The Alexander Technique teaches the skilful “use of the self”: how we move, how we stay still, how we breathe, how we learn, how we organise our awareness and focus of attention and, above all, how we choose our reactions in increasingly demanding situations.
It is a subtle and thoughtful discipline, but essentially practical and problem-solving. The Alexander Technique works through re-establishing the natural relationship between the head, the neck and the back – the “core” of the body that supports the strength of the limbs and which provides the structural environment for breathing and for the internal organs.
At the same time as learning to access the natural relationship between the head, neck and back, conscious and reasoned body awareness, spatial awareness and behavioural awareness are developed so that long-held patterns of movement, posture, breathing and muscular tension, and habits that, for example, affect our learning abilities and psychological stress reactions can be reassessed.
The Alexander Technique can enhance personal performance across the whole spectrum of human activity, from elite athletic or artistic performance to the management of disability, pain, illness or injury.
It is possible for practically anyone to rediscover freedom and ease in movement by learning to become aware of, and then learning gradually to strip away, the habits of movement, tension and reaction that interfere with, distort or obscure natural and healthy patterns of coordination.
Learning the Alexander Technique is like learning any complex skill, you need a teacher to teach you new skills, and to help you to incorporate them into your own understanding and your own practice. Similarly, the real value of the Alexander Technique lies in becoming able to apply its principles, by yourself, to your daily activities.
Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique
(This is an edited definition from the STAT website)
