The F.M. Alexander Technique

The F.M. Alexander Technique

Many people are interested in learning how to develop more awareness and control in their activities. F.M. Alexander (1869-1955) demonstrated that the difficulties many people experience in learning, in control of performance, and in physical functioning are caused by unconscious habits. These habits interfere with your natural poise and your capacity to learn. When you stop interfering with the innate coordination of the body, you can take on more complex activities with greater self-confidence and presence of mind.

The Alexander Technique provides a concrete means for overcoming these impeding habits, and for helping people learn better and do things more freely -- from learning to play a musical instrument better to moving with more comfort and ease through your daily life. From back pain to learning blocks, whether you are a musician or an office worker, Alexander lessons remain fundamentally the same: You are guided through simple movements and learn to develop more control in your activities.

The Alexander Technique, however, is not a therapy that treats a passive patient. It is for the person interested in working towards his or her goals with increased awareness and practical intelligence. Although the Alexander Technique does not treat specific symptoms, you can encourage a marked improvement in overall health, alertness, and performance by consciously eliminating harmful habits that cause physical and emotional stress, and by becoming more aware of how you engage in your activities. American educational philosopher John Dewey, Nobel-prize-winning scientist Nikolaas Tinbergen, Aldous Huxley, George Bernard Shaw, and many others have recognized the Alexander Technique as an effective aid in improving physical and psychological well-being.

©NASTAT, Inc. 1988