- Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique is a discipline with a focus on the self-perception of movement and is aimed at alleviating pain, promoting rehabilitation, improving breathing, and decreasing stage fright, as well as improving other conditions related to previous physical habits.
It is commonly taught by hands-on coaching and by demonstrating to participants of the value of physical poise. What makes it unique is its lack of preset exercises; any movement can be used to demonstrate its principles.
Historically taught in private lessons, its principles have also been adapted to be taught in groups, often using short individual lessons which, in turn, act as examples to the rest of the class. [cite web | last = Arnold | first = Joan | coauthors = Hope Gillerman | title = Frequently Asked Questions | publisher = American Society for the Alexander Technique | year = 1997 | url = http://www.alexandertech.org/misc/faq.html | accessdate = 2007-05-02 ]
The technique takes its name from
F. Matthias Alexander , who first formulated its principles between 1890 and 1900. [cite journal | last = Rootberg | first = Ruth | title = Voice and Gender and other contemporary issues in professional voice and speech training | journal = Voice and Speech Review, Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Inc, Cincinnati, OH | pages = 164–170 | month = September | year = 2007 | doi = 10.1016/S0030-5898(03)00088-9 | volume = 35 | unused_data = |Editor: Mandy Rees|quote: p. 164: A review of introductory articles on the Alexander Technique shows a variation in the length of time —either three or nine years— as the time it took Alexander to develop his technique. According to his biographer, Michael Bloch, the hoarseness —catalyst to his experiments— that Alexander refers to in The Use of the Self, occurred in the second half of 1892, and by 1894, a mere 18 months later, Alexander began teaching some of his early discoveries. Bloch goes on to suggest that although Alexander began publishing in 1900, “almost a decade after he embarked on that process,” his ideas were still not fully developed (p.34-36), and that using the term Primary Control, the underlying principle of the work, was not named in print until 1924). ]History
Alexander was a Shakespearean
orator who developed problems which resulted in losing his voice. After doctors informed him there was no physical cause, he carefully observed himself in multiple mirrors. This revealed that he was needlessly stiffening his whole body in preparation to recite or speak. Further, Alexander observed that many individuals experiencing voice problems tightened the musculature of the upper torso, especially the neck, prior tophonation in anticipation of the act ofvoicing . He suggested that this pattern rotates the head backwards and downwards in relationship to the spine, disrupting efficient overall body alignment; later termed a "startle pattern." He attempted to change this reaction, using both direct and indirect means. After identifying substitution strategies and improving his ability to choose a new response, he found that the old pattern of voice loss not only ceased, but he continued to improve towards his original intention to become a better orator.Later, Alexander came to believe that what he termed the empirical scientific method or self-observation and
reasoning applied to one's own manner of moving, could be used to ease physical performance in general: sitting, standing, walking, using the hands and speaking. He recorded his methods by developing his "work" (termed Alexander Technique after his death,) so as to make experimentation and training repeatable, and also by recording his experiences in four books. He also trained educators of his "Technique" mainly while living inLondon from 1931 until his death in 1955, except for the wartime period between 1941 to 1943 which was spent teaching with his brother Albert Redden Alexander (1874–1947) inMassachusetts , USA.Technique
Basic premises
The Alexander Technique teacher provides verbal instructions while monitoring and guiding with hands-on assistance in order to help the student to change their previous physical habits. This specialized assistance requires Alexander teachers to demonstrate what they are attempting to communicate to the student. [ [http://www.ptjournal.org/cgi/content/full/85/6/565 Improvement in Automatic Postural Coordination Following Alexander Technique Lessons in a Person With Low Back Pain - W Cacciatore et al. 85 (6): 565 - Physical Therapy ] ] The Alexander Technique is considered to be an educational technique to be practiced by the student on their own, rather than a curative treatment. It is designed to be used while doing any other activity, so there are no prescriptive forms or exercises recommended as a proscriptive separate practice time - with the exception of lying semi-supine as a recommended means of effective rest.
Alexander developed some of his own terminology to talk about his methods. An example is the term of "End-gaining," which means to focus on a goal so as to lose sight of the means by which this goal is achieved. This "end-gaining" is argued to increase the likelihood of selecting older, poor physical habits with the potential for injury. In the Alexander Technique, the term "inhibition" describes a moment of conscious awareness that interrupts a habitual pattern of muscular misuse. "Directing" selects and reinforces the proscribed Head-Neck-Back relationship that emerges when habitual misuse is stopped. [cite book
title=The Actor and the Alexander Technique
pages=p. 14
isbn=0312295154
first=Kelly
last= McEvenue
location=New York
publisher= Macmillan
year= 2002
edition=1st Palgrave Macmillan ed
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ixvTPRlcSMoC]Benefits
A number of self-improvement claims have been made for practicing the Alexander Technique. These include alleviating pain and weakness as a result of poor posture or repetitive demands, improving pain management for chronic disabilities, and “enhanced” rehabilitation following surgery or injury. Further, the Technique has been suggested to improve breathing and stamina for athletes, people with asthma, tuberculosis, and panic attacks. Promoters of the Technique suggest that it can help performers manage stage fright, become more spontaneous, and increase skill repertoire. It is suggested that A.T. can be an adjunct to psychotherapy for people with disabilities,
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder , panic attacks, stuttering, and chronic pain because it can improve stress management abilities. [ [http://www.stat.org.uk The Definitive Guide to The Alexander Technique provided by STAT - The Society of Teachers of The Alexander Technique ] ] [cite book | last = Aronson | first = AE | title = Clinical Voice Disorders: An Interdisciplinary Approach, | year = 1990 | Thieme Medical Publishers] [cite journal | last = Vigeland | first = C | title = The Answer to a Stress Test | journal = Sports Illustrated Golf Plus |month=December | year=2000 | doi = 10.1016/S0030-5898(03)00088-9 | volume = 35 | pages = 57]Obviously, practicing Alexander Technique cannot directly affect structural deformities (such as
arthritis or other bone problems), or other diseases, (such asParkinson's , etc.) In these cases, Alexander Technique can only mitigate how the person compensates for these difficulties (which can be significant for them).Disadvantages
In the United Kingdom, there is some coverage of the costs for Alexander lessons through the Complementary and Alternative Practitioners Directory. Otherwise, individuals must pay for the service out of pocket. Outside of the United Kingdom there is little or no coverage. Classes and workshops are an inexpensive alternative, but consistent availability can be an issue. Those who are used to getting instant results may balk at a commitment of twenty to forty private lessons, which is what most Alexander teachers require. The educational process requires the student to work at a somewhat paradoxical goal that is, at first, based on the teacher's (or classmates') perception of success. The learning process also demands giving up out-dated, but sometimes "favored" ways of thinking and acting. If a student must halt lessons at an awkward stage, this can leave them without substitutions for the bad habits. In rare occasions, undoing old habits may trigger possibly unpleasant "unresolved" emotions that were the basis for the development of the subject's habitual remedies - which may need intervention that the Alexander teacher is not trained to address.
Influences
Gertrude Stein 's brother Leo called the Alexander Technique: "the method for keeping your eye on the ball applied to life". [Michael J. Gelb, "Body Learning - An Introduction to the Alexander Technique", p. 2, Macmillan, 1996 ISBN 0805042067]The English novelist
Aldous Huxley was strongly influenced by F. M. Alexander and the Technique so much so that he included him as a character in the pacifist theme novelEyeless in Gaza published in 1936. [Aldous Huxley, "Eyeless in Gaza", Harper and Brothers, 1936]The American philosopher and educator
John Dewey was very favorably impressed by F. M. Alexander and the Technique. In 1923, Dewey wrote the introduction to Alexander's magnum opus "Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual". [F. M. Alexander, "Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual", E. P. Dutton & Co., 1923, ISBN 0-913111-11-2]The Feldenkrais method and the Mitzvah Technique were also influenced by the Alexander Technique.
Along with the
Feldenkrais Method andyoga , the Alexander Technique is one of the three healing arts that help form the foundation of the Nia Technique.cientific evidence
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
