Latest / Sukany4: The Walk and Talk Podcast / Alison Marsden - Wet Sleddle - Alexander Technique, Reflexology and Digestive Health

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Alison Marsden - Wet Sleddle - Alexander Technique, Reflexology and Digestive Health · Sukany4: The Walk and Talk Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to Sakania the Podcast, the walking and talking podcast where we share conversations along the way.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Sakania and this is season three, episode six.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm walking through more stunning Cumbrian landscapes around Wet Sleddle Reservoir with Alison Marston.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Alison chose this walk as it's one she loves, and I totally see why.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's just so beautiful.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: I literally say this for all of them, but it's just true.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Alison is someone who embodies integration.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: She's an Alexander Technique teacher, practitioner, reflexologist, food coach, and author of the jigsaw method.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: What makes Alison's story so compelling is that every aspect of her work stems from her own journey through critical back pain and lifelong digestive issues.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: In this episode, we'll explore how unconscious habits shape our bodies, why we often don't notice tension until it becomes pain.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: And here Alison explains the only truth we have is our own body's intuition.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: We'll also talk about her four corners approach to digestive health, what she learned as a national park ranger, including the brilliant wisdom that those who've never got lost have never been anywhere.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: And funnily enough, we did actually get a bit lost ourselves on this walk.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Fair warning, there's a horsefly attack mid-conversation, and we also encountered a dragonfly that must have been at least seven centimetres long.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: How cool is that?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Before we set off, if you're enjoying Sakanya the podcast, where we walk and talk, please take a moment to subscribe, rate the show, and review us wherever you're listening.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: It really helps other walkers and thinkers find us.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: And if you know someone who struggles with back pain, digestive issues, or just wants to move with more ease, share this episode with them.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Right then, let's get those boots on and let's get walking with Alison Monston.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Hi Alison! Hi Sakania.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: How are you?
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm good.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really good today.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: So you had a picnic by the reservoir?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, how was that?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Peaceful.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Very peaceful.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it helps you stop and chew your food so you digest it well.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have a picnic at a reservoir every day of the week, no.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so we're at Wet Sleddall.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Wet Sleddale.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: And how did you come to know about Wet Sleddol?
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I've got a friend who's also a reflexologist and we do work exchange and uh she was in SHAP.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: What's work exchange?
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: So work exchange is where you have um someone who uh does the same whatever therapy uh that you do.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um might not be a therapy, it might be a service that you provide.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: And they just do a work exchange, so um yeah, and it's good because you get to receive what you give to your clients, yeah.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, then you know what it's like.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's good.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Oh that is good.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's essential in our work, really.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna open this gate with a clank.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's stunning.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: I've never set foot on these paths before, Alison.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's just beautiful.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's great.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's such an easy place to get to.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: It really is.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Then it's not ever busy.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's free parking.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And uh don't tell everyone.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's only one car park at the top, so yeah.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's not like Longsla Dale, because there's one car park at the top.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you have to get there before nine o'clock, otherwise no space.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that's called Longslaydale.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Long Slale.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: So Alison, what should we start with?
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: What you do currently?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: What I do currently, yeah.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: I help people with long-term back pain or any musculoskeletal pain.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um and they've usually seen fygios and osteopaths but haven't found a long-term solution.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: And my other main clients are those who are suffering from digestive pain.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Or they think that they've got a health condition that's related to the food that they eat.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I help them, I call myself a food coach.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I help them do micro changes in their diet, so they don't feel as if they're doing a massive diet, radical diet change, and they don't feel as if they have to cook anything different that they're doing.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so they make easy steps to help them move forward in their health in much bigger ways, manageable ways, yeah, with not much effort.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that sounds good.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, in terms of the back pain, then how did you get into that?
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I had back pain myself when I was in my twenties.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I it was recurring when I'd do my backing, right?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'd be off work for a couple of weeks.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, right.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually I was got better to go back to work.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Everything went back to normal after a couple of months, and then six months down the line it would go again.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought I really need to get to the root causes.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: And my brother, he had a knee problem.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And he had had Alexander lessons, and my mum suggested to have Alexander lessons, so this is in my early twenties, so what are Alexander lessons?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Alexander lessons.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: So the Alexander technique is a mind-body process to help you change habits.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Essentially.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And it can be any kind of habit.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: So most people, whatever you do, you're doing it through your body, whether you're smoking, talking, or moving.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: And our habits are usually out of our awareness.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so we teach people the process to bring it back into their awareness.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: And then redirect that force of habit because there's a force behind the habit.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: You redirect that force, that energy, to uh a route that's more beneficial for your health, essentially.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: So is that like when you say force, is that like imagine I was a smoker, is that like calling to have a cigarette?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Is that what you mean by the force?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: The the addiction, or may the force be with you.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: The force is you uh in the sessions in the Alexander lessons, you you feel the energy in your body.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um and in Chinese medicine, yeah, they say there's only two causes of illness.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So an excess of something or a depletion of something.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: And usually, and this is what's the good thing about this is that there's an excess of energy, there's a blockage.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so we just need to release that blockage, and the energy just flows, right?
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: So so to someone who's completely unaware of this world, what does it look like when you release the blockage?
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you you feel light, you feel energized, you feel uplifted.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, movement is easier.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: And how do we get to that point?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, come and have an allegor listen with me.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you have a so when you say a lesson, what does that look like?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so a lesson I before COVID, yeah, my lessons would be hands-on.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: We would do face-to-face, yeah, and I still do those now.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: But during COVID, I learnt how to teach it without putting hands on.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: And when we put hands on, all we're doing is helping people become aware of something that's coming out of their awareness.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because if your because your body filters out constants.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: And it's uh it's a survival mechanism.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: So when you say filters out constants, what does that mean?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I I I like to give some examples here.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: So my son filters out the sound of my voice.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's a constant constant.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: She's moaning at me again.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna filter it out.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: And the other thing that my brain likes to filter out is those symbols on the road.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Around with a red and it's got a number in the middle.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: So my brain filters those.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the classic things is um, you know, the the boiled frog syndrome.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: So they put this frog because frogs need to be at a cool temperature, so if the the blood temperature has to be cool for them to survive, and that's why they go in water.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: But what they did was they put this frog in some water and they very, very slowly increased the temperature of it.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: So slowly that the frog didn't realise that it boils itself to death.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Oh gosh.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: But if they'd done it from say 0 degrees to 10 degrees, yeah, it would detect that there was a change.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: So it would jump high.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: And it would jump out.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a problem with with our society, yeah.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because we've got lots of things that are stimulating us, and our brain wants to filter them out.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: And we we don't move in a line to promote spinal health because the seats are really badly designed.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: We're looking at small digital devices.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um we're we're looking at screens a lot, which causes our head to be fixed in one direction.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, while we're doing this walk, you're looking around, aren't you?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Looking at the scenery, yeah.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: But when we look at a squeeze, our head's just still, and our body's not designed to be still for a long period of time.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then it just gets set in that.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why people get stiff shoulders and they can't reach up and right.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: They can't bring their arm back.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: They struggle to turn round in the car to see what's behind them.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's all those little functional daily things that we notice it in.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: So that's the constants then.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: So we're we're releasing ourselves of that by by becoming aware of it.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: But if our hands on you, all of a sudden there's something different.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And your body starts reporting this kinesthetic awareness.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: And through that process, people begin to change their habits.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if I was to teach online on Zoom, uh-huh.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Then I use things like a wall, I get to stand with a wall behind the wall, put a beanbag on the head.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Or we use a hot water bottle at this time of year, we fill it up with cold water, not hot water.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: So they get a kinesthetic sense on their body, and then that the body starts reporting the changes.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: And through that, people can make different choices on how they move.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: So Alexander himself, he um he said, or someone said it was debatable who actually said it.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: How can you change something that doesn't exist?
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's not if it's not in your awareness, yeah, you're never gonna be able to change that.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: So trust me.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it is.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: And how long have you been practicing this technique for now?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I started learning in my early 20s, yeah.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm 60 next year, so stop it.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know the computer saying no, you are not 60 next year.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I am.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, and that's amazing, isn't it?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's incredible.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: So 40 years of Alexander Technique, and has that has anything changed in the way it's practiced over 40 years?
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's a really good question.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because there are some people that really want to stick to tradition, okay traditional ways.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think well, you know, we've got to move with the times.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: And Alexander, when he wrote his book, mm-hmm, because he's wrote many books about it.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Is Alexander still alive?
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: How how old would he have?
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think he died in 1950s.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay, so it's a pretty old established technique.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, I mean it's worldwide.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because the story Alexander used to live in Tasmania.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: And he so this was in the late 1800s and he used to um go to the market square and ring a bell and read out the news.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Because in those days they didn't have newspapers, no mobile phones, no radio, no TV, nothing.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: So he was the original radio.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and people couldn't even read then.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, of course.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: And he lost his voice, and that's how I see Kate discovered it himself because he, the doctor, would say, Well, don't speak for a week.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then so rest your voice and then see how it goes.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: And he would be able to speak after not speaking for a week.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then after five minutes his voice would go.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I see.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: So he thought, well, it's something that I'm doing in that five minutes.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's exhausting it.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so that's when he started to observe himself.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: Used lots of mirrors and he got his brother to help him.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: So was that mirrors in the weather here?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: His throat or yeah, it's a bit boggy, isn't it?
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it gets very boggy up here, and this is where I wear my sandals with no socks on, so I pretend I'm just paddling.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's appropriate for the weather today.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Just get through here.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it is such nice weather.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: If we could swim in that reservoir, I think we'll find there.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, we'll come back to that reservoir.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so obsessed.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: So he was observing himself, and that's how he he came to the technique.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, look at this, it's beautiful.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: This is another good thing about this walk, yeah.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: Because you're walking on grass, aren't you?
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: You're not walking on these concrete stones because the path's been so worn out with so many other people walking along there.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: Just throw myself forward.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: Throwing yourself forward.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's because we're walking on grass.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: Just get over this little bridge.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to that.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's beautiful.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: So calming on the nervous system.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: So it was your mum that introduced you to Alexander then.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: I suppose so, yeah.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: And what captivated you to decide that actually this is what I'm gonna focus on.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well in my first Alexander lesson, I was just so tight and I wasn't aware of it before.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: I just thought I just didn't know all that tension in my body.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: So it's very empowering.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: And take control back of your body.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because after after a few lessons, you then begin to be able to release the tension yourself.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then you begin to notice it.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think we take the high power.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: And you notice it much more in the moment so you can release it.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Because I had digestive problems right from day one when I was born.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so the story's slowly coming together.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh when I was born, my head was squishing the um what's that tube called?
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: Umbilical cords.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: Against my mum's hips.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we had an emergency high forceps.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: Oh right.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: And my ears got crushed, they were bleeding.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Oh and my mum um they were worried that my mum might have got some internal bleeding.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: So they injected them both with antibiotics.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, no no one knew anything about this at the time.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: But in hindsight now they realise that you get your your gut floor from your mum, and that first, yeah, you know, the the mother's um milk, yeah.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's really important for your gut health.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um wow, look at this.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: What a view of the reservoir.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: So the antibiotics.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so the antibiotics, and my mum breastfed me for two weeks and then she bottle-fed me.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, the antibiotics would have been in her system, yeah.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: And the bottle when you get bottle-fed milk, you're not getting all the bacteria from the mother's milk.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, so my digestion was compromised.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: From from the beginning.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I'd always had digestive pain.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I just got to the place where I just thought, well, this is normal, everyone has this.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I see.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I because I was having so much abdominal pain, I held all that area.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: So it was always tension.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: All that tension.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: And when I was 16, I used to be sick at night.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh gosh.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: For no apparent reason every about six weeks.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I couldn't correlate it with my menstrual cycle.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I wasn't just sick once, I'd be sick about 10 times.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so the next day, I just thought, oh, what did I eat the day before?
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, overanalysing then.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I thought, well, I'm not having that again because that's put me through all that pain.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I really restricted my diet.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, when we sp saw the doctor, he's he just said, Oh, it's growing pain, sugar out of it.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: And in some ways I did.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: As I got older, I stopped being sick.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, then I got the back pain.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: And uh and what were you working as at the time you were getting the back pain?
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's the same as you working in pain.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh amazing! The law of attraction.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I worked in IT for 15 years.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: And this is why I carried on having Alexander lessons.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because I realized the Alexander technique not only does it improve well, first of all, it gets you out of pain.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Then it can improve enhance your posture.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: It can improve your performance skills.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of sports people use it.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: Or drama people.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: Lots of musicians use it because if you think about a musical instrument, if you're using that with poor use, you can't play the instrument so well.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: And then the sound's not so good.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: That makes sense.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then horse riders use it.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason why horse riders how because obviously because how you use yourself is going to affect how the horse grounds.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: But Alexander himself, he loved going to horse races and would bet on the horse race.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: And going back to Alexander's story.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yes.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: So he lived in Tasmania.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: Discovered this process, yeah.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: But his was through speech.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: And he had asthma.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: And he cured himself of asthma.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: What?
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I know it's amazing.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: So he presumably that's documented somewhere.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's lots of books about was known as the breathing man right in those days.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: Oh this is really boggy.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah this is I'm gonna memory you turn over here and follow you.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah just looking over there because I think that's the path.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see where that Weno is in that orange top?
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah yeah oh is that the part so he's gone past the bridge that's broken.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah we're gonna go along this concessionary path and that's the path that goes up to the top bit.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think we'll be able to get up that hill?
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah sure.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: We'll just go slow.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah yeah so um so he cured himself of asthma asthma through his his breathing technique which is what we work with as in the Alexander Technique as well.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and he then just became really really well known in Tasmania.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: And in those days so bear this in mind this was in late 1800s beginning 1900s yeah they said this is amazing you need to send this to the centre of the universe in London.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness they said you've got to go to London and teach people there because this is such a fantastic technique.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah that's incredible.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: So in those days it was a boat trip do you know a few months and he thought well if I meant to go there I'll win this race so we'd go and bet on a horse race.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: Oh I see and he because he knew about how people use themselves yeah he would look yeah at the horse rider yeah what's his youth like right and obviously the horse and that was his process right on horses.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: So he would win then yeah so he he often would win yeah and uh so he won and then taught the boat to London uh huh taught it there not not for that long but and then World War I broke out do you remember that in 1914?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: They said look your technique's so precious we don't want you to be blown up oh okay wow you need to go to America so stay safe and he said well if I meant to go to America I'll win this horse race yeah how funny yeah so he put loads of money on another horse race yeah observed the rider and the horse who's Alexander I won amazing so he went to America and that's how it became very quickly international.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Right because I mean considering the era we're talking about that's pretty phenomenal.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah yeah I mean the aren't you know there's been lots of other methods that have sprung up in since 1950s but the Alexander technique because they were so key to keep it to its core principles yeah and not be diluted through the generations yeah they they didn't want it to do a massive marketing they wanted to people to be thoroughly trained yeah so it wouldn't lose its effectiveness uh which is I think it's really good but the downside of it is because it's such an extensive training course yeah that not many people can afford it so you're not going to get new teachers.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: Oh I see so we're we're at the other end of the spectrum now oh dear there aren't many teachers to take us into the next generation oh no okay so there is this thing of really trying to promote it to make it yeah and how how is the promotion working what are what's happening?
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well I'm going to the Alexander Congress this Saturday where is the Congress held oh cool yeah so I'll let you know on the other side of that yeah um yeah it'd be a shame for it not to be passed down again yeah and be lost that would be a travesty actually yeah because it is still very unique.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah look butterfly oh there's so many this year it's so nice to see we we must be doing something slightly right at the moment because I've seen so many more this year.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: How are your feet doing?
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah my feet still dry how about yours yeah well mine are very hot and sweaty thing as I dressed for so you've got barefoot shoes?
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I love barefoots these are barefoot shoes yeah yeah I love them they are so um I don't think I could ever go back to having having any other shoes.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I started running in barefoot shoes eight years ago yeah and that really transformed my running but about eight years before that I had I changed my run my landing technique.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: Right because I used to land on my heel and then now land on the ball of my foot.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay oh that's quite a change.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually your foot whole foot lands but initially it's the ball of the foot.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and that massively makes a difference it engages your natural springs in your body about the Alexander technique hopefully the Congress will have some nice ideas.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah yeah yeah and I guess you will have um people who you're teaching who are fairly young and well this is this is it but uh improving the so you touch on a big topic there.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah because they're trying to teach it at schools.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: They're trying to teach it at schools yeah we want to try and get it on the curriculum and there is a school that embeds it in the whole school process.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh there is yeah there's a few schools around England now oh okay yeah I don't know about the rest of the country you know that that's the the way forward I think because then you're working with the right cause of the problem yeah because the habits often start when we're quite young.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: So did I see that you're also a Reiki practitioner?
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: No I don't do Reiki you don't uh you're talking reflexology.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Oh reflexology I knew there was an R.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: It was an R it was an R reflexology so was that at the same sort of time as Alexander no I well when I trained me I trained as a reflexologist first of all did you yeah how did you get into that well my friend wanted to do an evening class they said oh what about this reflexology and I've always liked my feet being tickled and I I said well I don't mind doing that but I'm not taking on board all this rubbish about parts of your feet relate to another part of your body.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay that's interesting so you were quite skeptical very skeptical then yeah yeah I mean I've come from a background of just give me a drug and yeah I'm not interested in get on with it doing anything else that's my background yeah so I said okay I'll come and uh enjoyed it yeah and then when she said because we've been working on this system so it was a digestive system okay she said you might get these symptoms the next day XYZ and I think well that's just a load of rubbish and I would get the symptoms oh wow I think oh well I've got I feel like I've got a cold or my bowels are really loose or yeah you know I seem to be coughing a lot it was working and I just thought I was just intrigued if I come across something that doesn't marry up with my belief system I think well that's created a spark in me I want to pursue that what's going on yeah yeah ignited your curiosity yeah I was a very curious person yeah I like to find out things so I got more and more involved in it at the end of that evening class which is about six weeks long I thought oh I want to train and do a practitioner's course wow so I did that yeah and really enjoyed it yeah and it was great because you go through all the systems in the body you know your lymphatic respiratory hormonal system digestive system all those and I really loved that kind of biology part of it.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah so once I qualified I just said oh you know to my friends do you want to have a reflexology session?
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and then they would tell other people and they came along so I was getting paid clients uh it just evolved from there.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's fantastic it's almost like it's a calling isn't it yeah yeah that's ace I mean when I moved to Manchester mm-hmm I went on a course all about qi energy of blood in relation to reflexology.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: In my book launched it on YouTube.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I talk about the story actually I wasn't living in Manchester then I lived I was living in Cumbria but the course was in Manchester.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay mm-hmm because I was pregnant I couldn't I couldn't get that reconciled in my brain thinking I was pregnant then but I wasn't I was I was living in Manchester that doesn't make sense.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: I got pregnant when I was in Cumbria.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I learned all about the qi energy and and and what is qi energy?
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: So if you know about prana so in Yoda terms I use the word prana uh Chinese qi qi okay it's life force energy okay again we can't see it yeah but we can feel it feel it and it's just like you know gravity energy or magnet energy.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: So flow of energy and they they've got some photography that they use to measure it now curlion photography.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I went on this course all about the Qi energy of blood and I was pregnant.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and this is my second pregnancy okay it was amazingly interesting came away really inspired yeah and then the next day on Monday I was walking to a local cafe in Kendall and then I started bleeding oh and I thought oh no probably not I think I I must be miscarriaging.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah so and I was three months pregnant right got home realised this is a major miscarriage okay and you know accepted it I was okay yeah but I didn't stop bleeding.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: Right and after two days I couldn't stand up right and my husband kept on threatening to call the ambulance and I say no I'm okay yeah yeah so that's quite scary.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah so it was quite scary and in the end yeah he called the ambulance this is at six o'clock in the morning yeah and I was in my pyjamas and they said you need to go to hospital straight away.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm they were really worried about me I thought I was gonna pass out.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: Right and I thought well I need to put something on so I put a jumper on.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: And of course they put all these needles in you yeah and I was in the ambulance uh I felt really embarrassed going out into my high street with my pajamas on six o'clock in the morning.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we were thinking about.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's all I was worried about yeah how funny it's a gifted oh my god I'm so self-conscious and um when I got there they said you know we're gonna have to give you eight pints of saline and then goodness and then they let me leave the emergency ward.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay and then eventually they tried to give me four pints of blood.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: So that's twelve pints they wanted to give me and in a woman of my size at that time it'd be about 15 pints and that's your total blood.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: Right, oh wow.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I was goodness me you were really poorly I was lot I had lost loads and loads of blood.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway when they investigated it the fetus obviously had died but it got stuck in the cervix.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_00: Right and so my body was just wanting to flush right so it produced all this blood to flush it out and that's why I didn't stop bleeding.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: Gosh oh my goodness so they you know once they moved up that was fine and I had the blood transition I obviously I love her walking I love yeah movement and being in hospital for two two and a half days when my husband picked me up yeah he said right what do you want to do now?
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_00: Go for a walk let's go for a walk and he looked at me he said you're not going for a walk going home and then you know what do you want to eat?
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: Rest and you've got to be fed.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_00: Nourish yourself so where's this path then?
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah there's a path that's up there yeah that way should we have a look at the map?
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: Can you do that?
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: Or shall I have a look at the map?
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah do you mind?
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah you don't it looks like there's a path but honestly Alison this is why I have guests yeah you don't like to do the navigation guests yeah so this is new territory for me.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is exciting.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_00: I used to be a national park ranger.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh did you?
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I was like saying those who've never got lost have never been anywhere.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I get lost all the time literally when I was being interviewed for the National Park Ranger.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah they said have you ever got lost?
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I think it was a trick question.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: Ah because people want to say no.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly I said yeah lots of times.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and then that's when he said well those who've never got lost have never been anywhere.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's always good to look back.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah I say that I think we always rush too much when we do walk to get to the end.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and we don't stop and look back enough.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's uh we need to do that with our life as well we do.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: Someone asked me to write my C V down and then have two columns.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right and like a decision from the head or a decision from the heart.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: Oh to see what was a good move or what was a bad move.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: How did you get on?
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: Well basically all the decisions I did with my head I I mean you we always learn from whatever experience we have yeah obviously you didn't want to do that yeah and the decision from your heart is really taking you where you want to be how are you feeling for lung capacity?
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah fine yeah okay well how are you feeling no I'm fine I was just checking before I ask a question yeah because you'll be talking or you're gonna ask the core questions where I talk most really long questions till you get to the top.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah that's it um so park ranger how long were you a park ranger or are you still a park ranger?
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: I volunteer once I qualified I volunteered okay and I lived in um South Manchester then.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay uh so it was all round the Yorkshire Dales uh huh Maclesfield oh okay Glossop uh because I was kind of north north of South Yorkshire really Buxton yeah that sort of area and what what does a park rang do?
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: We go around in those days there's another thing showed my age yeah we had walkie-talkies oh cool so yeah we would mu be in a uniform uh huh so if someone got lost or needed help yeah we could uh be identified oh okay and if a I don't know gate was broken uh huh or we found people not walking on the footpath you know we were there to educate the public rather than be like police people we couldn't enforce anything but we would be able to tell them countryside safety things and most of the time I wouldn't approach someone but I would be approached.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay that's good yeah I love that we're getting to see the reservoir from the height yeah so sign language yeah sign language when my first son was born yeah because I'm such a kinesthetic person yeah uh yeah I know a lot about the body yeah I knew that your vocal cords didn't develop uh until after your movement muscles so these these two year olds are moving around yeah and yet they still can't master talking to you.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and this is why we call them terrible twos because they just get so frustrated in communicating.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought well why don't we learn sign language because I know all the hand movements you can do that.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what I did with my first son.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_00: Oh cool and how did he take it mother's milk is classic if you think about it when you're feeding uh milk in a cow yeah and you know if they've got a poo coming yeah with a wee they can show you the sign for a wee I'm assuming it worked really well then.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah because they could tell you instead of bawling their eyes out Mama wants some milk.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah but you know as with all kids uh when you're in a public area yeah they clam up don't some kids do yeah and they they can't communicate so they go to the lowest denominator just bawling their eyes out again oh okay we are conquering this yeah we're doing alright aren't we we're not totally out of breath no unknown to the listeners is that we're stopping every five paces no need to go to the gym today then just go to the gym but that's why I like gardening because it's like an outdoor gym if you approach it properly and you get food out of it if you want oh it's a nice cool breeze up here oh it really is it's very welcome so when did you move to Cumbria?
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_00: I moved in 1998.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay 1998 yeah and what made you move up here?
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: The Alexander train oh it was yeah so can we talk about your book?
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: Okay so obviously the Alexander technique totally makes sense in terms of the issues you were having with your back and then the reflexology as a bit of a I need to know what this is about now because it's intrigued me.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_00: The book on di is it digestion it is isn't it yeah um is that connected as well to your personal journey?
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: Because I had loads of digestive problems as a child and um I went to these health events and they said that I'm probably intolerant to gluten dairy.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_00: I started substituting that for something else and actually found that I helped.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because I've always loved cooking uh I made all these recipes uh-huh and my f and I was doing this while I had two kids.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah so I brought my kids up with not much gluten and dairy and uh my friends would say well that looks really good send me the recipe so eventually I wrote this recipe book it wasn't published okay it's just in a you know binder thing oh okay sold it like that yeah um and really enjoyed it yeah and then I had another health condition mm-hmm there's a skin condition oh okay and I did have a skin condition in my twenties right and this is how I got into yoga because in my twenties I was into pill popping oh okay so yeah I'd be taking this pill every day right and then I moved and changed doctors uh huh and the doctor said oh I don't prescribe that right this is what I offer yeah and I'd put all this cream and oil on it and I thought oh that sounds like so much hassle just give me a pill yeah and it was a wake up call for me because I didn't know what I was taking no but I suspect just blind trust isn't it steroid yeah and uh oh gosh yeah and that's gonna wreak havoc on your guts isn't it yeah uh my brother same brother again yeah he was learning transcendental meditation oh okay and said you're really stressed you need to go on a retreat okay so I went on this retreat which taught you how to meditate and do some yoga uh huh and I loved the yoga oh did you yeah wow I really like this because I love movement uh huh so I got hooked on that and here we are yeah amazing well look at this it's like we're on a movie set like literally no other humans this is the hobbit or this it's Lord of the wings isn't it we're expecting someone to come galloping on a horse and you just see the insects in the distance look oh yeah they look like toy cars they do they do they look like an old play track yeah okay so we were talking about your digestive health and your brother said you were stressed.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah and I went to learn yoga yeah and I was really hooked by that and started my yoga practice.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_00: Oh you did?
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah so oh as in you were you were just participating not my own practice.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh you did okay yeah okay yeah so I go back to the medication yeah after I learned that the yoga and meditation course and I came home uh I didn't take the queen on the medication I just did my yoga practice yeah and my meditation which was like five minutes a day ten minutes a day I find meditation really hard yeah so I didn't sort of throw myself into a two hour practice yeah but I was doing some practice regular practice and that's why I say to my client doesn't matter you can start as small as you like yeah the power is in the repetition.
• 43:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh okay Okay.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because as you repeat it, you reap the benefits and you're motivated to devote more time to it.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_00: Because you know your concentration is better, your sleep improves, so you're more effective at work.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_00: So you're actually more efficient.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_00: People have this thing about time.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, I say to them, you have plenty of time.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: All you need to do is prioritize things in your life.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's that discipline, isn't it?
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because the things that aren't a priority, they're not a priority, so if they fall away, it's no big deal.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's not, yeah, it's nothing's gonna happen.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: So well, I made it out that it was a real priority that I watched.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, dragonfly.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's huge.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_00: That is massive.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: I've never seen one that big ever in my life.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: That is amazing.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely want that picture.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: That is incredible.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I reckon we'll bet say this in centimetres for our viewers.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_00: I reckon that's at least seven centimetres.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a helicopter.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: It was like a helicopter.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: That was amazing.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the colouring looked like it had this fancy bead.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_00: I had never seen one that big.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen loads of tiny ones.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um back to you.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: We were talking about yoga and the consistency and discipline.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about time, it's about priority.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because after a while you realise if you do 20 minutes meditation, yeah, you get the same amount of rest as if you were just sleeping for two hours.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow, is that right?
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I started doing.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_00: I thought, well, if I just get up 20 minutes earlier, I do my practice, yeah, I will feel as if I've had an extra two hours sleep.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_00: I thought, well, that's much more effective use of my time.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_00: So can we just pause a second?
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's a lot going on here.
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_00: There is the Alexandria technique, there's the reflexology, there's the yoga, there's meditation, the park ranger, I'm running out of fingers.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, my book.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, your book.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_00: So we just touched on that earlier, didn't we?
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_00: We got distracted.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_00: You had a book that you were giving to people but not officially published.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so that was my first recipe book.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_00: It was called I can't remember what it's called.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_00: Sounding like comfort foods for the whole family.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_00: Because I was both of the kids.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_00: And in the mite era, they were trying to not have dairy and gluten.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I can't remember.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'll let you know what the title is.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_00: I keep thinking I should get that book published.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, my own journey.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh god, I've got a horse fly.
• 46:46
  unknown: Yeah.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I hate them.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, I've got it in time.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_00: They can bite you even through clothes, can't they?
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_00: They can, they're just evil.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think I got it in time.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_00: Drama over.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_00: Drama over.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_00: Look at that, dude.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's great, isn't it, when you see the path.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so pleased we did the the steeper, longer way.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I'm on holiday when I do these walks.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_00: So you're on holiday and working.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's amazing, isn't it?
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_00: Living the dream.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, living the dream.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_00: So what your your current book is called Jigsaw.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the Jigsaw Method.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: And is that something you came up with?
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I I like to make things really simple.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, they need to be uh because I used to teach primary school children.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is the allegor.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I was gonna say not a primar school teacher.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_00: How many days of the week are you operating on?
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: This is a 20-minute 20-minute meditation.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_00: It gives you 26 hours a day.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_00: All of us are operating on 24 hours, but Alison's on a different scale.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, go on.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so uh as part of my Alexander training, I specialise in teaching primary school children.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_00: So and I love trying to make everything really simple so that you understand it.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I thought, well, you know, the whole thing about diet, the the big farmer, big sugar, whoever you know the big guys are, they they're just interested in their profit.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_00: They're not yeah so they try to make out something's healthy just so that you'll buy their products.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: So then they start funding research for various scientific tests to prove that they're products.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: So we're deliberately confused, yeah.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_00: And because of all the confusion, people have lost their faith and trust in what's right for them.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_00: That makes sense.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought I want to do something about that.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to make it really easy and I want them to connect to their own body's intuition.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's the only truth we've got.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because then we don't know who to believe.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: And we just don't, do we?
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_00: We don't spend enough time on that.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we're so busy being busy.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_00: So the the idea with the jigsaw method is that when you make up a jigsaw, yeah, when you find the corner bits, yeah, the corner bits, you know exactly where they're gonna go.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I know this is gonna go on the top left-hand corner.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so I thought, what are the four corners in this jigsaw puzzle with our diet?
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's what we work towards.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_00: We work towards getting those in place, and then you know when you make the jigsaw, the other bits just fall into place, fall into place.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_00: So this thing about, oh you know, I'm short of magnesium, or oh, uh what I need to do is have more omega-3s, or whatever it is.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_00: So when you've got those four corners in place, all the other bits fall into place automatically.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you don't need to worry about small detail if you've got those four anchors.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what I'd say about it's like a compass.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you're totally lost, walk on a compass bearing.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so if you get totally lost with your diet, have you got these four corners in place?
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: The book talks about what the four corners are.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_00: And where is it available?
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it's available on my website and on Amazon and in my car boot at this present time.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_00: And what is your website?
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's called Integrating Health.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_00: So does that literally bring together everything we've talked about?
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you just bring so much to the party, Alison.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: There's so many things, but it's so interesting how it's all related to your personal journey.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, in that you've chosen to help other people.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think there is this innate need that people want to help other people.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_00: They don't want people to suffer.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, being attacked, yeah.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, there's that saying if you want someone to help you change your tire and car.
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_00: You want someone who's done it before.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_00: Who knows what they're doing.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same thing, you know.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's really good if you're working with someone who's been through the stuff that you're getting.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to be exactly the same.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then they can they can be confident they can help you.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well Alison, thank you.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's been amazing.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_00: Really enjoyed that chat.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: Oh good.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I've learned so much.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and also the walk.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_00: Wetsledal.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot rate it enough.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's definitely moved up into my top five.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I love it.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh brilliant, and this is a great walk to do any season.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's perfect, isn't it?
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_00: And it's good for all abilities.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's not accessible, but I'm literally being eaten alive by bugs by people.
• 51:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so thank you.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_00: What a gorgeous walk that was around Wet Sled All Reservoir and what an enlightening conversation with Alison.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_00: Alison, thank you so much for bringing Wet Sled All onto my radar and for the impromptu navigation skills training too.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_00: I do suspect I'm destined to be and very happy to be a follower.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm still thinking about so many things Alison shared with us today.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_00: The idea that we filter out tension, we've become so used to, that boiled frog syndrome, it really resonated with me deeply.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_00: How many of us are carrying strain in our bodies right now and we've just accepted it as normal?
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_00: And Alison's message about trusting our bodies' intuition rather than being confused by all the conflicting dietary advice out there.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_00: That feels both radical and obvious at the same time.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: I feel the simplest approach, those four corners she talks about, is exactly what we need.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_00: Alison offers Alexandra Technique lessons both in person and online, reflexology, food coaching, weekly yoga classes, and monthly online group support to help rebalance your diet.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_00: She also has a weekly online stillness class for resetting your mind and body.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_00: Her book, The Jigsaw Method, is available on her website on Amazon and apparently in her car boot as well.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_00: Alison is running a retreat in Wales from the 22nd to the 24th of August 2026.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_00: So mark your calendars if that interests you.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can also find Alison on YouTube at Alison Marsden, on LinkedIn and on Facebook.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_00: All the links will be in the show notes and on my blog at zacania.com.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's sukany4.com.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_00: As for the wet sled or reservoir walk itself, I highly recommend it.
• 54:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's peaceful, it's beautiful, it's perfect for reflective conversations, it's suitable for all seasons and all abilities, although not fully accessible because of some of the terrain.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_00: Just watch out for those horsepies.
• 54:23
  SPEAKER_00: Before I let you go, I want to leave you with a few questions that came up for me during this conversation.
• 54:29
  SPEAKER_00: What tension are you carrying in your body right now that you've become so used to you don't even notice it anymore?
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_00: When was the last time you trusted your body's wisdom instead of seeking external validation about what's right for you?
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_00: And as Alison reminded me at the reservoir, when was the last time you stopped, looked back, and appreciated how far you've come?
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't already, subscribe to Sakanyo the podcast so you don't miss an episode.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_00: We've got 19 brilliant walks and conversations in this season, and many more in seasons 1, 2, and 3 for you to check out.
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_00: You can find us on LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Substack, Blue Sky, so follow today.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_00: What struck you most about Alison's story?
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_00: This season's music is by a band called Persimmon.
• 55:37
  SPEAKER_00: You can find them on Instagram and YouTube.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_00: Please do show them some love.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for walking with us today.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep walking, keep talking, keep moving, keep listening to the world around you and to your own body's wisdom.