a photo I was given as one of my leaving presents after almost 10 years of chemistry research.
about me and my interests
My story starts with Doctor Goldup, he was an inspiring chemistry teacher at my school. Through him I went on study chemistry at University and taste the pleasures of research. I went traveling off initially to India, through SE Asia to Australia where I stayed about a year working and traveling I returned through Asia enjoying my first session of yoga in Thailand to arrive in London New Year 1990. The time spent traveling changed me profoundly, it gave me a perspective on how I fitted into the order of things.
| I found a job a as a research chemist for an American drug company in Harlow, Essex, I thought this job would be good for a year or two, some practical experience before I decide what to do next, travel or study. I worked for the next 91/2 years on one project, in one team, treating depression was our goal. I worked for some excellent people in my stay at 'the bench' as it is known and learned a tremendous amount about people and the spirit of research, 90% frustration 10% elation. Sometimes I did not handle the frustration well as my lab members would be able to recount. | a photo I was given as one of my leaving presents after almost 10 years of chemistry research. |
Mixing toxic chemicals all day, in the hope that the white powder at the end would be useful was an absorbing business but I realised I was not a career chemist or a career anything. I had no direction in my life and wondered what was going to happen next. At this time I started a yoga class in Harlow and this I came to realise, 2years later, was to be my new direction, described here.
In July 2000 I finally left my nice safe life as a chemist and became a freelance yoga teacher. I loved this period of new found freedom and spent time with myself again, lots of yoga, lots of sleeping, teaching yoga in a variety of new places, helping friends with building projects etc. In the back of my mind I knew I wanted to study again but I was not sure what. As I taught more yoga, my body began to feel the strain, almost permanent tension in my neck, my knees had not been pain free for sometime and I did not really know what was wrong. A poor advertisement for yoga I thought. At this time I went to a workshop by Angela Thompson on yoga and the Alexander Technique (AT) and was fascinated by her quality of movement and powers of observation. I went for a private lesson with Angela in her home in Ilford when she told me about the training school she runs with her husband Ken Thompson. Somewhere in my mind and body I knew this Alexander Technique was the next direction that I was going to study. So in Jan 2001 I started the 3 year training in the Technique.
The school is personal with only 11 students, the Technique is about living life consciously, being awake and present to the moment, rather than living life in a groove of habit. For more about the Alexander Technique look at Ken's web site and STAT. I love studying the Technique as for me it is about studying my habits and whether they serve me or I serve them. On this level yoga and AT are the same thing, on other levels they approach issues in a very different way but as my AT teachers have also been yoga teachers for over 30 years I am in good hands!
| In 2001 I went to work for 3 months in southern Spain at an alternative holiday centre called Cortijo Romero, have a look at the web site or this article about the centre. I had been single for about 2 years and was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to meet THE ONE, I had been running a story about that one for years. I was 34, was going to be a householder, have a family or was my yoga and AT going to take me in a different direction? So in the back of my mind I was putting out feelers to the universe for some answers on that one during me 3 month stay in the sun and mountains. The answer came when I met Grace at Cortijo Romero, suddenly the ONE had come along, now life was going to take some more new directions. | 
Simon and Grace on a later trip to Spain |
I shall qualify in my Alexander Technique training at Xmas 2003 and I am excited about the next chapter of my life.
My interests are many and varied, in no particular order
drumming, drawing sacred art (yantra), cycling, walking, dancing Gabrielle Roth's 5 Rhythms and I hope to write about these soon.
My passions are living life consciously, making yoga available to all and working for a fairer world by supporting charities such as WDM, Trade Justice and Fair Trade.
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