The Alexander Technique

• Who was F.M. Alexander?
  Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955) was an Australian actor embarking on a promising career in the 1890's when he began to develop voice problems that failed to respond to any conventional medical treatment. After a particularly important engagement almost ended in disaster because his voice got weaker, he was forced to admit that it must be something he was doing in the act of speaking that was causing his difficulties. He set aside his young career and set out to discover the root cause of the voice problems and for a method of overcoming them.
  
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• How long has the Alexander Technique been taught?
  F.M. Alexander developed the Technique in the early 1900s. It has been continously taught and practiced since then. Gabriella Minnes Brandes and Marta Hunter have been certified teachers of the Alexander Technique since 1988 and 1983, respectively.
  
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• Who benefits from the Alexander Technique?
  
  • Those whose poor posture and carriage has resulted in tensions and fatigue which interfere with the performance of their jobs, or whose jobs tend to create poor postural habits, like computer users, dentists or architects.
  
  
  
  • Those who must use their bodies with maximum efficiency and ease, or who are seeking ways to expand their limits of achievement, like musicians, actors, dancers and others. The Technique is included in the curricula of many major music, dance, and theatre schools in Canada, U.S. and Europe. Athletes will also find the Technique of value in developing their facility and endurance and reducing their vulnerability to the common injuries which are associated with particular sports.
  
  
  
  • Those who have been referred by physicians and practitioners of physical therapies. Pain associated with a disability or injury is sometimes made greater through poor body use, and lessons in the Alexander Technique, as an adjunct to physical therapy, can be useful in helping someone avoid habits of use which might add to pain or discomfort during the process of recovery.
  
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• What are the professional societies for the Alexander Technique?
  The international organization of Alexander Technique professionals is the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT) (in England). The Canadian Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (CANSTAT) is the regulatory board in Canada. The Vancouver School of the Alexander Technique is certified by CANSTAT. Successful graduates of the school may become members of CANSTAT, and, consequently, of all affiliated societies of Alexander Technique teachers.
  
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