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About The Alexander Technique
& What is Special to Our Approach
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​The Alexander Technique - Whether we are dancing, hammering a nail, working at a computer, singing an aria, or walking to the store we possess an inherent capacity to move naturally. Moving naturally promotes ease, flexibility, power and expressiveness.
Unwittingly, we often interfere with our anatomical design. Energy, poise, and ease give way to effort, tension and fatigue.
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The Alexander Technique gives us a working knowledge of the principles governing human coordination. The Alexander Technique teaches us how to be, at once, relaxed and ready, soft and strong, light and substantial, firm and flexible. Through study, we become capable of redirecting excessive effort into useful energy. Becoming more effortlessly upright, we also find ourselves coming down to the ground, to a place where we can function simply, comfortably and appreciatively.
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​​What is Special about our Approach - The Alexander Technique has been evolving for over 100 years. All Alexander teachers do their best to impart Alexander's work to their students, but now Alexander teachers do this in a variety of ways. The Alexander Alliance was founded primarily upon the work of Marjorie L. Barstow, the first person formally certified by Alexander to teach his work. Marjorie Barstow worked directly with her students as they did all the things they did in their lives, at home or at work, vacuuming the floor, doing the dishes, walking up and down steps, working at a computer, talking on the phone. Many of Marjorie's students were performing artists and so much of what she did was to work with her students as they were singing, playing instruments, dancing, or acting. Marjorie Barstow enjoyed teaching in groups. It was fun and everyone learned from everyone.
In our school we carry on Marjorie's way of working, but we also have evolved our own ways of working. We teach Alexander's work through movement etudes we have developed, reminiscent of the movement etudes developed by F.M. Alexander. We also work with our students 'situationally', that is within real, often trying situations: relating to family members, bosses, or co-workers, coping with heavy workloads and time restraints, and with physical, mental, and emotional challenges. We teach our students how to effectively teach Alexander's work both individually and in groups. We teach them how to help their students apply Alexander's work effectively and pleasurably into their lives.
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