About Anna
Anna’s interest in the Alexander Technique began long before her official teacher training. While Alexander Technique was virtually unknown in Russia, Anna discovered one of the first ever books on the Technique translated into Russian, and was immediately deeply taken by this work.
However, she didn't follow the path into Alexander Technique right away. Instead, she graduated from Saint Petersburg Staite University with a BA in German Literature and Linguistics, as well as completed a professional tour guide program with focus on Arts and Art History, to become a successful translator, interpreter and tour guide.
She then moved to the USA, to teach German Language and Literature and to complete her Master’s degree in Modern Languages. Alexander Technique was always on the back burner of her mind though, and proved itself extremely useful in a difficult time period that followed.
After sustaining serious injuries in a car accident, Anna’s quality of life during subsequent healing process was severely compromised. “Simple everyday things you normally don’t think much about - for example, standing up from a chair, or tying my shoe laces - felt like a painful ordeal,” - she recalls. “There was nothing I could come up with that would make it easier. In order to avoid pain, I was only further contorting myself, thus creating even more discomfort in daily life. And then” - she continues, - “a thought came from within, that Alexander Technique - something I have been reading about for quite some time - is worth a try and may offer me relief. I looked up teachers in the area and started my weekly lessons. Alexander Technique taught me how moving in a balanced way, in accord with the evolutionary design, and with patient acceptance of current limitations, I could easily accomplish my daily tasks. My back pain was gone within just a few sessions, and my road to recovery was suddenly clear. My whole life outlook became clearer.”
It was then that she realized her desire to study the Technique on a deeper level and become a teacher herself. She continued being Alexander Technique student for more than ten years, before applying for teacher training program with Tommy Thompson at Alexander Technique Training Center at Cambridge.
Anna successfully graduated from the course after completing mandatory 1600 training hours. During the three-year training, she was assisting Tommy Thompson at Harvard A.R.T. classes for actors. In addition to that, she interned for four semesters at Berklee College of Music with Bob Lada.
She then also completed a two-year Post-Graduate study with Tommy Thomson at ATTC.
It was a natural progression of things, that Anna started working as Alexander Technique teacher with musicians, dancers and actors. Thanks to the opportunity to participate in artists’ professional education classes, Anna became finely attuned to the needs and challenges that artists encounter. Assisting her Alexander Technique instructors in real life teaching scenarios, Anna gained an extensive repertoire of ways in which Alexander Technique can help professional performers.
Yet professional musicians are not the only population that finds Anna’s lessons highly beneficial. Anna truly believes, that deep inside every person is an artist, and welcomes people from all walks of life to her studio.
“Alexander Technique provides people with a unique way to experience themselves in a fully supported way, once the inner balance of head and spine is restored,” - she says, - “For musicians, it means being more in tune with their instruments and the audience, for actors and dancers, it also means being in tune with the characters they represent on the stage. For people from all walks of life, it means being on peaceful terms of acceptance with themselves and the world around, while being engaged in any of their daily tasks - be it a mundane or highly skilled activity. The way we carry ourselves is reflected in everything we do, and vice versa,” - she concludes.
Her inborn traits also contribute to her success as an Alexander Technique teacher.
Anna is naturally easygoing, friendly, and skilled at putting people at ease. She is attentive to her student’s needs and wishes. She listens intently, asks questions, and takes the time to understand her student’s true needs and desires, that brought them to the lesson.
Alexander technique is a learning process, hence people taking lessons are called students, never clients or patients. Because knowledge leads to peace of mind, Anna strives to make certain that her students understand the deeper meaning behind each step during the lesson.
At the same time, Anna makes the learning process much fun. She wants her students to enjoy their Alexander Technique studies and to easily transfer their newly acquired skills and insights to reaching milestones in their lives. That is why she calls her approach Interactive Alexander Technique. She keeps her students engaged with games, fun video clips, and many explorational exercises, that she specifically develops to meet her students’ challenges. Anna loves a challenge that each student brings to the lesson. In fact, the more challenges the student can come up with, the more excited she gets to explore each and every one of them.
Her primary source of new business is referrals from her past and current students. There is a saying that “A referral is sending someone you care about to someone you trust,” - and this seems to be an unspoken agreement among Anna’s student body.
When not teaching, Anna is spending her time voraciously reading on variety of subjects, from classic works to contemporary criminal novels, from history of human eating habits to latest books on neuropsychology. She keeps current with her former linguistics background and speaks 5 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, and her native Russian.
Anna loves nature walks, beach combing, and city strolling, no matter the season or weather conditions - in accord with Finnish proverb, that says, “There is no such thing as bad weather - there only can be poorly chosen clothes.”
She, her husband, and their three daughters enjoy hiking, traveling, and attending concerts together. As a long time arts enthusiast and connoisseur, Anna loves visiting museums, art exhibitions, theater and contemporary dance performances. One of her daughters is an aspiring modern dancer, and together they are exploring how Alexander Technique principles come alive through dance.
