In the late 19th century, Frederick Matthias Alexander, an Australian actor, found that his voice became strained during performances, or disappeared altogether. Studying himself in front of a mirror revealed the cause: before speaking, he pulled his head back and down, arched his back and tensed his arms and legs. The muscles in his throat tightened visibly. Alexander taught himself to release these restrictive reactions and went on to develop the technique that bears his name.

 

Alexander moved from Australia to London in 1904 and then to the US during World Wars I and II. In 1931 he set up the first training school for teachers of the Alexander technique in London. F. M. Alexander taught his approach to many prominent people in London during the 1930s. Praised by numerous educators and scientists, his technique is popular with musicians and actors (it is often studied by drama students). Although the UK has the majority of teachers, the technique has a wide international following, with 1,500 practitioners worldwide. Enthusiastic students included the writers Aldous Huxley and George Bernard Shaw.

One only has to compare the grace of a three-year-old child with the slumped back and stooped shoulders of her parents to appreciate the damage done by years of sitting and standing badly, lifting incorrectly, and tensing up with anxiety or self-consciousness. Alexander believed that habitually poor posture influences the way the body and mind function and that, in such cases, it is necessary to relearn basic movements, such as sitting and standing. There are no set exercises; instead Alexander teachers educate students to become aware of "patterns of misuse" in their everyday movements, to pay particular attention to the way they hold their heads, and to align their bodies so that they are balanced and can move in a relaxed, fluid way.

Compared to other complementary therapies, the efficacy of the Alexander technique has been well documented. An ongoing study that began in 1994 at Kingston Hospital, London, indicates that the technique can help relieve persistent back pain. Studies at Columbia University, New York, published in 1984 and 1992, showed that the Alexander technique improved patients' breathing. A series of studies published during the 1960s and 1970s using X rays taken at Tufts University, Boston, revealed that Alexander training increased the length of the subject's neck muscles.

 

In a UK study published in 1995, music students practicing the Alexander technique performed better and were less anxious. In the 1950s, Dr. Wilfred Barlow, who had trained with Alexander, took photographs of students before and after a course of lessons at the Royal College of Music, London, and found that the students' postures improved significantly.

Doctors consider the Alexander technique an approach to poor posture, stress, and persistent back pain. The claims it makes are seen to be reasonable and it focuses on achievable aims. Many doctors recommend lessons to their patients.

 

The Alexander technique, usually taught on a one-to-one basis, can be learned by people of any age. You should wear loose, comfortable clothing. At the introductory lesson you will be asked to stand calmly and move around as the teacher assesses your problem.

 

The teacher may begin by asking you to lie flat, with your knees bent and your head resting on two or three books. She will make a series of adjustments to your position before helping you to your feet. The aim is to help you become aware of what optimum body posture feels like. The initial process of reeducation takes place while you are lying down because your body is relaxed and the light adjustments of the teacher will have maximum effect.

 

The rest of the lesson will be spent sitting or standing, while the teacher adjusts your posture and reeducates you to use muscles with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. She will teach you to follow Frederick Alexander's directions: "Free the neck; let the neck go forward and upward; let the back lengthen and widen," and ask you to concentrate on the sensation of sitting or standing without strain. She will also ask you to be aware of how your body is positioned (this is often referred to as "thought in activity").

 

In later lessons all kinds of movements are examined, such as standing, moving, sitting, lying down, walking, lifting objects - even ironing. You may discover that you use unnecessary force to turn door­knobs and taps, or that if the telephone rings you reach to answer it too abruptly.

 

One lesson lasts 30-45 minutes and a course consists of 15-30 classes, depending on how quickly you learn, how frequently you can attend (twice a week is ideal), and how much you practice.

 

It is important to learn the principles of the Alexander technique from a teacher, and practice is essential thereafter. Simple exercises can be done lying down for 10-15 minutes twice a day, but don't confine practice to these occasions.