The Alexander Technique is a method that teaches individuals to more readily recognize and understand the sensory experiences associated with tension, malcoordination, emotional conflict, fatigue, injury,discomfort, and distress of any type. This means individuals can notice their subconscious habitual reactions more accurately and then choose, through better understanding and consciously acquired skills, to continue or to discontinue these responses in everyday activities. With the teacher's verbal feedback and gentle, hands-on guidance individuals can more accurately assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of their responses. This leads to increasingly accurate judgment, greater range of choice of behavior, and more appropriate behavior. By learning to use these skills, individuals are able to better control psychomotor coordination which:

What is the philosophy behind the Alexander Technique?
F. Matthias Alexander (1869-1955) originally developed this reeducation system as a method of vocal and breathing improvement. Through extensive practical observation and experience, Alexander realized that coordination of the vocal and breathing mechanisms was an intrinsic part of the coordination of the body as a whole. Thus, this functioning of the body should not be seen and treated as separate from mental activity.

What conditions can be treated by the Alexander Technique?
While anyone can benefit from learning the Alexander Technique, it can be very helpful for people dealing with chronic pain, excessive stress, or injury. Many people learn the Alexander Technique because of physical problems: back, neck or shoulder pain, stress and vocal or breathing disorders, but others learn the Technique because of a desire for personal development. The Alexander Technique is taught in music and drama colleges worldwide and is seen as an essential element in a performer's training. Athletes use it to bring awareness to their activities, and pregnant women use it to help them cope with the rapid changes that pregnancy brings.

How is the Alexander Technique taught?
The Alexander Technique is taught on a one-to-one or group basis, beginning with attention to simple movements like sitting, walking, standing. Then, you are guided in a series of gentle reminders on how the upper body should be carried. Through this guidance, you will experience more natural and easy coordination without the on-going interference of habits. One example, learning to release the head, involves picturing the head as a balloon on top of your body. This helps create an incredible sense of lightness and ease in all of your movements. Repeating these experiences of natural, fundamental movements stimulates your internal coordination feedback mechanisms to become more accurate. Consequently, you increase your ability to choose better coordinated and non-stressful responses to stimuli.

What are the benefits of the Alexander Technique?
This learning process can have many benefits, including easier movement, improved alignment, more natural breathing, and, most importantly, the development of skills to deal with habits on an ongoing basis. When you stop interfering with the innate coordination of the body, you can take on more complex activities with greater self-confidence and presence of mind. From back pain to learning blocks, whether you are a musician or you spend long hours on the computer, Alexander lessons remain fundamentally the same: you are guided through simple movements and learn to develop more control in your activities.

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