What is the Alexander technique (AT)?

Overview

The Alexander technique (AT) is a system of body alignment, movement, and thought that was developed in the early twentieth century. The technique focuses on posture, poise, breathing, body awareness, efficiency of movement, and elegance of stride. AT is used extensively by singers, musicians, and actors.

The technique was developed Frederick Matthias Alexander, a Shakespearean actor
and orator whose chronic hoarseness had threatened to derail his career. Doctors
could do nothing to help him, but, determined not to give up, he tried to discover
the cause of his chronic voice problems by observing himself in a mirror as he
spoke in his stage voice. What he saw was poor body alignment: His head was pulled
back, his neck muscles were tensed, and his breathing was awkward and gasping. In
effect, his larynx had been compressed by the extreme tension in his
neck muscles.

Alexander knew that changing his posture would not be easy. Just thinking that he was about to speak would cause his neck muscles to tense. He ended up using a sort of reverse psychology to retrain his body. “Don’t speak,” he would tell himself, noticing a release of tension in his neck. His retraining would become the Alexander technique. AT, as it is still taught, is not only about posture and movement but also about mind and thought.

Mechanism of Action

Students of AT will typically meet individually with a teacher for 20 to 30 minutes, once each week. Lessons are hands-on, with the instructor gently guiding the student to lengthen and widen the body through gentle pressure. Particular attention is paid to the neck and head. The neck should be loose, with the head forward and raised. The shoulders should be lowered (“untensed”) and raised. Each session typically includes time to sit, to stand, and then to lie on a treatment table with one’s head resting lightly on a book; the knees are bent. A lesson will also include specific training for the particular body movement that brought the student to the class (breathing and vocalizing, for instance, for a student who is a singer). Lessons are usually repeated weekly for several months or several years.

Uses and Applications

Those seeking the technique may range from violinists experiencing intermittent
shoulder pain, to office workers who have upper back and neck problems from
extended computer use, to overweight persons who feel pain in their hips after
walking as little as one block. AT instructors are careful to refer to their
clients as “students,” not as “patients,” even though the majority of people who
seek out lessons are suffering either from specific aches or pains or from
generalized physical symptoms associated with stress and
could, thus, be considered medical “patients.”

AT is widely accepted in Europe, especially in England, where Alexander lived
and taught. In all countries, the technique is especially popular among
performers. Many music schools, including that at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York
City, have certified AT instructors as faculty. It is not
surprising that actors, such as Alexander himself, frequently practice AT. Famous
actors who are said to have studied the Alexander technique include
Paul
Newman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen, Ralph Fiennes, John
Cleese, and William Hurt. Another person who studied and practiced AT long-term
was American philosopher-educator John Dewey.

Scientific Evidence

No scientific studies of the Alexander technique have been conducted.

Safety Issues

No known safety concerns are associated with the Alexander technique.

Bibliography

American Society for the Alexander Technique. http://www.amsatonline.org.

Bloch, Michael. F. M: The Life of Frederick Matthias Alexander, Founder of the Alexander Technique. Boston: Little, Brown, 2004.

Vineyard, Missy. How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery. New York: Marlowe, 2007.