The Benefits of Alexander Technique
Why take lessons in Alexander Technique?
Throughout our lives we accumulate muscular tension from mental as well as physical causes.
This tension eventually leads to a variety of problems. For example, I’ve always had back problems and eventually became aware of the massive amount of tension I was carrying as a leftover from ballet classes when I was young.
Somehow I hadn't been able to come back to neutral when I was out of class and I wondered if that was contributing to my back pain.
I'd also noticed, when teaching exercise classes, how people can't always do what they're asked to do. Yet they don't necessarily realise they have a problem with posture.
Learning positive responses to stress
If, like me, you’re the sort of person who’s a bit of a worrier and wants to get things right, you may find AT helps you feel more in control of your responses.
You can't change what happens around you, but you can choose your reaction.
Throughout the day I'll regularly take a moment to notice how I'm breathing, what's around me, and how I'm responding to it all.
Alexander Technique doesn't add on layers to your already complex life; it strips them away.
It makes life easier.
In person or online?
Hands convey information that words can’t and most people prefer a ‘live’ lesson. However, online lessons have certain benefits:
Safe - no PPE needed
No travelling, saving you time and money
Flexible times, allowing you to slot a lesson into a busy day
A different lesson experience in which you may find yourself taking more responsibility for your learning
People use Alexander Technique to:
protect their back from damage
prevent injury, especially when playing sport
improve balance, stability, and coordination
support pregnancy and childbirth
develop ease and elegance in movement
feel more confident when speaking in public
The ATEAM medical trial
ATEAM was a randomised controlled trial of Alexander Technique lessons, exercise, and massage for chronic and recurrent back pain.
It was concluded that:
“One to one lessons in the Alexander Technique from registered teachers have long term benefits for patients with chronic back pain.”
The ATLAS neck pain trial
A further publication from this trial concludes that Alexander lessons lead to long-term improvements in the way people live their daily lives and manage their pain.
Read the paper, published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine.