What is the Alexander Technique?
“It is notoriously difficult to describe the Alexander Technique… Even writers of great talent who were among it’s followers, such as the English novelist Aldous Huxley, struggled to express it in words.”
– Michael Bloch, writing in FM. The Life of Frederick Matthais Alexander.
The impossibility of providing a satisfying all-purpose definition of the technique means many people who might otherwise want to know about it have no idea that it exists.
Those with some general knowledge think it a form of posture correction, which is worse.
All this adds to the mystique of A.T and a perception of difficulty, when the issue is more one of difference by design: the whole purpose of the technique is take you to the frontier of what you know, and to practise going over it into what you don’t.
For Aldous Huxley (1894 – 1963), it was “a means of breaking out of ‘the chains of determinism’ and opening the way to physical and spiritual experiences that were not possible for him before.”*
I think of it as a way to work with the creative process, but many use it for purposes entirely unrelated to the arts, such as:
• To meet, manage and relieve pain
• To shed unconscious postures
• To improve balance and coordination
• To feel more comfortable in their skin
“Maybe that is what is so perfect about our work, the impossibility of nailing it down for everyone in the same way. We may need all our different approaches for all the different people out there?”
– Judith Kleinman in an interview about her book Finding Quiet Strength: Emotional Intelligence, Embodied Awareness in STAT News, May 2023.
* Footnote: Quote taken from Frank Pierce Jones, Freedom to Change: The Development and Science of the Alexander Technique
Some books about the Alexander Technique: (Above): FM. The Life of Frederick Matthais Alexander by Michael Bloch; Freedom to Change: The Development and Science of the Alexander Technique by Frank Pierce Jones, and Finding Quiet Strength: Emotional Intelligence, Embodied Awareness by Judith Kleinman.
My experience
I studied for 4 years at the Bristol Alexander School and Alexander Technique Training South West, graduating in 2022.
I’m a member of STAT (the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique). Members adhere to a code of professional conduct and competence and are covered by professional indemnity insurance. I’m fully DBS checked.
What happens in a lesson?
Lessons are taught one-to-one, using a combination of verbal guidance and touch pioneered in the late 19th century by the founder of the technique (F.M Alexander), who began to use his hands to convey his ideas when words failed.
An introductory lesson lasts 50 minutes and costs £40. If you then decide to take a course of lessons, a discount may be available.
I’m based in Bampton in Devon, in the U.K. Call 07533 525895 or Frances@francesborden.com to book a lesson.