Alexander Technique
What is it?
We all have several unconscious movement habits. These movement habits lead to poor posture and lead us to exert unnecessary force on our muscles and joints while carrying out routine everyday activities. We use more force than necessary to lift a coffee pot or slouch as we sit. This leads to ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, backaches, fatigue etc. The Alexander Technique is an intelligent way to solve these problems. It teaches people how to improve their overall movement and achieve optimal health for both body and mind. Using the Alexander Technique, you can learn to strip away harmful habits, heighten your self-awareness, and use your thought process to restore your original poise. You come to understand much more about how your body works, and how to make it work for you.
The Alexander Technique was developed by F. Matthias Alexander, an Australian actor and voice trainer in the 1890’s. It was primarily developed as method of effective vocal and respiratory training for aspiring singers but was eventually developed to encompass the entire gamut of bodily movements.
What are its benefits?
The Alexander Technique does not involve exercises, psychotherapy, massage therapy or other spiritual healing techniques. In this technique, a skilled teacher trains the student to analyze each and every movement of his or her body and correct the movement and postural patterns that may be adversely affecting his or her health. Thus, the student actively participates in this fascinating process, learning to apply his or her own intelligence to effectively change bad postural and movement habits.
This learning process has many benefits such as more comfortable movement, improved posture and alignment, easier and healthier breathing, and increased vitality and strength. The Alexander Technique can be very helpful for people dealing with chronic pain, excessive stress, or injury. It is widely used by performing artists and athletes to enhance their performance.
