About the Alexander Teachnique
The Alexander Technique is a gentle teaching technique that offers each student a way in which to move more freely and efficiently. Rather than learning something new, the technique works from the paradigm that we already know the right way of moving, but through life, stress and culture we unlearn what is deeply hard-wired into our systems. The work opens the door to a more conscious and conscientious way of living and being in our own bodies, allowing one to move and perform with more ease and with less stress on our physical structure. The teacher's hands-on contact offers a mirror to the student, bringing more awareness into movement.
When you stop doing the wrong thing, the right thing does itself
FM Alexander
FM Alexander's Story
FM Alexander was born in Tasmania in 1869. He made his early living as an actor and elocutionist, specializing in one man-shows in which he recited Shakespeare. He began to experience vocal problems, sometimes completely losing his voice. After an extended period working with Doctors, specialists and vocal coaches, he was unable to fully recover. Because these specialists offered no concrete way for him to heal, he began a process of inquiry and self-observation.
He noticed that each time he went to recite, he audibly gasped in for breath and threw his head back and down. When he realized that the position of the head relative to the neck was the key to his problem, he tried to put in in the correct position. While his voice did improve slightly, this approach ultimately failed. It was because of this that he discovered his concept of inhibition-to stop just before he recited and give himself a moment to choose not to do the wrong thing. Inhibition, body-mind unity, and the dynamic alignment of the head on top of the neck, called 'primary control' became the keystones of his work. Those elements are still very much alive today. He went on to teach his method in Melbourne and Sydney, ultimately relocating to London in 1904. He continued to develop and teach his work until his death in 1955. Mr Alexander influenced many people, including Aldous Huxley, George Bernard Shaw, John Dewey, Sir Stafford Cripps, Professor Raymond Dart, and Frank Pierce Jones.