The Alexander Technique is a tool for self-awareness.  It is a means of observation, of looking at our movements, thoughts, feelings, and actions to better understand ourselves.  Using the Technique, students gain a new perspective on what is most important to them; holding a trumpet, performing, dancing, teaching, managing pain, navigating an injury, or communicating with clients.  Everybody uses themselves in ways that are most habitual to them.  The Alexander Technique leads to increased awareness and insight into those habits, giving us agency over what to keep and what to change.

AT can help reduce pain, stress, discomfort, and tension.  It is a means for re-educating our bodies and our thinking.  Allowing for new possibilities in thought and movement enables students to discover greater connection between intention and action. 

During lessons, students experience AT through activity, conversation, and through subtle physical touch.  Touch is a means of exploration and can enhance the lesson experience, but hands-on work is not manipulative, nor is it required.  Hands-free lessons can be incredibly powerful, and many students enjoy the availability of online lessons.

Like many mind/body therapies, the experience of an Alexander Technique lesson is unique to each individual.  “Improved Posture” is a phrase often heard in combination with the Technique, and while students may notice a postural shift, more impactful is often increased ease in movement. The benefits of this freedom extend far beyond the lesson.  As one student put it, “I’m starting to think AT is about more than the pain in my back.”

Information on F.M. Alexander and the evolution of the Technique can be found here: alexander-technique