The Alexander Technique

Breaking the habit of bad posture

The Alexander technique is a practical and simple method of learning to focus attention on how we use ourselves during daily activities. Frederick Mathias Alexander 918659 – 1955), an Australian therapist, demonstrated that the difficulties many people experience in learning in control of performance, and in physical functioning are caused by unconscious habits. These habits interfere with your natural pose and your capacity to learn.
When you stop interfering with the innate coordination of the body, you can take on more complex activities with greater self-confidence and presence of mind. It is about learning to bring into our conscious awareness the choices we make, as we make them. Gentle hands-on and verbal instruction reveal the underlying principles of human coordination, allow the student to experience and observe their own habitual patterns, and give the means for release and change.

Armouring

Most of us are unconsciously armouring ourselves in relation to our environment. This is hard work and often leaves us feeling anxious, alienated, depressed and unlovable. Armouring is a deeply unconscious behaviour that has probably gone on since early childhood, maybe even since infancy. Yet it is a habit we can unlearn in the present through careful self-observation. We can unlearn our use of excess tension in our thoughts, movements, and relationships.