The Alexander Technique is a method of  re-education that allows a student to gain greater ease of mobility in their day-to-day lives.  With the help of an Alexander Teacher, an individual can reeducate their neuromuscular system to use less muscular effort, allowing the student to experience less physical pain and more ease in everyday actions. 

 

Frederick Matthias Alexander was an orator/actor, born in 1869 in Australia. After experiencing the repeated loss of his voice while prating, with no hope of finding a “cure,” Alexander ventured into the world of self-exploration in order to figure out what exactly was causing him to lose his voice. After almost a year of looking in a set of mirrors Alexander discovered that he pulled his head back and down when he tried to speak. This caused an undue amount of pressure on his vocal chords, straining them so much that he would lose his voice.

 

Through his experimentation and teaching, F.M. Alexander discovered that an individuals' ability to function with either ease or discomfort was directly correlated to the coordination of their head, neck, and back. While in Alexander lessons a teacher will work with a student by using their hands on areas of the body such as the neck, head, and back, to encourage small muscular adjustments that help improve the way the body is coordinated. In conjunction with the hands-on work of lessons, a student will often be asked to take note of how they feel within the moment and to try to notice any areas of the body that  may be trying to use more effort than is required.