What is the Alexander Technique?
The Alexander Technique is a form of mind/body re-education. It teaches maximally efficient body movement which, in every day activities, results in much less effort and strain.
I like to compare it to the graceful ease of animals. Always light, always free, even after sustaining trauma or injury, animals have a dynamic “primary control” in the way they move which maintains balance against gravity. Human beings have this same control, but may have lost touch with it due to the stresses of modern day life.
Using the body in the way it was designed to function can increase ease of movement, reduce or eliminate chronic pain, improve respiratory function, and reduce or eliminate psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
What Happens in a Lesson?
The Alexander Techniqe is taught through a series of lessons, usually once a week. With gentle, hands-on guidance and verbal instruction, the student is assisted through movements that can include lying down on a table, getting in and out of a chair, or simply walking. The lessons are adapted to the needs of each student.
As the lesson progresses, the student will normally experience a sense of relaxation and well-being.
Who was F.M. Alexander?
Fredrick Mathias Alexander was born in 1869 in Tasmania, Australia. As an actor, he enjoyed a successful career reciting the works of Shakespeare, until he started to lose his voice while onstage. Doctors were unable to diagnose any specific cause of the hoarseness.
Since there was no clear medical cause, Alexander reasoned that he might be doing something wrong when reciting, leading him to strain or “misuse” his own vocal organs. As his only resort was self-help, he decided to observe himself in a mirror to see if he could spot anything unusual, and find a solution.
After many years of observation and experimenting with different ideas, Alexander realized the proper functioning of the voice depended on the correct balance of tension in his entire neuromuscular system, from head to toe. The result of his work is now known as the Alexander Technique. Not only was his vocal trouble solved, but his discovery has proven to be a major contribution to the well-being of humanity.
Alexander taught his technique in England and in the United States until his death in 1955, at the age of 86.
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Jessica Locke 