The Alexander Technique is a gentle effective educational method for movement taught by a qualified teacher that helps people improve their habitual movement patterns. Learning the Technique gradually retrains the connection between the mind and body to improve our coordination, balance and movements. Postural tone , mobility and performance in everyday activities improve when we learn to use ourselves well. It offers a gentle yet powerful set of skills that help us to unlearn harmful habits of movement and posture. Think of it as a ” user manual” for your mind and body.
When learning the Technique, many people quickly discover that they have unhelpful patterns of tension. Our hidden habits develop over the years and without us realising may be the cause of chronic back pain, neck pain, stiffness in the muscles and joints, mobility and balance problems , headaches, or frequent sports injuries .
A course of Alexander Technique lessons develops a range of skills that we learn to apply to our everyday activities helping us to use ourselves more efficiently with less stress and strain while becoming more aware of how we think and move.
We learn to ” pay attention ” to what is going on in us during activities and we learn to choose how we respond to the demands of life. This can be very helpful for coping well with stress.
As our awareness increases through using these skills of improved coordination, we can find that our natural movement becomes easier, pain may reduce and harmful habits fall away being replaced with new better ways of moving. Our use of ourselves improves.
The Alexander Technique is known for it’s benefits in relieving back and neck pain , improving breathing and enhancing performance in everyday activities. Clinical trials have shown that people learning the Technique showed long term improvement of chronic back pain. It is an investment in your self-care and daily life. Many people find that it is relaxing and helps reduce feelings of stress.
It is often taught in music and drama colleges to help improve voice quality, enhance performance , manage stage fright and prevent injury. Famous actors and musicians have found the technique helpful in their careers including Sting, Judi Dench, and John Cleese.
The Technique can be applied to sports activities to enhance performance and help prevent recurrent injuries by enabling optimum patterns of movement.