worries aren’t as solid as they feel.

I’m always drawn to those moments where the sky seems to sweep outward from a single point. They feel like direction, spaciousness, possibility.

Most of us (yes me too) spend our days looking down and in. Screens. Tasks. Thoughts. And our bodies follow that pattern. We tighten. We compress.

We forget the natural uplift and ease that’s already built into us.
But when you lift your eyes into the trees or the sky, something changes. Your vision opens. Your brain responds. Your body follows with more length, more width, more freedom. You feel connected again, both to yourself and to the world around you. Even in the middle of the city.

This is the kind of shift I teach in the Alexander Technique.

These small moments of looking up, releasing effort, letting the body expand, are reminders of what’s possible. They reconnect you with lightness, coordination and the sense of being supported rather than needing to hold yourself up.

A simple upward glance can be the beginning of more ease in your whole self.

08/01/2026

🎶 I’ll be at Cygnet Folk Festival 2026 🎶

Many folk musicians learn by ear and by feel. It’s a rich and intuitive way to learn, but it can also mean picking up habits that create tension, strain, or limit freedom over time.

At Cygnet Folk Festival, I’ll be sharing how the Alexander Technique can help free up the body, support easier movement, and bring more ease to playing, singing, and everyday activity:

📍 Huon Valley, Tasmania
📅 9–11 January 2026
🕑 Saturday 10 January at 2pm - 3.30pm. Workshop Room 3.

✨ Instruments welcome
✨ Non-musicians very welcome

If you’re curious about moving, playing or living with less effort and more ease, come and find me at the festival.

🎸Music by who I can’t wait to see at the festival!

05/01/2026

Hello everyone, happy new year and welcome to 2026. I felt this was the right time for a little re-introduction:

I’m Cathy, a Body and Mind Coach, using the Alexander Technique to help you move with ease, unwind tension and feel more comfortable and confident in your own body.

This work supports clearer thinking, calmer breathing and a lighter sense of yourself in daily life.

People often come to me when they are tired of holding stress in their body, dealing with ongoing pain or feeling worn down by the pace of work and life. The Alexander Technique offers a practical and sustainable way to change those patterns so you can feel better now and into the future.

My path here began after 35 years as a social worker, when stress had started to show up in my posture, movement and energy. I felt tight and older than my years until I discovered the Alexander Technique. The shift was so profound that I trained for three years to teach it and share it with others.

Now I support busy professionals, creatives and active adults of all ages who are navigating pain, stress or fatigue and are looking for an approach that is practical, sustainable and genuinely transformative.

If you are curious about how this work might support you, I would love to chat. Leave a comment or send me a message.

📍Coburg and East Brunswick

30/12/2025

So many classical musicians grow up being shown exactly how to use their bodies when they play — how to release the neck, how to free the arms, how to breathe without strain. At uni level, Alexander Technique is often built into their training because it’s essential for playing with ease, longevity and expression.

But in the folk and roots world, the journey often looks much more organic.

Many musicians learn by ear, pick things up from friends, or are mostly self-taught. There’s a beautiful freedom in that — but it also means people can unknowingly fall into habits that create gripping, tension, or strain. Over time, this can impact both comfort and musicality.

The good news: learning how to support the body, release unnecessary effort, and free the arms, hands and voice can make your playing feel lighter, easier and more expressive. Alexander Technique can genuinely help prevent pain, support longevity, and open up your sound in ways you might not expect.

This summer, you can find me at two wonderful festivals:
🎵 Cygnet Folk Festival Cygnet Folk Festival
📍 Huon Valley, Tasmania
📅 9–11 January 2026
🪶 Alexander workshop: Saturday 10 January at 2pm

🎵 Newstead Live Newstead Live Music Festival
📍 Music festival in Newstead, central Victoria
Featuring folk, world, traditional, acoustic, blues & roots and spoken word
📅 23–26 January 2026
🪶 Alexander workshop: Saturday 24 January at 8am

If you’re a musician wanting to play with more freedom — or you’re curious how small changes in your body can make a big difference to your sound — come find me. I’d love to show you what’s possible.

30/11/2025

Many of us hold unnecessary tension in our neck and shoulders, especially when using our arms for everyday tasks like chopping, typing, playing an instrument or even reaching.

We often try to “hold ourselves up” from the top, overworking the neck and shoulder muscles.

But true support comes from the ground up, lightening your whole body.
When your legs and feet provide the foundation, your arms are freed to move with ease, without strain or effort.

When this happens, you can move and breathe more freely.

This is one of the key discoveries of the Alexander Technique - letting go of old tension patterns and rediscovering natural support and freedom in movement.

If you’d like to explore this in your own body, I’m running a free workshop this Tuesday Dec 2. We’ll look at tension patterns, support, and simple ways to move with more ease in everyday life.

Last remaining spots left - If you’d like to explore this in your own body, I’m running a free workshop this Tuesday Dec 2. We’ll look at tension patterns, support, and simple ways to move with more ease in everyday life.

Last remaining spots left: https://www.cathydowden.com.au/alexander-technique-melbourne-events

20/11/2025

✨ Stress, pain, or poor posture can creep into daily life, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Join us for a FREE “Come & Try” Alexander Technique and experience how small shifts in awareness and movement can make a big difference.

✔ Reset your body to comfort and move with ease
✔ Release tension and breathe more freely
✔ Enjoy gentle, mindful movement in a relaxed setting

📅 Tuesday 2 December | 6–7pm
📍 EBV Display Suite, 8 Bluestone Way, Brunswick East

🌸 It’s relaxed, beginner-friendly, and the perfect way to end your day feeling lighter and calmer.

💫 Exclusive Offer for Attendees:
Everyone who joins the workshop gets access to:
✨ Half-price bookings for any session or package (6 for the price of 3!)
Offer available only to workshop participants - expires at midnight after the event!

🎟️ Limited spots, book your free place today and start moving with more freedom and calm.

🔗 www.cathydowden.com.au/alexander-technique-melbourne-events

Upcoming events FREE WORKSHOP Tuesday, 2 December 6.00 - 7:00 PMDisplay Suite, East Brunswick Village (EBV) Move with ease, reduce pain, and improve balance.  Come & Try Alexander Technique✔ Learn simple techniques to reset your body to comfort✔ Reduce tension, breathe easier, and feel more coo...

12/11/2025

For many Australian women, time is a luxury in short supply. According to the HILDA Survey, more than four in ten women say they often or almost always feel rushed - a number that has barely budged in 20 years. Meanwhile, men's time-stress has eased.

The age group 25–44 is particularly impacted: juggling paid work, parenting and household tasks, women are reporting consistently high levels of time-pressure. The message is clear: flexible workplaces and supportive policies are not just ‘nice-to-have’, they’re essential for wellbeing. Because when time is tight, health and life satisfaction suffer too.

✨ What if the goal wasn’t to do more, but to do less, with more presence?
When we slow down, even briefly, we give our nervous system a chance to reset — our thinking becomes clearer, our posture easier, our breath freer.

✨ So much of our rushing isn’t about time itself, it’s a habit.
When we learn to pause and move with more awareness, the sense of urgency softens. We realise we can get where we’re going without the rush.

As a body and mind coach, I often see how much tension comes from the constant sense of rushing. Relearning how to pause, breathe, and move with awareness can be a powerful antidote to time stress, even when life is full.

💬 What are your thoughts on this?
Do you notice that sense of rushing in your own day? what helps you slow it down?

📷 credit

06/11/2025

On this long hike, the sun was hot, the pack was heavy, and I’d been walking for hours. At the top of the hill, I found a shady spot, lay down for a rest.

In 'Active Reset & Rest', you lie on your back with your knees up and your head supported. This simple position allows the upper and lower parts of your spine to release and lengthen, then gravity does the work for you.

It’s a quiet practice from the Alexander Technique that helps everything settle and spread into the support beneath you. Your muscles let go of holding, your nervous system calms, and your whole body comes back into alignment.

After ten minutes, I was refreshed and ready to bounce up and keep going.

🍃 Try it yourself: when you’re tired, sore, or stressed, lie down for a few minutes, let gravity do the work, and notice how your body and breath naturally reset.

And if you can, do it outside, looking up at the underside of trees is pure magic. 🌳