What is the Alexander Technique? It is a powerful method of self-improvement, from which you can learn how to make positive changes in all areas of your life. Over the years it has proven to be extremely effective for performers and is taught worldwide in Conservatories of music, drama and dance.
Why study the Alexander Technique? Students of the work learn to experience greater ease and reduced effort in their movements. Many people who have physical tension and pain are drawn to the work and are thrilled to discover that, with time, their tension and pain decreases as they experience increased creativity and mental clarity as a result of learning to move more easily and with less effort.
The overall aim of Alexander’s work is to understand the mental processes that direct and determine movements and behaviours. With this increased understanding, we can enjoy greater freedom as new possibilities in thinking and moving begin to emerge. As a result, an on-going improvement in the standard of all performances – everyday and specialised – can become part of our new everyday experience.
Fredrick Matthias Alexander (1869 – 1955) was an Australian actor whose early career was threatened by vocal difficulties. Alexander set about solving his problem by himself as doctors and vocal coaches were unable to help him. His discoveries concerning the relationship between thinking and movement were of such importance that in 1904 he moved to London and spent the rest of his life writing about and teaching his work in Britain and the United States.