The Alexander Technique is a practical process through which you can learn about and improve the underlying patterns of your co-ordination in any activity. It was developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander, better known as F.M. (1869-1955).
"The hallmarks of the Alexander Technique are creativity, spontaneity and adaptability to change." (A.R. Alexander, F.M.'s brother and the first person, other than F.M., to teach the Technique)
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Alexander's Story
As a young man Alexander was living in Melbourne, Australia and pursuing a promising career as an actor and Shakespearian reciter. However, he began to suffer from hoarseness and it became bad enough that his career was threatened.
Alexander consulted experts in the vocal and medical fields, but the best they could do was advise rest or surgery. Alexander found that when he did rest his voice, he regained reasonable functioning, only to have the hoarseness return when he was back on the stage performing. Alexander reasoned that he must have been doing something when he recited that caused the hoarseness. His doctor agreed, but was unable to tell him what it was.
Thankfully for us, Alexander was both determined and resourceful. He resolved to find out for himself what was causing his problem. Over several years he observed and experimented with the way he co-ordinated himself as he used his voice. He achieved his original goal of learning how to speak well without becoming hoarse, but what's more, in the process he discovered some fundamental principles of human functioning that led to marked improvements in his overall wellbeing.
Alexander's friends were so impressed by the changes he had achieved that they asked him to teach them. Thus, the Alexander Technique was born. Alexander continued to develop his teaching methods and skills and soon became well known in Australian medical and performance circles. He moved to London and went on to teach such eminent people as Aldous Huxley, John Dewey, Sir Henry Irving and George Bernard Shaw.
Alexander also trained others to teach his Technique and it is now taught for performance enhancement and pain-relief throughout the world.
Alexander's Discoverys
Through his practical research and rational deductions, Alexander discovered some profound truths about human functioning:
- In order to change how he used his voice, Alexander had to change how he co-ordinated his whole self.
- Alexander could only achieve this overall change when he began by changing the relationship between his head and his spine.
- He could change his co-ordination in a dynamic and ongoing way by clearly intending the new movements as he used his voice.
- Alexander found that this new way of co-ordinating himself, "thinking in activity," as John Dewey called it, could be applied to any activity.
- Alexander also discovered, in a deep and practical way, that the ways in which we think and the ways in which we move are inseparable.
- Therefore if you wish to change one element of your behaviour, you must also and primarily attend to the co-ordinated functioning or your whole self, which includes how you think, how you move, and how you perceive.
The Alexander Technique is thus a powerful tool for learning new skills as well as for developing constructive alternatives to unwanted habits. It is a way of transforming yourself in the direction of integration, poise, and presence.
Scientific Support
Various projects have studied the Alexander Technique Scientifically. The largest and most recent study was published in the British medical Journal and researched the effectiveness of various methods of dealing with chronic back pain. This rigorous study found that: "A series of six lessons in the Alexander technique combined with an exercise prescription was the most effective and cost effective option ..." The full study can be viewed here.
"Freedom to Change: the Development and Science of the Alexander Technique," by Frank Pierce Jones (Mouritz, 1997) is an excellent book and contains pioneering quantitative and qualitative research on the Technique.
Endorsements
The Technique has been used and endorsed by many renowned scientists, intellectuals and performers:
- Professor John Dewey (educationalist and philosopher)
- Nikolaas Tinbergen (Nobel laureate, ethologist)
- Sir Charles Sherrington (Nobel laureate, pioneering neurobiologist)
- Professor Raymond Dart (anthropologist and anatomist)
- Aldous Huxley (author)
- Josh Brolin (actor)
- John Cleese (actor)
- Hilary Swank (actor)
- Kevin Kline (actor)
- Paul Newman (actor)
- Joanne Woodward (actor)
- William Hurt (actor)
- Hugh Jackman (actor)
- Sting (singer/musician)
Click here to read testimonials from some of my own students.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is it Taught?
I teach through verbal instruction, visual demonstration, and delicate guidance from my hands. I teach you in whatever activity interests you. No special clothing or equipment is necessary.
Should I do Private Lessons and/or Group Classes?
I recommend a combination of group classes and private lessons. In my experience students gain more practical skill with the Technique and a deeper appreciation of its principles when they include group learning in their process.
How Many Lessons/Classes do I Need?
Think of learning the Alexander Technique like learning a musical instrument. You'll be learning and benefiting right from the start and may achieve your desired change in a few lessons, just as a music student can play some simple tunes after a few lessons. However, just as you can study music for a lifetime and still be learning, the Alexander Technique is an open-ended process that you can pursue to whatever levels of achievement you like. The instrument you are learning to "play" is yourself.
My Qualifications
I am a certified Alexander Technique Teacher, a teaching member of Alexander Technique International and a graduate of Cathy Madden Studio in Seattle. Cathy is widely regarded as the best group teacher in the world and I am excited to be in ongoing collaboration with Cathy at the leading edge of the Technique's evolution.