ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE AWARENESS WEEK
The secret of good posture arrived in the UK 100 years ago, bringing unexpected rewards
Alexander the great
In the 100 years since it was introduced in the UK, AT has helped thousands of people with
widely varying problems. While it is often associated with treating back, neck and joint pain
- complaints that it is particularly effective at addressing - AT has been found tpo help with
conditions as wide-ranging as asthma, high blood pressure and cerebral palsy. According to those
who use AT, it needs to be experienced to be fully understood. But it works by normalising
inappropriate muscle tone, thereby correcting bad posture.
Children have naturally perfect posture but as we get older we fall intpo bad habits such as
slouching, hunching and tensing muscles. Over time this affect the alignment of the spine and
surrounding muscles. AT makes you more conscious of your body and posture, re-training you to
move in arelaxed way.
The soccer player
The teacher
Questions and answers
Q Is there any medical basis to AT?
Q How do I learn AT? Who offers classes?
The founder
The Society of Teacheras of the Alexander Technique (STAT) is offering introductory courses
for £10 (usual price £25) if booed this week and taken in the next three months. To find your
nearest Alexander Technique teacher visit STAT at www.stat.org.uk
Is good posture the sectret of good health? Its influence on wellbeing could be far greater
than you think. For proponents of the Alexander Technique (AT), there's little in the human
being that posture doesn't influence.
Andy Jacques, 32, a journalist from Brighton, is keen, but by his own addmission average,
footballer. Since he's been practising the Alexander Technique his skills on the pitch have
improved immeasurably. "I've been doing AT for three months. I started mainly to improve my
posture so I could walk a bit taller and play football with a bit more grace. And it's worked.
Last weekend I won player of the tournament. I've never been more than an average footballer,
despite playing once a week. But now my awareness is so much better. Usually when I'm playing
I can't see much of what's going on around me, but recently I've known where all my team mates
are and I'm more relaxed. I seem to have more time on the ball and I feel more graceful.
I've had no other coaching and can only put it down to AT."
Alexaia Bousse, 34, broke her back in a number of places after a car accident in 1986. She
recovered but suffered recurring back pain for ten years before dicovering AT. "I was lucky
not to be paralysed from the accident after suffering a fracture and dislocation in the lumbar
regeon. Surgery repaired the damage but within two years the back pains started. I was working
at a computer all day as a secretary and, without knowing it, developed an awful posture.
This continued until 1996 when the pain got so bad I had to givr up my job. Having tried
everything from physiotherapy to homeopathy without success, I gave AT a go. It started
working almost immediately. After five lessons, there was a tangible reduction in my pain and
withi a year I was back to a normal state. I've since trained as an AT teacher and that's what
I now do for a living."
Q I have a few physical complaints. Will AT be of any use to me?
A Yes. Seemingly healthy people have benefited from the technique. Many performers use
it to improve posture, self-awareness and stamina, while removing bad habits. It is taught in
all the major performing arts colleges in the UK. It is also popular with athletes for improving
flexibility, timimg and efficiency. Sebastian Coe and LInford Christie are among its successful
users.
A The technique has had support from physicians and surgeons since its inception.
Doctors well-informed in the technique are happy to refer patients to AT teachers and referrals
are on the increase. Unlike a;lternative ttherapies, such as acupuncture and homeopathy, AT
is completely consistent with orthodox medical science.
A It is taught in one-to-one sessions with teachers who have completed three years
of full-time training. The number of lessons you take will depend on your needs. These can be
discussed with your teacher. As the technique involves changing long-standing habits,
improvement can take time. The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT) says
20 to 30 regular lessons give a good foundation for most people.
At was developed by FM Alexander (1869-1955) an Australian actor who found he kept losing
his voice. By setting upa system of mirrors he found the cause was tension in his neck. Over
the next few years he developed a technique to relax the body's muscles and return them to the
flexibility of childhood. In 1904 he moved to London where the Shakespearean actor Sir Henry
Irving was one of his first pupils. Playwright George Bernard Shaw, novelist Aldous Huxley and
Sir Charles Sherrington, the father of modern neurology, also studied with him. In 1931 the
BMA urged that doctors be trained in AT. In the same year Alexande opened a training course
which continues to certify teachers.