Craniosacral Therapy
Alexander Technique
Three Principles
in Totnes
"Everyone wants to be right,
but no one stops to consider if their idea of right is right."
F. M. Alexander
- founder of the Alexander Technique
Totnes Practice
Hello, I'm Fumiaki
I practice at Ola Chiropractic on Fore Street in Totnes, offering
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Three Principles - wellbeing coaching.
Craniosacral Therapy in Totnes
Many people come for Craniosacral Therapy sessions in Totnes when they are feeling stressed, depleted, or unable to fully unwind — sometimes after trying other approaches without finding lasting relief.
Sessions are gentle and aim to support the body's natural capacity to settle and reorganise, often helping people feel more at ease, both physically and mentally.
People seek sessions for a wide range of reasons, including ongoing neck and back tension, headaches or migraines, jaw tightness, and periods of stress or overwhelm.
Some people also come following stressful or traumatic experiences, when the body continues to feel tense, unsettled, or unable to fully relax, and are looking for support in calming the nervous system.
I practice at Ola Chiropractic on Fore Street, in the heart of the vibrant market town of Totnes, with parking nearby.
If you would like to learn more, please read the Craniosacral Therapy page.
Alexander Technique in Totnes
Many people come for Alexander Technique lessons in Totnes when they are experiencing ongoing tension or discomfort, such as back, neck, or shoulder pain, or when they become aware of patterns of strain in how they sit, stand, or move.
Lessons are simple and gentle, often involving everyday movements such as sitting and standing, as well as time spent lying down, which can help release built-up tension.
Over time, many people find they move with more comfort, better coordination, and more freedom in daily life. The technique is widely used by people dealing with work-related tension or the stress of everyday desk-based life, as well as musicians, actors, and performers.
Sessions are available at Ola Chiropractic on Fore Street, in the centre of Totnes, a short walk from Totnes train station.
To find out more, please read the Alexander Technique page.
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, non-invasive hands-on approach that supports the body's natural self-healing process and encourages greater ease and balance.
The body has an innate healing potential, but it can be disrupted by stress, accidents, chronic tension, illness and other life experiences. By working with the body's subtle rhythms, Craniosacral Therapy supports the body's capacity to self-correct and heal. Many people find that Craniosacral Therapy encourages a shift from an over-stimulated fight-or-flight state towards a more settled rest-and-digest response.
During a Craniosacral Therapy session, I listen carefully to the subtle movements within your body. I hold the body lightly as you are — neither pushing nor pulling — and allow it to respond in its own way. It is often this quality of neutral holding and quiet presence that the body registers as a feeling of safety and security, allowing deeply held patterns to gradually soften and unwind.
Some patterns of stress and overwhelm can sit below the level of conscious thought and language. Gentle hands-on work can sometimes reach these deeper layers, supporting the nervous system to gradually settle and release long-held tension.
Many people experience the sessions as deeply calming. Some clients say it feels profoundly relaxing, as though their body is gently floating.
"Over time, I have come to understand that the Breath of Life is a divine presence only appreciated in a state of stillness and unknowing... It arises out of a profound Stillness that lies at the heart of all form and is the fulcrum from which all form arises... It cannot be manipulated or used by the practitioner in any way. One can only humbly witness its creative action within and between human systems.
Franklyn Sills, founder of Craniosacral Biodynamics
What is Alexander technique?
Developed by F.M. Alexander in the late nineteenth century, the Alexander Technique helps you become more aware of your posture, movement, and habits that may contribute to tension and discomfort in everyday life.
Many people spend years sitting at desks, working on computers, looking down at phones, driving, or repeating the same movements day after day. Over time, these habits can affect posture and place strain on the body.
Forward head posture is a common example. It places extra strain on the neck and shoulders and can contribute to headaches, jaw tension, stiffness, and discomfort.
By noticing and changing these habits, it is possible to reduce tension and move with greater ease and freedom. Many people find they feel more comfortable in their bodies and move more easily in everyday life.
Research suggests that the Alexander Technique may be helpful for people experiencing long-term back pain and neck pain.
Consider this: if you sleep for 8 hours a day, you spend the remaining 16 hours upright. That is over 100 hours every week, and nearly 6,000 hours every year of practising your postural habits. Over a decade, that's almost 60,000 hours.
Just as a constant drip of water can wear away stone, these small habits — repeated tens of thousands of times — can gradually shape how the body feels and functions. Poor posture and harmful movement habits may gradually contribute to chronic discomfort, tension, and pain without us being fully aware of it. Because these habits are repeated day after day, they come to feel normal and familiar. However, familiar does not always mean correct.
Many treatments can help release tension and reduce symptoms, which can be extremely valuable. However, if the underlying habits that contribute to the tension remain unchanged, it is not uncommon for the same patterns to gradually return.
The Alexander Technique helps you recognise these harmful habits and provides practical tools for changing them into healthier ones. By improving how you sit, stand, and move, and learning how to let go of excessive tension in everyday life, you can reduce unnecessary strain, take a more active role in your own wellbeing, and support lasting change.
To find out more, please read the Alexander technique page.
Practice Information
Practice days:
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Monday - All day
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Friday - All day
Other days and times can be arranged.
There is a market on Friday in Totnes. So some people love to have a session on Friday and explore Totnes.
Venue:
Ola Chiropractic
Address:
5a Fore Street, Totnes TQ9 5DA
The practice is located near the bottom of the lovely town of Totnes.
It is above the McCabe butcher (the entrance on the right).
Parking:
Street parking and car parks nearby
"Very highly recommended indeed, whether your issues are physical/physiological (e.g. back ache, RSI) or more of a mental or spiritual nature.
Fumiaki is the best Alexander teacher I have ever been to see, and I have seen quite a large number over the years. He seems to have a deep, instinctual understanding of what the body-mind needs for full health, and a subtle ability to impart calmness and healing through the use of his hands and his voice. You cannot do better than to book some ongoing sessions with him."
Eldad Parrin
"Fumiaki is a professional and knowledgeable therapist in both Craniosacral therapy and Alexander technique . He gave me confidence in his ability to explain the therapy and procedure so that I had a clear understanding.
Fumiaki’s expertise and gentle technique enabled me to relax and find healing from Craniosacral therapy for painful arthritis.
The Alexander technique helped me to understand and realign my posture caused by long term painful arthritis."
Val Turner
"The work is amazing and quite mysterious. Over time I have realised that most of the problems I arrived with have gone without my realising at the time. I feel my body is finding ways to heal itself with the support and guidance of Fumiaki. The combination of Craniosacral Therapy and Alexander Technique works very well and I am slowly getting it!"
Anne-Marrie
"Your thoughts are like the artist's brush.
They create a personal picture of the reality you live in."
Sydney Banks
Fumiaki Tanaka - Alexander Technique & Craniosacral Therapy
Address:
Ola Chiropractic
5a Fore Street, Totnes TQ9 5DA
Tel: 07305 577700