F.M. Alexander was an actor born in Tasmania in 1869. His promising career was threatened by
recurring voice problems. Seeking and following medical advice did not improve this so he embarked
on a long period of self-observation. He was able to trace a whole pattern of harmful tensions which were
affecting his whole body and, ultimately, his speaking voice. Alexander's real discovery was that the way
you use yourself affects the way you function. After this his voice improvement was so dramatic that
everyone wanted to know what his secret was, and Alexander began using his hands to explain his discovery.
The Alexander Technique helps bodily movement. A person may use his body well or badly in any activity,
from getting out of bed to performing some highly skilled task. Our natural mechanisms of balance and
support are very efficient and can be seen working beautifully in most small children. Unfortunately, the
emotional and physical strains of everyday life tend to interfere with our natural sense of poise so that we
are no longer able to function as easily as we should.
When a person uses his body badly he keeps muscles working unnecessarily. This throws the body out
of balance and causes strain in the joints and pressure on internal organs. With Alexander lessons, the
co-ordination improves so that simple activities are no longer tiring, and become more accurate and
successful.
In the course of a lesson the pupil will be guided through everyday movements such as sitting, standing,
walking, lifting, writing and climbing stairs. There are no Alexander "exercises". Instead, the teacher's
hands gently suggest a way of moving to create maximum lightness and poise with minimum strain
and tension. Surprisingly, what is often required is not an immediate change in the way you move but
in the way you think about moving.
By allowing the head to balance freely on top of the spine, the body can become less compressed,
or "pulled down", and more aligned and co-ordinated. As this lengthening occurs, the body has more
space to function efficiently and breathing greatly improves. When a person has learned to move
easily and calmly his potential is increased. The calm body reflects back on the mind, which becomes
less cluttered by cares and worries.
People from all walks of life can benefit from Alexander lessons. Many who rely on their bodies in their
work benefit from improved control and co-ordination: actors, dancers, typists, dentists, hairdressers,
musicians and athletes. Some people come with physical disorders: back trouble, bad posture and
over-tensed muscles, headaches and sleeping problems. Others, already in good health, are interested
in improving their overall well-being.
Although Alexander lessons are very effective at curing tension and pain, their real strength is in the
prevention of disorders. Once bad habits have become established it is a long, slow process to change
them. It is much easier to prevent them in the first place.
Information supplied by
The Brighton Natural Health Centre
Back to The Alternative Guide