ABOUT THE
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
F.M .Alexander [Right] talking to young students [Left]
About the Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique is a subtle yet powerful hands-on method for managing stress, improving posture, reducing back and neck pain and bringing free movement back to the body. Learning the technique and putting the skills into practice allows you to understand how the way you move and carry yourself can cause tension and pain. Fortunately once we understand how this works we can begin working towards greater ease in our bodies and an increased sense of well-being.
What Happens in my lessons?
Through verbal explanations and gentle hands-on guidance your teacher will help you find ease and balance in simple movements such as sitting, standing and walking. There are no specific exercises and you can apply the technique as you go about your life, driving the car, collecting the children from school, working at the computer, etc. During your lessons, which are one-to-one, you will come to observe how you move and feel in yourself and this new awareness, alongside practice of your new skills will enable you to change long established habits and so function more efficiently giving you a greater feeling of well being. Part of the lesson may include lying down in the classic semi-supine position, allowing for maximum support and relief for the back.
Who Learns the Technique?
I recommend the Alexander Technique as an extremely sophisticated form of rehabilitation... From personal experience we can already confirm some of the claims made by Alexander and his followers – namely, that many types of underperformance and even ailments, both mental and physical, can be alleviated, sometimes to a surprising degree, by teaching the body musculature to function differently. We already notice very striking improvements in such diverse things as high blood pressure, breathing, depth of sleep, overall cheerfulness and mental alertness, resilience against outside pressures, and in such a refined skill as playing a musical instrument. Professor N Tinbergen, 1907-1988, Nobel Prize for Medicine 1973.
All kinds of people have benefitted from this technique. Musicians, actors, performers and sportsmen use it to improve performance and prevent injury. Back pain, neck pain, stress management and respiratory conditions can be helped with Alexander Technique.
Dr Barlow in “The Alexander Principle” talks of a patient’s blood pressure dropping considerably after a re-educational session in which tense muscles were relaxed.
Diana teaching Alexander Technique to student
The Alexander Technique is of value to those living with long-term conditions eg. Osteo-arthritis, ME, Parkinson’s Disease. The Medical Research Council and the Parkinson’s Disease Society has funded research into the Alexander technique.
The principles of the Alexander Technique when applied to the changes a mother must make during pregnancy, childbirth and with the new baby can help her:
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cope with the weight of the growing baby
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learn movements and positions to facilitate natural labour
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avoid backache and tiredness
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recover the body and herself after childbirth
The principles of the Technique can help with the effects of hormonal changes including the time around the menopause. This can be a time of low energy, mood swings and changing body image involving a re-evaluation of goals and lifestyle. The skills learned can help balance the mind and body, be grounding and help develop an inner calm.
Alexander Technique for musicians
Tension generated by musicians spending long hours of playing, both in rehearsal and performance, often cause them to experience pain, discomfort and technical limitation in playing. Alexander Technique can help you:
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avoid creating pain when playing
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improve your instrumental technique and quality of action in playing
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transform tone quality
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enhance freedom and stage presence in performance
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gain more control of breathing
Directed by Vince Malc & Emilia Cole
Edited and Filmed by Nicolas Troy
Produced by Niki Heart
Diana teaching Alexander Technique to student