Why do we need the Alexander Technique?
The human form is the result of millions of years of evolution, well-
adapted to Earth's gravity and capable of carrying out an astounding array of
different activities with power and finesse. However, a downside of this vast
behavioral flexibility is that there are also countless ways that things can
go wrong.
We may imitate the postures of people we admire, or attempt to follow the
well-meaning instructions of a coach or authority figure. We may find ways of
walking that downplay some feature of our bodies that we don’t want to draw
attention to. We may develop bodily attitudes designed to communicate a
message to people around us that we are laid-back, or tough, or charming, or
cool, or non-threatening, or a go-getter.
In order to live up to these ideals, we shut ourselves off from physical
sensation, so that we don't notice the subtle hints our body is giving us,
and we don’t realize that we are doing something unhealthy to ourselves.
As these self-imposed patterns of movement and posture become habitual,
we forget how to be easy, graceful and light, and we may even forget that we
ever knew. Performance suffers, as does our ability to find delight in being
embodied. We struggle with aches and pains, and we injure ourselves too
often.
Trying is only emphasizing the thing we know.
- F.M.
Alexander
How can I learn the Alexander Technique?
A teacher of the Alexander Technique can help you untangle the patterns
of unnecessary muscle tensions you have created and find a simpler, more
balanced way of inhabiting your body. The process is active, engaging, often
surprising, and fun.
Dressed in comfortable everyday clothing, you will explore fundamental
movements such as sitting, standing, reaching and bending. With gentle
verbal and hands-on assistance from the teacher, you will learn to observe
and change habits that interfere with elegant functioning. Part of the lesson
usually takes place on a table, where you can begin to change some of your
habits without the interference that often comes with being upright.
As you learn to prevent detrimental habits in basic actions, your
teacher can also show you how to apply the principles to more complex mind-
body problems, such as how to sit a trot, play a challenging passage of
music, weed your garden, or pay your bills with a minimum of strain and
tension. With continued practice, your kinesthetic feedback system will
become more accurate, and you will be able to apply the principles to new
activities on your own.
As you incorporate the technique into your life, you will develop a
constructive self-awareness that allows you to be more poised and confident,
and readier to meet the unknown.
Most people take private weekly lessons. Others prefer to come more
often, or to share a lesson with a friend, or to take a class. Some people
find that they benefit from being able to see changes in other people, and
from sharing the learning experience.
A very nice illustrated explanation of a lesson may be found here.
People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and
their habits decide their futures.
- F.M. Alexander
How is the Alexander Technique different from . .
.
Chiropractic and Osteopathy
The Alexander Technique shares with these methods an interest in the bones
being in right relationship to each other, so that they can effectively
transfer the weight of the body and meet the earth's force. However, lessons
in the Alexander Technique do not include "adjustments". Instead, students
learn how to prevent the wrong ways of thinking, holding themselves, and
moving that led them to want or need adjustments in the first place. When the
wrong thing is prevented, the right
thing often does itself.
Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi
Although the Alexander Technique shares with these practices a goal of
reaching a balanced, centered state with fluid movement and easy breath, the
method is very different. Instead of focusing on a particular set of
movements to do every day, the Alexander Technique gives the student the
skill to analyze any movement - from simple walking to a challenging yoga
pose - and figure out how to execute it with greater ease.
Massage and Bodywork
Although students usually find the brief "table-work" segment of an Alexander
Technique lesson pleasant and relaxing, it is quite different from massage.
It is done fully clothed, and it does not include any of the stroking,
kneading or tapping that generally characterize massage. Rather,
it is another way to practice being aware of movements and tensions and
making conscious choices about them.
Prevent the things you have been doing and you are half-way
home.
- F.M. Alexander
Who was F.M. Alexander?
F.M. Alexander (1869-1955) was a young Shakespearean actor touring in
Australia and Tasmania, when a recurring hoarse voice threatened to put an
end to his burgeoning career. After unfruitful consultations with several
doctors and voice teachers, he began to consider his approach to speaking and
reciting. Through years of rigorous self-observation and experimentation, he
solved his problem, developed a full, rich voice, and developed the Alexander
Technique.
More information about F.M. Alexander may be found here.
