Alexander Technique Teacher, Joanne Wills, gives lessons in the Thousand Oaks area of southern CAI have worked with people from all walks of life.  One of the things I love most about the Technique is that it works for everyone regardless of what they do for a living, their age, or their reason for taking lessons.  I am confident that what I teach my students can be applied in the moment every day, no matter what they are doing.

I love teaching the Alexander Technique and it brings me joy to see the faces of my students brighten as they move into new freedom and ease of being. I feel fortunate to be able to teach my students the principles of the Technique as I guide them on a life-long pathway of wellbeing with a tool for everyday life.

I came to the Alexander Technique as a dance and movement teacher.  I was professionally trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music, Drama & Dance with a strong kinesiology foundation. After several years of teaching dance to both children and adults I became interested in the “wellness” concept of movement.  I expanded my dance repertoire to include “movement for health”.  At that time, I developed Kids Aerobics for elementary school children and I was part of a team which developed a safe dance-based, low-impact aerobics program for adults.

Impressed with the importance of prevention for wellness I attended the New England School of Natural Health Care of Boston where I received a diploma in Natural Health Care Science.  Through this program I became aware of the importance of the mind-body connection for whole health.  Desiring to keep movement as my focus I sought out modalities that taught this vital connection.  When I discovered the Alexander Technique I realized that this method surpassed all other modalities and was the answer to teaching others how to recognize and change harmful hidden habits that interfered with postural support and balance, ease of movement, and clarity of thinking.  In 1991 I began my teacher training for the Alexander Technique and graduated from the Alexander Technique Institute of Los Angeles in 1994.  At that time, I received my teaching certification from the North American Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, now known as AmSAT.

Alexander Technique with Joanne Wills

Along with my private teaching practice, now in Nashville, Tennessee, I taught Alexander Technique classes to Performing Arts students as an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, Malibu CA. I also taught group workshops as well as specialized presentations to several Los Angeles businesses and organizations.