Do you realize your physical, mental and emotional resources?

Most of us deplete our physical, mental and emotional resources unknowingly by adopting to wrong and wasteful ways, thereby  exerting unnecessary pressure on ourselves. This is more evident in our day to day activities. We use more force than necessary for doing simple day to chores like walking, sitting and lifting something as small as a coffee cup.

Alexander technique.

A simple technique that throws light on the unwanted movements of our body and organs , which interfere with our inborn capability to move and do day to day chores with ease. This in turn enables the body to save energy that could have been utilized for other productive activities.

It’s not an exercise but a way to reconditioning of the body and soul. It’s a method that helps in knowing and discovering the right balance and sets right the right posture of body and organs of the body.

Named after its inventor F. Matthias Alexander, this technique’s unbelievable results made the people dismiss it as rubbish for many years until  Until Tufts institute for Experimental Psychology conducted a series of experiments for 25 years and substantiated with sound proofs about the efficacy of Alexander's technique. The experiments were supported by enough clinical data by physicians.

Is there any eligibility criteria to learn Alexander Technique ?

None. Anybody can learn and anybody can use it. People from all spheres of life can derive the benefits of Alexander Technique.

No need of a teacher.

Alexander technique is a simple method. It can be learned without a guide or a teacher. Alexander technique is nothing but the application of experimental method to problems of our day to day irregularities.

Age, no barrier.

There are no age restrictions to learn Alexander technique. Even after a prolonged misusing of your body, one can enjoy the benefits of Alexander technique . One of the founding members of scientific philosophy, John Dewey, learned Alexander technique at the late age of fifty eight and the technique bestowed on him immense rejuvenation. Above all, he lived up to the age of ninety two years.

George Bernard Shaw took to Alexander technique at the age of eighty and lived up to the ripe age of ninety four. 

What are the fields where Alexander technique is in extensive use?

Wherever a sound and flexible body plays a vital role, Alexander technique is mandatory . Professional Actors, dancers, athletes should keep their bodies in  a top condition . 

In addition to this, patients are the beneficiaries. Alexander technique is acclaimed as a valuable ingredient in physiotherapy. In the world of fashion, Alexander technique has been considered as an indispensable tool for presentation and appearance.

John Dewey, the great educational philosopher opined that for a truly effective education, Alexander technique is highly essential in building a student's attention and self esteem.

Benefits of introducing Alexander technique in to your life.

Bringing Alexander Technique in to one’s life means strengthening one’s life in a way that ensures ease and endurance in everything one does.

Whatever we do, it involves patterns and movements. It may be lying in bed. Standing and sitting. Opening and shutting window doors. Reaching to a shelf to pick a book or the pipe

 Its not all. Alexander technique gives an immense relief in a plethora of ailments caused by stress and excess and unnecessary muscle tension.

Alexander technique doesn’t demand a change of religion or mindboggling philosophical expertise. What all it needs is combining thought with action. It  simply tells.’ Only the effort needed should be expended on all the activities involved in our day to day lives.

Your movements and your looks are interrelated.

Yes, it’s a fact that many of us refuse to believe. Many console themselves with lame excuses like, ‘oh. Its heredity. My father stoops when he walks. So what’s wrong with it?”

It’s certainly wrong way of thinking.

A bad posture affects the ability of the lungs to expand. If you sit in a slumping posture, unknowingly, you are forcing the lungs’ efficiency in the optimum level for contraction and inflation.

A wrong posture can decrease the efficiency of brain and organ function. Because Spine is closely related to  brain, spinal cord and all the organs of the body. And due to bad posture, it’s the spine that takes the biggest blow ultimately leading to a plethora of ailments.

Spine is the Motor that drives the Brain.

Nobel Laureate, Dr. Roger demonstrated. “Spine is the Motor that drives the Brain”. He further stated that a major chunk of the stimuli and nutrition to the brain is generated through the proper functioning of the Spine. Hence it’s clear that Spine functioning is the deciding factor for one’s well being and in keeping in good health.

Spine has a natural curve approximately 40 -45 degrees. Bad posture will damage this natural curve of the spine ultimately leading to many problems.

Misalignment of the spine is known as Subluxation in medical parlances. As a result of spinal misalignment, nerve pathways are subjected to limitation and compression. This in turn affects the functioning of the organ system of the body.

Children are no exception.

Experts are of the opinion school children, due to poor classroom sitting arrangements and carrying heavy school bags will result in distorting the natural curve of the spine. In addition , most of the children are addicted to prolonged watching of TV and playing video games. This, needless to say will have an effect on the spine changing the natural angle of the spine.

It’s here Alexander technique comes to rescue by offering effective solutions in correcting the posture and to warding off the ailments that develop due to bad posture.

How the Alexander Technique Began?

It is said, many of the discoveries are said to be there already, waiting to be discovered. America was there even before Columbus. But, Columbus brought it to light. There are many examples to quote.

But there are  many discoveries, which were not there, but discovered by those individuals under circumstances of sheer necessity . Alexander Technique is one such discovery.

Frederic Matthias Alexander, born in the year 1869 on the island of Tasmania in a place called Wynyard. His mother had a great influence on him who was a midwife.

From the very outset Alexander was different from other children. He never had a belief on accepted norms and routines of his time. He was against those who believed set norms and beliefs just on blind faith. Due to this trait, Alexander was branded as a difficult child. But fortunately, Alexander’s teacher, a migrant from Scotland  has seen something special in the rebellious Alexander. The teacher took the permission of Alexander’s parents to tutor Alexander. And this was the only formal education that Alexander ever had. But with this limited education Alexander passed his examinations successfully.

Alexander’s first love was to work as a teacher. But owing to  the family’s bad financial condition. He took a job in the local tin mining company. But his real love for theater was there hidden in the deep core of his heart. His way of reciting poetry and passages from famous plays right from his child hood made him the cynosure of all eyes.

By Nineteen, Alexander became a popular reciter and actor adept in reciting Shakespearean passages. He used to earn money by performing on innumerable stages around. Soon ,he  won several encomiums from all quarters as an accomplished actor.

A sour note at the peak of his career.

Alexander, at the peak of his acting career faced a problem. That threatened an end to his acting career. He started getting a hoarse voice at times during his stage performances. This development has become a cause of concern to him. He had consulted doctors. The doctors could give him a temporary relief. But the hoarseness in voice started appearing regularly and more frequently. With this, Alexander was forced to  refuse the acting assignments. And the final blow has come on an engagement during the season of 1888. He completely lost his voice on the stage. He left the stage to his utter despair.

Decides to find the cause.

The first decision after his debacle was, Alexander decided not to leave himself to the doctors, Instead, he decided to find the cause for his hoarseness in his tone. Using several mirrors placed in different angles, Alexander closely observed his physical movements, when he was acting on the stage. Alexander thought that this aspect of finding the cause is very essential to proceed further and to find the solution. Which is why, he observed his movements tirelessly for 10 years.

At last he could find that factor that was blocking his voice and making it break.

A startling finding.

His observation fetched him success. He found every movement was invariably accompanied by tightening of his back of his neck and pulling his head backward and down inadvertently.

And this inadvertent action was not restricted to stage alone. This pattern has crept in to all his normal activities too.

This pattern is not an isolated pattern. It’s a part of a whole body pattern which includes lifting the chest and bending his back. Gradually he found this pattern is reflected in all the activities be it on the stage or otherwise.

Basic action behind destructive habit.

Alexander in his findings revealed that the basic action behind all of our destructive habits is  “Contraction”. This results in pulling of the head slightly backward and down. 

And this contraction leads to compression of the spine. And this entire activity constitutes a Pattern. If this pattern is not checked and allowed to proceed will  interfere with our day to activities resulting in wasteful spending of energy. Ultimately affects the muscular and nervous systems and  pivotal and vital organs.

Though Alexander was able to correct his vocal disability, through his own technique, instead of going back to his obsession, Theater, he has decided to dedicate his life to help those afflicted with the bad consequences of destructive habits of wrong posture. In time, he dissociated with theater and carved a unique career as a teacher of Alexander technique. And he stayed as a teacher unto his death at the age of eighty six.

People from all walks of life and of various professions starting from statesmen, industrialists move luminaries to athletes benefitted  from Alexander’s technique.

During Alexander’s stay in the USA, he met eminent educationists like John Dewey, who after getting lessons from Alexander, was all praise for Alexander’s work. One of Alexander’s pupils was Sir Henry Irving, considered as the authority on the Shakespearean drama.

Famous beneficiaries.

“ Mr. Alexander has done a service to the subject of the study of reflex and voluntary movement by insistently treating each act as involving the whole integrated individual, the whole psychophysical man. To take a step is an affair not of this or that limb solely, but of the total neuromuscular activity of the moment, not least of the head and neck.”- Sir Charles Herrington, Neurophysiologist, Nobel Laureate.

Other celebrities include Sir Stafford Cripps, Lord Lytton. Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, Esther Lawrence, principal of the Froebel institute.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Paul McCartney of legendary Beatles, Paul Newman to name a few. Alexander Technique was propagated through Teachers all over the world.

Seeing the growing popularity of his technique, Alexander opened a formal teacher training course in 1931 to enable an entire group of teachers to propagate his technique to all the victims of wrong posture. His technique has endured and spread to many countries.

In 1958, his pupils who were trained in Alexander technique founded STAT, Society of Teachers of the Alexander to continue the mission Of Alexander forever and for eternity.

A number of research institutes were established to study the Alexander technique for its effectiveness in dealing with medical problems.