The
History of the Alexander Technique
F.M. Alexander (1869-1955) was a Shakespearean actor whose promising
career was jeopardized by recurrent voice loss. Frustrated by contemporary
medical prescriptions, Alexander took it upon himself to uncover
the cause of his ailment. Alexander had noticed that his voice often
recovered when he rested it, but when he performed he would become
hoarse and lose his voice. He realized there must be something he
was doing when he performed to bring about the hoarseness in his
voice.
Alexander spent many years in practical experimentation, using mirrors
to help identify what he was doing. He found his body responded
to the idea of public speaking with deep-seated tension, and discovered
this tension was present when he spoke normally and in everything
he did, but to a lesser degree.
With further experimentation, Alexander discovered the relationship
between the head, neck and back dramatically affects every aspect
of movement. When functioning properly, the whole body is integrated
and breathing is unimpeded. Reflex systems naturally coordinate
us to respond to the force of gravity by lengthening our spines,
allowing us the necessary support for everyday movement. Conversely,
when the head is pulled back and down on our spines, our backs become
shortened, simple movements become laborious and cause tension or
even pain.
We
can see the agility all Alexander students are working towards in
very young children. Their ability to squat, balance, and effortlessly
carry large and cumbersome objects seems amazing to most adults.
Alexander proved it is possible to regain this dynamic poise and
coordination, what he termed "use," by understanding and
changing our habitual reactions to the demands of life.
In
the end, Alexander not only rid himself of his vocal problems, but
he discovered how his whole body could function better. Into his
eighties he was known as the young man with the white hair because
he used himself as effortlessly as a child.
Alexander started teaching other people what he had taught himself
in Melbourne, Australia, but moved to London in 1904 at the request
of physicians who had been impressed by the range of improvements
they had seen in his students. He was first known as the "Breathing
Man" because he equated coordinated movement and proper breathing.
He worked with many prominent actors, but soon attracted people
of many different interests to the technique. Some of Alexander’s
biggest supporters were author Aldous Huxley, playwright George
Bernard Shaw, and John Dewey, renowned for his writings in the fields
of education and philosophy.
There
is now an ever-growing community of Alexander Teachers across the
globe, stemming from Alexander’s own Teacher Training Course
in London. The magnitude of Alexander’s discovery is slowly
starting to be recognized by scientists, educators, psychologists,
and the general public.
Alexander established not only the beginnings of a far-reaching
science of the apparently involuntary movements we call reflexes,
but a technique of correction and self control which forms a substantial
addition to our very slender resources in personal education.
--George
Bernard Shaw
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