What Is The Alexander Technique?

The Alexander Technique is a form of alternative medicine that combines bodywork, massage, and physical and mental training. Using the technique, participants improve their body awareness to create long-term habit changes. The Alexander Technique has implications for a wide variety of fields, from health care to performance arts.

History

F. Matthias Alexander was an Australian actor and vocal coach during the late 19th century. During the 1890s, he began to recognize that efficient breathing techniques could help his singing students perform better. He developed his own training methods for making singers more aware of how the breath moved through the body. His work was so successful that local doctors began to send patients to him for respiratory therapy unrelated to singing. At the same time, his singing students recognized physical benefits from his training that went well beyond improved performance and vocal range. These successes helped the Alexander Technique spread throughout the world, with medical professionals using these methods to treat a variety of health conditions.

Benefits

Today the Alexander Technique is associated with a variety of health-related benefits. It can be used to correct poor posture to improve chronic injuries and pain. Many use the Alexander Technique to reduce stress, which not only improves mental well-being but may also have significant physical benefits, including better sleep and reduced blood pressure.
One of the most widely recognized benefits of the Alexander Technique is its ability to prevent repetitive motion disorders, like carpel tunnel syndrome. Many workplaces use these principles to teach employees to perform their jobs more safely and efficiently. This includes everything from how the hand moves over a keyboard to lifting boxes or using tools and equipment.

Function

If you're unfamiliar with this program, you may wonder what goes on during a session. The Alexander Technique is primarily designed for private instruction and is rarely used for groups or workshops. Instructors observe the way patients move, as well as the way they think about movement. The instructors then use a hands-on approach to redirect movement and improve physical and mental coordination.
The majority of Alexander-based programs recommend that patients try an introductory session, then decide if they wish to proceed. Those that follow this program are then encouraged to commit to 24 to 30 sessions in order to develop long-lasting habit changes. Classes should be taken at least once a week, or even more often. They may not be as effective if taken at longer intervals.

Expert Insight

The medical community has published many studies on the Alexander Technique, many of which show surprisingly high success rates. For example, a 2002 study at the University of Westminster, London, found that this technique was effective at reducing the impact of Parkinson's disease. An August 2008 study on the Alexander Technique published in the British Medical Journal reported long-term health benefits in patients with chronic back pain. Multiple studies over the years have illustrated the respiratory benefits of this technique, including a 2002 study at Columbia University. The respiratory effects of the Alexander Technique have implications not only for medical patients, but for performers as well.

Considerations

Of course, the Alexander Technique is also widely used by performing artists, who were the first to recognize the benefits of this type of treatment. Musicians rely on these techniques to improve finger placement as well as the way they sit and hold their instruments. Dancers also rely on this program to improve posture and move more efficiently. Using Alexander Technique principles, performance artists are able to play or dance more comfortably with a reduced risk of repetitive motion injury.
Singers can use this program to improve vocal range, reduce hoarseness and prevent strain to the vocal cords. Many stage performers rely on the Alexander Technique to coordinate respiration and movement to reduce stage fright and improve performance. Even business or political leaders can use the Alexander Technique to free the breath and improve public speaking skills.