My name is Sarah Mayhan and I teach people how to move more efficiently in their bodies. I learned to do this because I studied how to teach a mind-body awareness method called the Alexander Technique, and did a 1600 hour certification.

My background is as a professional performer. During my acting training, I always felt like my body was getting in my way. I struggled with chronic neck and jaw pain since childhood and scoliosis related back pain since adolescence. Then I added a severe repetitive strain injury while working full time at an office job during the day and acting in professional theater productions at night. I sought medical treatment but I kept getting injuries that set me back. I still wasn’t getting to the root of my problem – which was how I used my body when I did everyday activities, how I tensed my muscles in response to stress, how even after theater training I still wasn’t sure how to move with a balanced posture, and most of all – how I related to my own body as a separate thing from me that just kept letting me down.

Alexander Technique was the missing piece for me, and I hope it will be for you as well. I learned to actually enjoy movement and the feeling of being present in my own body. When I had a stressful situation, or a complicated exercise or dance move to learn, I had tools to approach it with curiosity rather than beating myself up for getting it wrong or pushing through the pain.

I completed training in 2016, and as a certified Alexander Technique teacher began helping performers and busy office workers reduce their stress and move with better “inner ergonomics.”

At this point, I felt more confident that my husband and I were ready to start a family – and that my back could finally handle it. I got pregnant in 2017, and welcomed my son in early 2018. During my pregnancy, I realized how valuable the Alexander Technique tools had been – I said to myself a million times: “I don’t know how anyone does this without the Alexander Technique!”

My back felt better at 9 months pregnant than it had at 19 years old. As my body changed, I was able to shift my alignment to carry the baby bump in a more balanced way. But more importantly, I had a way to check in with and listen to myself. I’ve dealt with anxiety basically since birth, and expecting a baby heightened the stakes. Before every appointment or test, I would worry, and be briefly assured when my results were good, but that relief would only last so long. In those moments, returning to the AT tools of noticing my body and reorganizing myself to release tension and to breathe was what kept me grounded. I should point out here that I didn’t just handle it all on my own – I had my own Alexander Technique lessons with some wonderful colleagues.