Think Up Academy

Home
Think Up Academy

By Maaike Aarts since 2002 | Try my free app: thinkup.nl/en/app | Access my online course & more: https://linktr.ee/thinkupbymaaike

24/09/2026

Without the skill of stopping, your habits decide your future.

You think you're in control, but you're really just reacting automatically.

With stopping, you start to get back in the driver's seat.

You start to decide not only *what* you want — but *if* you want it and *how* you want it. You develop freedom of choice.

How do you practice?
- Start small.
- Pause for 5 seconds before your next activity.
- Notice your breath.
- Feel your feet on the ground.
- Notice the space around.
- Then begin.

I know it sounds too simple to work.

But those small pauses add up to big changes.

Download my FREE Think Up app to start practicing stopping. Check out the link in my bio or see the comment section.

17/09/2026

The Alexander Technique skill of Stopping is a welcome antidote to the stress we accumulate from the rush and busyness of everyday life.

When you practise the simple skill, you get a sense of peacefulness, timelessness, space, and connection.

If you would like a little help, you can download my free Think Up app and start practising ‘Stopping’ today.

10/09/2026

Think of a cat waiting to pounce on its prey. 🐱

It doesn't rush. It pauses. It waits for exactly the right moment. Calm, alert, ready.

That pause isn't passive — it's powerful.

In the Alexander Technique, we call this 'Stopping.'

This is a moment of stillness before action. A chance to release tension, expand awareness, and choose how you want to move.

Why is it hard for us humans? Because we're trained to react immediately, to do more, and to move faster.

But when you practice Stopping, you rediscover something the cat never forgot: the power of the pause.

My free Think Up app has several audio guides to help you start Stopping. Check it in the comments and start today 👇

27/08/2026

Feeling relaxed doesn't have to end when your summer break ends!

In this short video, I share the wonderful Alexander Technique skill of Stopping — so you can create your own "mini holiday" feeling, instantly, anytime you need it. Try it with my free Think Up app!

25/06/2026

Saying “no” to one thing means saying “yes” to another.

In the Alexander Technique, Stopping is also known as the “Positive No” because it helps you reject familiar but unhelpful habits in favour of new ones that support healthier routines.

Stopping is a simple practice that can lead to flow, balance, and ease in your mind and body.

My free Think Up app is a handy resource that helps you with where and how to start practising the AT skill of Stopping. Click the link in bio and start today!

19/06/2026

Thinking about enroling in my online course: “Play Violin & Viola with Freedom and Ease”, but still have questions?

Many violinists and violists wonder:
Can an online course really help change physical habits?
What if I don't have pain, but still feel limited in my playing?
Will the results actually last?

In this carousel, I answer some of the most common questions I receive about the course.

If you've ever experienced tension, fatigue, unreliable shifting, a shaky bow, restricted vibrato, or simply the feeling that playing is harder than it should be, I hope you'll find these answers helpful.

Enrollment is now open at a special launch price of €249 (regularly priced at €499) until June 30, 2026. Visit the link in my bio.

Students receive an additional 50% discount on the launch price.
Simply email your student ID to [email protected] to receive your unique discount code.

Have another question? Send it to [email protected] and my team and I will be happy to help.

11/06/2026

At every moment, we're presented with choices.

To conserve energy, our brain almost automatically selects the most familiar option — even when that habit causes tension in our neck or restricts our breath, all without us being aware of it.

In the Alexander Technique, the skill of Stopping gives you that small, precious pause at the crossroads — a moment before you turn right into the familiar pattern, or left into a new direction.

It sounds simple, and it is simple. But in a world that rarely pauses, choosing to stop takes practise.

If you’d like support in bringing this into your daily life, you can download my free Think Up app, where I guide you step by step in integrating Stopping into ordinary activities.

05/06/2026

Many violinists and violists believe tension is simply part of playing.

It isn’t.

Often, the stress, musical disconnection, tension (and sometimes, eventually, injury) come from small, unconscious habits that can be retrained with the right guidance.

As a violinist with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and a certified Alexander Technique teacher, I’ve worked for over 24 years with more than 500 violinists & violists from orchestras and conservatories, helping them prevent these patterns and play with greater ease.

In this new online course, I share step-by-step how to apply the Alexander Technique directly to your playing.

It will help you skip the slow, frustrating path of trial and error and instead discover a clear, inspiring way to find real freedom in your playing.

Click the link in bio to enroll now and get lifelong access to the course.

Try it risk-free: 14-day full refund if you’re not satisfied.
Enroll with a 50% discount until June 30, 2026 (Students and children get half price.)

26/05/2026

Dear musicians and Alexander Technique colleagues: After more than a year of work, it's finally here!!! Play Violin & Viola with Freedom and Ease is my first online course, and it's truly my life's work.

- 50+ video lessons

- 5 modules (Foundations, Head-Neck-Back, Set-up, Bow Arm, Left Arm)

- Lifetime access, self-paced

- 14-day money-back guarantee

Launch offer: 50% off until June 30, 2026 (more discounts for students and children!)

See the link in bio or comment section for details.

My story (and why this course exists):

At 16, I play scales and triads at my technical exam, but unknowingly tense my entire body as I approach the highest notes.

At 17, I lose my sound and practice harder with frustration, unaware of growing shoulder/elbow tension.

At 18, left wrist pain begins, but treatments miss the cause.

At 19, posture therapy made me push my shoulders back and tilt my pelvis: I start questioning how to breathe like this.

At 20, great violin pedagogue Herman Krebbers tells me: "Maaike, you press your head down on your violin so hard that your eyes almost pop out of your head" but doesn't tell me how to change it.

At 21, I couldn't play a decent trill and I was completely unaware of my left wrist joint.

At 23, after my fifth bout of tendonitis, I stop playing for 1.5 years.

What saved me was the Alexander Technique (AT) — it helped me reprogram tension, restore ease, and reconnect with music.

In 2002 I became a certified AT teacher. Two years later I joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as first violinist, and I’ve now played injury-free for 24+ years.

After working with 500+ violin/viola students, I’ve learned this is not unique. It’s a widespread blind spot in our music world, quietly driving pain, burnout, and loss of joy.

This course offers another way! Freedom in vibrato, spiccato, shifting, better set-up, and a tense free bow arm — among many others.

Check out the link in bio or the comment section to see the course offered in English and Dutch.

25/02/2026

What if the most helpful thing you could do before moving or reacting… is nothing?

In the Alexander Technique, “Stopping” is a simple but powerful way to prevent tension before it builds up.

In this video, I share three parts of this practice:

1️⃣ Briefly pausing before you act: preventing unnecessary tightening in the neck, shoulders, back, and breath.

2️⃣ Choosing your focus: gently widening your attention instead of narrowing into effort.

3️⃣ Staying soft, easy, and connected while you continue your activity, so you can keep releasing tension as it returns.

Address

1086XZ

Website

http://www.thinkup.nl/en, https://linktr.ee/thinkupbymaaike

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Think Up Academy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Think Up Academy:

Want your business to be the top-listed health & beauty business?

Country:

City: