Worsening back and shoulder pain during my teens resulted in a visit to the doctor when I about 15 years old, but he advised that nothing could be done. When I was in hospital following a bike accident a couple of years later, the doctor mentioned in passing that "one side of the chest was higher than the other, but it had no medical significance". In the meantime, I was suffering from increasing pain, which was aggravated when I started working in a design office, by having to lean over a drawing board.

Eventually the pain got to the point where I had to visit the doctor again, and he sent me to the hospital. Here the consultant said that it was a "pity you didn't come two years ago, we could have done something about it". All he offered was an appointment with the physiotherapist. However, after some months, I felt that the physiotherapy exercises were not helping and did not suit me. The doctor suggested trying chest expanders, which I dutifully used for a while, but again they were not helping in reducing the pain.

I then tried yoga, and found that this suited me, and was quite successful. It certainly helped and kept flexibility in my body, but, unfortunately, sometimes it resulted in "pulled" muscles. I maintained yoga, doing 30-40 minutes of exercises every day for the next 25 years. However, it did not really improve my posture, and I still got a lot of pain and problems due to the deformity of my spine.

In 1999 I saw a book about the Alexander Technique. The philosophy made sense and the logic seemed sound, so after reading the book, I attended a one day course at the local college. There I was advised that the Technique could certainly help me. As a result, I started taking lessons with a local teacher.

It took a while to feel any change or benefit - none of the "lightness" described in books. However, I kept persevering because I was convinced of the logic behind the Technique. It was some months before it began to have an effect and I started to feel muscles releasing. The experience was scary at first, as the spine started to untwist, because it felt as if the opposite was happening, as if the body wanted to go into positions that felt wrong and worse. I understood why this was the case, but it was still unnerving, and needed the reassurance from my teacher and the lessons.

I frequently found the experience frustrating, as often I did not seem to be getting any release, whilst at other times, release seemed to come easily. I found it particularly difficult to get any apparent release in my back, but in due course, with lots of patience and perseverance, I progressed. In particular, I discovered that walking helped the back to release.

Over the following two or three years, my shoulders levelled up noticeably and the spine untwisted quite significantly. This was commented on both by my Alexander teacher, and by friends and family (without any prompting). When you are in your mid forties, you don't expect to see any physical improvement - all I had been hoping for was to prevent things getting worse and for pain to be reduced.

However, the measure of improvement was also objective, which was the most encouraging, because I knew then that it could not be in my imagination, but had to be actually happening. Certain things provided a base line by which I could measure improvement:

1. Before starting lessons, I was only able to lie flat on my back for a minute or less before chest pain would necessitate getting up, or turning over. This is now no longer any problem at all.
2. It was not possible for me to sit on a stool or backless chair without getting back ache within a very short space of time (a particular problem in the summer, when friends wanted to use the picnic style combined table/bench seats in restaurant and pub gardens). Now I can sit on these types of seat for a meal with little or no pain even after an extended period;
3. I always had to avoid high back chairs (often a problem in meetings or restaurants) as they were very uncomfortable, forcing my body forward due to the protruding shoulder blade, resulting very quickly in back pain. Now I do not need to avoid such chairs. Whilst still not being comfortable, I can sit in them without pain.
4. In bed at night, in more recent years, I was needing to wear a scarf to avoid waking up with neck ache in the morning. Now this is no longer necessary.
5. I play the piano and had been starting to find that I could only play for 15 or 20 minutes before having to take a break because of pain. This is no longer a problem and I can play for forty or fifty minutes with little more than an occasional slight ache (I also feel that the quality of my playing has improved, but that is subjective!).
6. Each year, I was having to take two or three days off work several times in the year when I badly strained my neck/shoulder muscles, resulting in incapacitation. Since starting Alexander Technique lessons, I have experienced very little problem (only very occasionally, and nowhere near so severe, and not debilitating as before).
7. Previously, if I did not practice yoga for a few days, when I came to do the exercises again, I would be stiff and noticeably less flexible, and could not easily complete many of the movements. Within a few months of starting the Alexander Technique, it was quite remarkable that I did not lose the flexibility when not doing yoga exercises for even a week or more, and was able to complete all the movements the next time I was practicing.
8. I have always enjoyed walking, but usually developed lower back pain within a few hours of starting out. Now it is rare for this to happen, even after walking all day.