ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
What is It?
The Alexander Technique is a hands-on educational method for improving mental and physical wellbeing. It teaches us how to recapture the ease and freedom of movement we enjoyed as young children. Developed by F.M. Alexander in the 1890’s, Alexander Technique is the first mind/body approach devised by a westerner – and it remains one of the most powerful.
Instructions in the Semi-Supine Position
a simple daily activity that can help to improve your posture
Lying down in semi-supine on a table can be a great way to reset the body after doing lots of sitting, too much gardening, hiking etc.
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Lie down on a firm surface—a carpeted floor or mat.
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Rest your head on paperback books placed under the occiput—the prominent bone in the back of your skull—leaving your neck free of the books. The height of the books is often about four fingers worth. Check in with you Alexander Teacher though.
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Bend your knees so that the soles of your feet rest on the floor, hip-width apart, heels fairly close to your buttocks. Bend your arms slightly so you can rest your palms on your lower ribs. Keep your eyes open, and take the time to see. You can take off your glasses as well.
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Notice the weight bearing points: the back of your head, between your shoulder blades, elbows, back of your pelvis, and the bottoms of your feet. Allow your weight to fall through these contact points, without pushing. Let gravity be your friend and help to undo tight musculature.
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Lie in semi-supine at least once a day for at least ten minutes. Lengthen the time or frequency as much as you want. Brief daily practice will be far more effective than one long session once a week.
Principles Behind it
Its basic premise is that the relationship between the head and neck is crucial to balanced posture and ease of movement. We all have this as children, but gradually lose it in response to the stresses and strains of adult life.
Alexander noted that how we move and use our bodies was inextricably linked to how we think and feel. To describe this, he coined the term psycho-physical unity. If you are feeling “down” the physical posture could be slumping, which if it is a transitory feeling is not a big deal but over time can create problems in the body. Alexander was ahead of his time in this sort of wholistic thinking – that the mind and body are one – and nowadays this is a fundamental of holistic medicine.
His genius was not only this realization but the formulation of a series of principles that enable us to become aware of how our unconscious thoughts and physical attitudes affect one another, and how we can learn to change them.
These principles can easily be applied to improve everything from simple activities like sitting, walking, or speaking, to more complex skills like tennis, golf, or horseback riding, and also apply to playing musical instruments, acting, dancing, or singing.
How Does It Work?
Through regular one-on-one lessons, students develop awareness of unconscious patterns of body usage that are counterproductive to optimal wellbeing. Using gentle touch and verbal instruction I show you how to change these patterns. This results in greater ease and freedom of movement that leads to a long-term improvement in psychological and physical functioning.
Optimize Performance
Although originally regarded as a method to help performers on stage Alexander Technique is now taught at major universities and colleges all over the world. Including the Julliard School of Music and Drama, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Yale Graduate Theatre Program, Bard College, Theatre and Music Departments, U.S.A. The Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London U.K., to name but a few. It is an excellent practice to improve your:
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Singing
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Acting
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Dancing
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Public speaking and presentation
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Recreational sports
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Golf
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Tennis
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Horseback riding
The stationary horse helps riders free up their sitting bones and hips. This improves their connection and communication with their horse. I also use this for students with back pain as it is easier to get the legs to release. In turn this helps relieve compression in the spine, particularly the lumbar spine. It can also accelerate healing from surgery.
Pain Management
Alexander Technique is a powerful tool for Pain Management. Going beyond mere treatments for physical problems, Alexander Technique helps retrain your own use of your body in such a way as to gain long term relief from aliments including:
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Back and neck problems
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Repetitive Strain Injuries
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Scoliosis
It can be used to accelerate recovery from surgery or injuries caused by accidents. Alexander Technique works holistically, and it not only helps alleviate physical suffering but can also help to improve overall health, both physically and psychologically.
In 2008, a major study published by the British Medical Journal showed that the Alexander Technique produced significant long-term benefit for lower back pain. This was a scientific randomized controlled trial.
If you are interested in learning more or would like to schedule a session, contact me»
Who Was Alexander?
Frederick Mathias Alexander (1869-1955) was a pioneer in the field of holistic health. Originally a successful actor in Australia in the 1890’s, his career was curtailed by increasing bouts of hoarseness on stage. Unable to be helped by conventional medical approaches he devised his own method for solving his vocal problems. As his voice problems resolved he noticed an overall improvement in his health. He began to teach this method in Australia with remarkable success, and in 1904 moved to London, from where his work has spread all over the world.
Many well-known people have derived benefits from studying the Alexander Technique, including George Bernard Shaw, John Dewey, Aldous Huxley, Raymond Dart MD., Sir Colin Davies, Kevin Klein, John Cleese, Sting, and William Hurt.
“I find the Alexander Technique very helpful in my work. Things happen without you trying. They get to be light and relaxed. You must get an Alexander teacher to show it to you”
John Cleese
“The Alexander Technique has helped me to undo knots, unblock energy and deal with almost paralyzing stage fright”
William Hurt
“The Technique’s many benefits for actors include minimized tension, centeredness, vocal relaxation, responsiveness, mind/body connection and about an inch and a half of additional height.”
Kevin Kline
"The Alexander Technique stresses unification in an era of greater and greater medical specialization. Its educational system teaches people how best to use their bodies in ordinary action to avoid or reduce unnecessary stress and pain. It enables clients to get better faster and stay better longer. This is undoubtedly the best way to take care of the back and alleviate back pain.”
Jack Stern, MD, PhD, Neurosurgical Group of Westchester, White Plains, NY
“I think I have given my patients something almost as good as magic. I have taught them what to do and not to do when their backs give them trouble, and how to reduce unnecessary stress and pain. As a result, they no longer have to feel afraid and helpless when back pain occurs. Many consider themselves cured because they have been able to return to an active, normal lifestyle.”
Deborah Caplan, PT certified Alexander Technique teacher, author of Back Trouble
“The Alexander Technique remains the best of the self-care strategies to prevent the sequel of poor posture and poor breathing.”
Harold Wise, MD, PC, New York, NY.