How the Alexander Technique can help you
- The benefits
- Posture
- Pain
- Performance
- The whole person
- What the technique can help with (an alphabetical list)
The benefits
The benefits of the Alexander Technique include: relief and prevention of pain; increase in energy and stamina; the ability to cope with stress and alleviate anxiety; enhanced self confidence; a greater sense of balance; increased enjoyment of activities such as walking, sport, playing music, yoga, dancing; being able to achieve your full potential in performance, work and life.
Many people who learn the Alexander Technique speak of the benefits using phrases such as "My life has become freer and easier", "I no longer feel trapped in my own body", "I feel more engaged with the world", "I feel calm and more in control of how I react", "I feel up, buoyant and full of energy", "I feel spacious and expanded".
Posture
The Alexander Technique is popularly thought of as a method of improving posture, and you may have come to this website with this in mind for yourself. If you have what is thought of as 'poor posture', it has come about through habitual over-tension; harmful patterns of standing, sitting and moving have become ingrained. With the release of this over-tension, possible through the Alexander Technique, you can open out and be your full height, and at the same time free yourself from associated pain, aches and stiffness.
Pain
Most of us experience aches and pains on a regular basis but often we choose to ignore them, or accept them as a 'fact of life'. Over time, we may resort increasingly to painkillers, believing that is the only way to cope. We may develop chronic pain which can be relieved temporarily by painkillers, massage or physiotherapy, but which keeps recurring. The Alexander Technique helps release the habitual tensions which cause the pain; it tackles the root of the problem rather than just the symptoms. It can also treat painful conditions such as RSI, Frozen Shoulder and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In 2009 research published in the British Medical Journal proved conclusively that the Alexander Technique helps alleviate back pain.
Performance
Many music, drama and sports teachers encourage their students to learn the Alexander Technique. The ability to perform effectively and to full capacity is affected by many factor‎s, including aches and pains, injury, the effects of stress, and feelings of having reached one's limit. Through the Alexander Technique a person can find relief from all these factors. Pain is alleviated, injury avoided, and anxiety or 'stress' can be things of the past. Movement becomes easy and flowing. The result is that the person can enjoy performing to their full potential and exploring creativity without limits.
The whole person
An Alexander Technique teacher works with the whole person.
A problem such as a sore knee or aching shoulder is viewed as a symptom of the way the person uses themselves, and is not dealt with directly but instead only ever in relation to the whole.
Consequently, in one person there may be multiple benefits to learning and practising the Alexander Technique; for example an improvement in violin performance together with increased mobility in the knees, easing of back pain and greater self confidence.
Every pupil is taught according to the same principles. You can read more about the Alexander Technique here.
What the Alexander Technique can help with
Below is an alphabetical list of cases in which the Alexander Technique has been found to be effective. (NB this is not an exhaustive list, so if your particular issue or condition does not appear here, please do not hesitate to contact me and ask).
- Aches, pain and stiffness
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Breathing and voice issues
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E.) and related conditions
- Deteriorating sense of balance
- Discomfort while using a computer or doing repetitive activity
- Fear of public-speaking
- Fear of falling
- Frozen shoulder
- Injury
- Lack of confidence, shyness or low self-esteem
- Migraines and headaches
- Multiple schlerosis (M.S.)
- Musculo-skeletal conditions
- Not achieving full potential in singing, acting, music or sport
- Parkinson's Disease
- Poor posture
- RSI and Tennis Elbow
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Shock or trauma following an event or accident
- Stiff neck
- Stress
- Stuttering and other speech difficulties
- Temporal mandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
- Tiredness
