Alexander Technique Basics
Overview of Main Concepts in F.M. Alexander's Bodywork Program
Mar 30, 2008
F.M. Alexander (1869–1955) originally researched and developed his now world-recognized Technique as a method to prevent the loss of voice he frequently suffered as a public speaker. By studying anatomy, the movement of vertebrates of all species - especially children – he was able to devise a simple and practical method for freeing the body’s innate balance and ease of motion.
It was soon discovered that his method not only helped public speakers, but could enhance performances for singers, actors, musicians, athletes, and dancers by allowing for greater freedom of motion, and a larger degree of breath control.
Alexander Technique Concepts
In How to Learn the Alexander Technique: A Manual for Students (Andover Press,1995) Barbara Conable summarizes Alexander’s principles.
“The purpose of the Alexander Technique is to learn to take optimal advantage of the bony structure (mechanical advantage in Alexander’s words) and involuntary muscular support for voluntary movement.”
There are two major concepts behind the Alexander Technique:
- Primary Control - In Leslie Kaminoff's "Yoga Anatomy", this concept is referred to as "Intrinsic Equilibrium". Unlike the skeletal structures of the arms and legs, the ligaments, cartilage and bone construction of the human spine allows weight to be supported without the use of extraneous voluntary muscular support. Freeing the muscles surrounding the head neck and spine result in effortlessness of motion and breath.
- Downward Pull - The opposite of free, relaxed Primary Control. Over years, through socialization, stress, or any number of reasons, humans habituate a stance that is commonly recognized - in these days of ergonomics - as "bad posture".
Students learning this concepts quickly discover that primary Control is not something we can consciously assert in our own postures. The trick is to consciously cooperate with the involuntary support. In short: relax and breathe.
Downward Pull
Conable summarizes Downward Pull as “the pattern of tension in the whole body that originates with habituated tension in the neck.” It is a chain-reaction.
- Tightened muscles shorten, so when the neck is tightened, the head tilts forward of the spine, closer to the floor, tilts backward slightly (see "bad posture photo")
- The thoracic spine and ribcage shift back and down to compensate for the shift in weight of the skull from the weight-bearing midline of the body toward the back of the body
- Pelvis tilts back and down to try to alleviate the pain caused in the lower back by this shift in weight
- Further compensation creates pressure on hips, knees, ankles and feet
Many back and joint problems can find their root cause in the habitual effects of Downward Pull on the whole body.
Lead with the Head
Every motion starts at a joint, and every motion begins with the joint where the head meets the spine.
The head and neck move first, and the spine will ensure that the rest of the body will follow. This pattern is common to all vertebrates, and can be observed in nature. Large-animal trainers understand that the same concept is true of horses and elephants. Pet owners may be more familiar with observations of the head-leading liquid movement of a cat waking from a nap.
To translate the visual into human movement, think of star athletes in motion, or dancers in the midst of movement. They carry the same simple grace, and the same primary movement – the head leads, the spine follows, the rest of the body falls gracefully and effortlessly into action.
Alexander learned much of his technique by studying children. He observed babies crawling and toddlers effortlessly supporting themselves walking around upright without the tension and hindrance of downward pull.
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