The Alexander Technique

Releasing tension, finding freedom

What is the Alexander Technique?

The Alexander Technique, named after its originator, F.M. Alexander, is a way of improving one’s overall coordination by learning to prevent bad habits affecting the relationship between the head, neck and back.

The philosopher John Dewey, a student of Alexander’s, called it “thinking in activity” because it involves reasoning out how one may best use oneself, body and mind, at any given moment.

It provides a concrete and systematic way to change habits through conscious reason and awareness, and an opportunity to see unmistakably that the self functions as a whole rather than as a collection of parts.

“Change involves carrying out an activity against the habit of life.” -FM Alexander

Who was F.M. Alexander?

Frederick Matthias Alexander was born in 1869 in Tasmania, Australia. As a young man, he had a promising career as an actor, but found himself hampered by recurring hoarseness that worsened during performances. When doctors could find nothing obviously wrong with him, he resolved to discover what was causing his problem. By using mirrors to carefully observe himself while reciting his lines, he experimented and noticed that the relationship between his head, neck and back during recitation influenced whether or not he became hoarse. The technique he developed for improving this relationship would later be known as the Alexander Technique.

Alexander began teaching his technique in Sydney in the 1890s, advertising it initially as “respiratory reeducation.” Word quickly spread about his ability to help people with a wide range of complaints, from lack of vocal control to headaches and indigestion, by helping them improve their coordination. Soon he moved to London, where he was to remain in high demand as a teacher until 1955, gaining many notable supporters including John Dewey, Aldous Huxley and George Bernard Shaw. He left behind four books describing his technique, as well as numerous teachers he had trained to carry on his work.

“‘What is this direction,’ I asked myself, ‘upon which I have been depending?’ I had to admit that I had never thought out how I directed the use of myself, but that I used myself habitually in the way that felt natural to me.” -FM Alexander, from The Use of the Self

Who is the Alexander Technique for?

The AT is for anyone interested in learning how to change their habits, learn new skills more effectively, and use their body more efficiently. While it is particularly relevant to professionals who rely on fine motor control, people from all walks of life can benefit from improving their coordination, in that it enhances performance, promotes mental and physical resilience and health, and helps prevent injury and pain related to misuse of the self.

“One of the greatest factors in human development is the building up of a form of confidence which comes as the result of that method of learning by which the pupil is put in possession of the correct means whereby he can attain his end before he makes any attempt to gain it.” -FM Alexander, from Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual

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links and resources

for further research and learning

Response to Anthony Kingsley’s ‘Introduction’ to The Use of the Self

This piece challenges attempts made by Anthony Kingsley, in a 2018 ‘Introduction’ to The Use of the Self, to ‘recast’ fundamental tenets of the Alexander Technique. It argues that Kingsley misrepresents not only Alexander’s ideas but also his Technique.

American Society for the Alexander Technique

Why Study With AmSAT’s Expert Teachers? The American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) is the largest nonprofit professional association of certified Alexander Technique teachers in the United States. Our member teachers have completed at least 1,600 hours of rigorous training over three years to earn their certifications and maintain ongoing continuing education.