In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of walking through the stunning landscapes near Wet Sleddale Reservoir with Alison Marsden. Alison is a woman of many talents: Alexander Technique teacher, reflexologist, food coach, Yoga teacher, and ex-National Park Ranger. Our walk took us through gorgeous paths with breath-taking views I’d not experienced before, and along the way, Alison shared her remarkable journey through chronic pain, digestive issues, and how she discovered holistic approaches that transformed her life.
The Alexander Technique: Awareness and Habit Change
Alison introduced me to the Alexander Technique, a mind-body process designed to help people change unconscious habits. She explained how our bodies filter out constants, like background noise or tension we’ve become so used to that we don’t notice it anymore. This “boiled frog syndrome,” as she calls it, means we often don’t realise how much strain we’re putting on our bodies until it manifests as pain or stiffness.
Through the Alexander Technique, whether hands-on or online using tools like walls and beanbags, Alison helps people become aware of these hidden patterns. Once aware, they can redirect that energy toward healthier movement and posture.
“How can you change something that doesn’t exist? If it’s not in your awareness, you’re never going to be able to change it.”
Helping Others Following Personal Experience with Chronic Back Pain
Alison’s journey began in her early 20s when recurring back pain kept her off work for weeks at a time. After her brother successfully used the Alexander Technique for a knee problem, she decided to give it a try, and it changed everything. Not only did it resolve her back pain, but it opened her eyes to how habits, posture, and awareness affect our entire wellbeing.
Nearly 40 years, Alison continues to practice and teach the technique, adapting it for modern times while honouring its traditional roots.
The Digestive Health Connection
Alison’s health journey didn’t stop at back pain. Born with compromised gut health due to emergency forceps delivery and early antibiotics, she experienced digestive pain her entire life, thinking it was normal. It wasn’t until her 20s, when she was being sick every six weeks with no apparent cause, that she realised something needed to change.
Her exploration led her to reflexology (which she initially approached with scepticism!), yoga, meditation, and eventually to understanding how food affects our bodies. This culminated in her becoming a food coach and writing “The Jigsaw Method”, a book designed to cut through dietary confusion and help people reconnect with their body’s intuition.
The Jigsaw Method: Four Corners of Health
Alison’s approach to diet is refreshingly simple. Rather than getting lost in the minutiae of which supplements to take or which trendy diet to follow, she focuses on what she calls “the four corners” of nutritional health. Like building a jigsaw puzzle, once you have the corners in place, everything else falls into position naturally.
“We’ve lost our faith and trust in what’s right for us because we’re deliberately confused by big pharma and big sugar. The only truth we’ve got is our own body’s intuition.”
Life Lessons from Many Paths
Throughout our conversation, Alison shared wisdom from her varied career paths:
- As a National Park Ranger, she learned that “those who’ve never got lost have never been anywhere”
- Teaching primary school children taught her to make complex concepts simple and accessible
- Practicing yoga and meditation taught her that the power is in repetition, not duration, even 20 minutes of meditation can feel like two hours of sleep
Memorable Moments Along the Walk
- The Giant Dragonfly: We encountered a dragonfly at least seven centimeters long, the biggest either of us had ever seen! It was like a helicopter taking off.
- Getting Slightly Lost: True to the National Park Ranger wisdom, we had a small adventure trying to find our path, which led to asking a runner for help.
- The Reservoir Views: The walk around Wet Sleddale Reservoir is absolutely stunning, peaceful, and perfect for all seasons and abilities (though not fully accessible due to terrain).
- Horsefly Drama: Mid-conversation, Sukanya had to fend off a horsefly attack. Nature walks are real, folks!
Wet Sleddale Reservoir Walk: Highly recommend! Peaceful, beautiful, and perfect for reflective conversations. Just watch out for those horseflies.
Final Thoughts
What strikes me most about Alison is how she embodies the integration her website promises. Every strand of her work, whether it’s Alexander Technique, reflexology, or food coaching, stems from her personal health journey and genuine desire to help others avoid the suffering she experienced.
Her message is ultimately one of empowerment: by becoming aware of what we’re doing to our bodies (often unconsciously), and by tuning into our body’s own wisdom rather than external noise, we can make small, manageable changes that lead to profound improvements in our health and quality of life.
As we stood looking back at the reservoir from a vantage point, Alison reminded me that “we always rush too much when we do walks to get to the end. We don’t stop and look back enough.” The same is true in life, sometimes we need to pause, look back, and appreciate how far we’ve come.
Resources & Connect
Find Alison:
- Website: Integrating Health
- Book: “The Jigsaw Method” (available on her website, Amazon, and apparently in her car boot!)
Services Alison Offers:
- Alexander Technique lessons (in-person and online)
- Reflexology
- Food coaching for digestive health
- Help with chronic back pain and musculoskeletal issues
Events:
· Look out for Alison’s Retreat in Wales 4th Sept – 6th Sept Aug 2026
· Weekly yoga classes with the Alexander Technique (in person, online and outside)
· Monthly online group support to help rebalance your diet.
· Weekly online Stillness class (resetting your mind and body by consciously directing your mind to release excessive tension)
Links
· YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@alisonmarsden3284
· LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-marsden-ba805661/
· Facebook Integrating Health into your Life
Wet Sleddale Reservoir Walk: Highly recommend! Peaceful, beautiful, and perfect for reflective conversations. Just watch out for those horseflies.
