The Alexander Technique is considered a re-education, not a therapy.

A wide range of people use the Alexander Technique for many different reasons. Neuromuscular problems including back pain, neck pain, upper limb disorder and tension problems, stress management and respiratory conditions can be helped by the Alexander Technique. Musicians, actors, performers and sports men and women use it to enhance performance and prevent injury.

During an Alexander lesson, the teacher will guide an individual through simple movements, such as standing up or sitting down in a chair. The teacher will use their hands to directly communicate with the individual’s nervous system. People also learn procedures that they can practise on their own, so there is a strong self-help element to the work. In this way an individual becomes totally involved in their own improvement; they are not passively being ‘treated’, they are actively co-operating with the teacher and learning to work on their own.

Why train to become an Alexander Technique Teacher?

The Alexander Technique works by teaching people how to experience for themselves the core principles of ease of movement and freedom from inappropriate tension. This is a subtle and fascinating personal journey for the trainee teacher. Their increased sense of self-awareness allows them to respond with heightened sensitivity to the range of people they teach, who need and enjoy Alexander Technique lessons.

The student practices the exciting and ever changing art of responding to the different ways that people hold themselves physically, and think about their bodies both mentally and emotionally. The training is both physically and intellectually absorbing, and provides an invaluable tool for responding to the challenges of life with a fully integrated body and mind. Many students enter the training course with concerns about their own posture and wellbeing. The college offers a unique, supportive environment to explore and address issues that the student needs to work through.

The Alexander Technique College (ATC) aims to prepare people for the challenge of joining a growing profession that offers personal satisfaction, as well as a service to others. It is now well established throughout the world, with teachers working in many different environments.

Well being
When people learn the Alexander Technique, their balance, co-ordination, breathing and posture all improve. Learning to do this enhances that mysterious factor in our lives that we call “well-being” by making efficient use of muscular effort. This means that we learn to save our energies for when we really need them, rather than waste them in tension.

Injury prevention
If a person unwittingly goes about their whole day moving with effort and tension, they are quite likely to be creating compression in their spine. This can lead to injury when they expend further energy, for instance by lifting something, reaching up or simply by working longer hours. This type of injury can seem to come out of the blue, but is often caused or exacerbated by poor use.

An easy way of explaining this is to use the analogy that our bodies are like cars! Therefore, if we accidentally drive our car with the hand brake on, it will not go very well, but it will still go. If we then become aware that the handbrake is still on and release it, we are surprised and pleased by the sudden improvement in the car’s performance. We could consider this poor driving technique, but we don’t often think about how we “drive” our bodies. However, the Alexander Technique helps us do just that. You could consider it like an operational manual for human beings!

Efficient movement is particularly important for people involved in the caring professions such as nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, dentists, masseurs and those whose work requires them to handle other people. People in these professions have a high incidence of work related injury, particularly back problems.

Improved posture
Posture is not a simple matter of standing or sitting correctly, it is a question of our relationship with gravity. Sedentary lifestyles can lead to bad posture; many of us are round shouldered, we slump a little, and maybe we are a little twisted too. If you can improve the way you use your body with the Alexander Technique, then you will assume the natural posture that is correct for you. There is no point in just trying to ‘stand up straight’, you can’t maintain it, and it often hurts. The problem is that you have not addressed what it is that is preventing you from being naturally upright in the first place.

Stress management
If you have a high stress job, or a high stress life, then there will inevitably be tension in your muscles. Learning to recognise and release this is vital for survival! The Alexander Technique recognises that tension is particularly held and built up in the muscles of the neck, which inevitably affects the free flow of blood to the brain.

Tension also encourages us to breath badly, either too shallowly or in an irregular rhythm. This is turn interferes with the blood chemistry, and can make us drowsy and anxious. Simply learning to understand the mechanisms involved and to use them properly, enables people to minimise stress and its attendant ills, such as tension headaches and neck and shoulder pain.

Improved Performance
Good performance, be it artistic, sporting or in business presentations demands good co-ordination. It also demands high levels of awareness and attention to the task in hand. The Alexander Technique offers improved co-ordination coupled with the ability to monitor appropriate effort and tension; thus enhancing performance of all kinds.

Problems with the voice are often linked to inappropriate tension patterns. All performance, whether vocal or ‘movement’, is a complex interplay of muscular activity that involves the whole body. With good co-ordination the actor can truly communicate his assumed character to the audience without the dreaded stage fright, the musician can free new depths of interpretation in her performance. The golfer can feel the glide of the perfect golf swing.

Confidence
Because the Alexander Technique improves our ability to understand ourselves and how we work, we feel much more in control. This then gives us greater confidence. We all know that our bodily attitude reveals a great deal about us. If we are afraid, we will either tend to cower and shrink or puff ourselves up. Instead, with the Alexander Technique we can learn to use our full height, and to take up the amount of space that we need.

Pain management
Improved use of our bodies is very helpful in pain management. The physical response to pain is one of muscular tension. However, it is not enough to just relax (although of course this is helpful). If instead, we can learn to redistribute the tension evenly through our bodies, we can get our muscles working well to support us properly as we walk and move around. For example, someone who has broken their leg will often go on to develop a back problem largely due to the way they have compensated for their injury. The Alexander Technique can help us to use our bodies intelligently and manage our problems in the best way. This helps in both injury prevention and pain management. The idea that you have it in your control to do something to help yourself, is also very empowering.