FAQs
What is the Alexander Technique?
A method that teaches people to change faulty postural habits, relieve chronic tension and stress, improve mobility, alertness, performance and choice. People practice the Alexander Technique for a variety of reasons, most commonly to relieve pain by learning better coordination of the musculoskeletal system. Others study the Technique to enhance performance. Athletes, singers, dancers and musicians use the Technique to produce fuller breath, richer voice, and speed and accuracy of movement. Stress management is a growing motive for lessons. The most far-reaching reason people study the Technique is to achieve greater conscious control of their habitual reactions.
But, is it bodywork?
Most teachers include table work in lessons.Yet the Alexander Technique is as much mind-work as it is body-work. At the basis of the Alexander Technique is the concept of the human organism as an undivided self, with the systems of the body and mind completely interconnected. There is no such thing as a purely physical movement without a stimulus from the brain or a purely mental thought without a sensory response. That is the premise of this profound work that F.M. Alexander began teaching over 100 years ago. His mind-body discourse is the foundation from which the field of somatic education has emerged.
Doesn’t it have something to do with posture?
Well, an obvious effect of taking lessons is usually an improvement in postural balance. You do learn how to sit, stand and move in a neutral posture that is neither slumped or stiffly held so that you can experience less stress and effort in your daily life. You also learn how to notice the habitual patterns that get in the way of your best functioning, how to undo those patterns, and how to redirect yourself into better coordination. That will give you a spaciousness and a resilience that can be applied to any area of your life, including your posture and way of moving.
What happens in a lesson?
Usually a lesson is about 45 minutes and consists of table work and guidance in activity:
Table work: While you lie clothed on a bodywork table in a resting state, your teacher gently moves your head and limbs, encouraging expansion. She guides you with a unique touch that does not intrude or manipulate, but encourages the release of contracted muscles and an enlivened proprioceptive sense. You are an active participant—you keep your eyes open and converse with the teacher as you learn to undo muscle contraction, deepen your breathing, and quiet your nervous system. You learn to pay attention to and affect what is happening within yourself while you are also paying attention to and responding to the external world.
Guidance during activity: Your teacher gives you verbal, visual, and visceral cues to help you sit, stand, or walk with more ease and effectiveness. You can work on activities you want to enhance, such as public speaking, lifting and carrying, computer work, yoga or a martial art, your favorite sport, or even sleeping comfortably. Performers can work on a monologue, an aria, or a dance movement. In any particular activity you bring to a lesson—such as how you swing a tennis racket, lift a child, or play an instrument—you will learn to reduce effort and increase overall ease as you do it. Since Alexander lessons involve some movement, you may be asked to wear non-restrictive clothing and to remove your shoes.
How is the Technique taught?
Your teacher uses explanation and a guiding touch to help you reach a state of ease and balance. You start by working with simple movements and positions—such as sitting, walking, or bending the knees—which are basic to all activity. Through experience and observation, you learn how to prevent tension and overexertion. Then, you learn how to activate your natural postural reflexes which balance the pull of gravity so that you experience a lightness and poise in both stillness and movement. A lesson in the Alexander Technique will usually produce an immediate feeling of well-being. The goal of lessons is to integrate the main principles of the technique into your daily life and activities.
Can I learn it on my own?
You can certainly benefit from reading about the Technique and experimenting on your own. However, by yourself, you may not notice your habitual thinking and habitual ways of using your body. One of F.M. Alexander’s discoveries was what he called “unreliable sensory awareness” which means that due to habitual patterns of tension or collapse, we don’t accurately perceive what is happening. An Alexander teacher is trained to help you perceive and change your ingrained patterns. By using a subtle hands-on approach, she can give you the kinesthetic and proprioceptive experience of dynamic expansion, mobility, and heightened awareness that helps speed the learning which you can then continue on your own.
How long does it take? How much does it cost?
The Alexander teacher leads you through a one-on-one learning process tailored to your needs. Some people need only a few lessons to significantly alter their habits. Others decide to deepen their initial study and work on the many subtle levels the Alexander Technique offers. Depending on your personal goals, you may take a weekend workshop, a month of lessons, or go on to study and practice the Technique for years. The traditional recommended course is between 10 and 30 private lessons. Lessons with Constance last 50 minutes and cost $80.
How does the Alexander Technique differ from other approaches?
- The Alexander Technique is educational; it’s not a treatment, such as chiropractic or massage.
- The Alexander Technique is not a set of exercises, such as those you might learn in physical therapy, Pilates, or the gym.
- The Alexander Technique is a set of skills that help you perform any movement, activity or exercise with greater understanding and more grace.
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