What is the Alexander Technique?

A Way to Increase Awareness and Release Muscular Tension

The Alexander Technique is a profound method of releasing unwanted muscular tension throughout the body, often accumulated over many years. This excessive muscular tension often starts in childhood and, if left unchecked, can give rise later in life to a whole range of common ailments such as arthritis, neck and back pain, migraine, hypertension, sciatica, insomnia and even depression. A great deal of money is being spent on the treatment of these illnesses, yet the number of patients continues to increase. By learning the Alexander Technique, however, many people can be helped to understand the causes of their problems and be taught how they can help themselves, so that their aches and pains can diminish or be avoided altogether.

About F. M. Alexander

The Technique was devised over a hundred years ago by Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955), an Australian actor who kept on losing his voice while performing. Alexander was determined to find a solution to his curious problem and, after finding that doctors could not help him, he began a journey of self-discovery that not only gave him the solution to his voice problem, but also cured him of asthma, a condition from which he had suffered from birth. It has been claimed that Alexander's research led to one of the greatest discoveries of the twentieth century.

Improving Balance, Posture and Co-ordination

The Alexander Technique can help us to become more aware of balance, posture and co-ordination while performing everyday actions. As children, our posture and ease of movement are a joy to watch, but as we start to tense our muscles in reaction to many of life's worries and concerns, our posture deteriorates into what often borders on deformity. Yet there are so many examples of people outside western civilisation who retain their natural upright posture through most of their lives.

We have a series of reflexes throughout the body that support us against the force of gravity and naturally co-ordinate our movements. Unfortunately, many of us interfere with these natural reflexes to such an extent that adults often hold four or five times more tension in their bodies than is really necessary. In fact, without realising it, many of us make life much harder for ourselves than it really needs to be. Our shoulders become permanently hunched, our necks become stiffer and stiffer, and we sit either slumped or holding ourselves in a very tense, rigid fashion. It may not be until years later that we start to suffer from aches and pains or restricted movement. The reasons for many of these problems can be found when we consider our posture and the way we use the body while performing even the simplest of tasks: pain is simply the body's warning system trying to tell us that something is wrong. The Alexander Technique can show you the underlying cause of your problem, enabling you to eliminate the tension which is responsible for poor posture, tiredness, general stiffness and a variety of aches and pains - conditions that we so often mistakenly put down to the ageing process.

The Alexander Technique and Back Pain

One of the most common examples of the consequences of poor posture or stress is back pain. Eighty per cent of all people living in the west will suffer from disabling lower back pain at some point in their lives. In the United States one hundred million visits are made to chiropractors, and in the UK sixty million working days are lost each year because of back trouble, and these figures are doubling every ten years. Statistics show that back pain is not confined to the United States and the UK, but seems to be on the increase in most developed countries, yet no one seems to have any clear answers or solutions to the problem. There is little research into why back pain is so prevalent in our society and yet comparatively rare in some under-developed countries. An increasing number of doctors, back specialists and orthopaedic surgeons are now advising people to try the Alexander Technique as they can see beneficial results when nothing else has helped. Many people carry on for years with unnecessary pain, not realising that anything can be done for them.

How to Learn the Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique is usually taught on a one-to-one basis and the teacher will help you to become aware of, and to let go of, the muscle tension that is at the root of the problem. This is done with verbal instructions and, gently, with the guidance of the teacher's hands. There is no manipulation and no need to remove any clothing. You will also be taught new ways of sitting, standing and walking that will put less pressure on the joints and muscles. You will learn new ways of performing everyday tasks which cause far less strain on the body, so that you will be using your body more efficiently. Many people who practice the Technique experience a general feeling of lightness throughout their bodies and even describe the sensation as 'walking on air', or moving with no effort. Since one's physical state directly affects one's mental and emotional well-being, people often say that they feel much calmer and happier even after just a few Alexander lessons. This can result in less day-to-day tension and a greater ability to cope with life in general.

It is important to realise that the whole process of re-evaluating the way in which you move does take time, as you are dealing with habits that have been present since childhood. As the pace of life increases it seems that we often expect results immediately, and yet nature is not like that. It will take time for the body to realign itself, and it may take a few lessons to begin to get lasting results. Many people who have taken lessons say that the Technique has not only helped them to become free from pain, but they say that they look and feel years younger.

Watch an Introductory Video

This 20 minute video introduces the Technique and includes some rare footage of FM Alexander.

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© ISATT 2006