Why learn the Alexander technique?

What is the Alexander technique? It is the retraining of the body to be used more effectively and to help prevent pain. It was discovered (not invented) by F. M. Alexander over a 100 years ago. It has been examined more closely by some good scientific enquiries, and one in particular which was funded by the Medical Research Council; found that the Alexander technique did help to reduce back pain and that improvement continued over time. It is also suggested by the NHS on their website.

Why is it significant? Can you live without it? The point about the Alexander technique is that there are plenty of people out there who have not experienced it, or have had a few lessons and said it was quite good. We are all a bit more mind/body conscious nowadays and things like yoga, massage and pilates are quite popular because they work to strengthen and support the musculature, which in turn helps the mind. The Alexander technique stands out from the crowd because you will learn something to take away and use anywhere and everywhere, and with everyday activities (i.e. sitting and standing). We use our hands to guide your muscles to go a certain way, and we use our voices to guide you to a different way of thinking about moving. It is this moving by thinking that gets right to the heart of the nervous system and creates a fundamental and substantial change in our manner of use.

With this new thinking you will have a new tool from which you will be able to use in your everyday life, which will give you the correct scaffolding to support your movement in the most biomechanically efficient way possible. We are mammals and bipeds and as such, it is not enough to have good core strength, and mobility; it is fundamental to be able to lead all movement with the head, which when relearnt (we do this anyway, when young), provides ease of movement and enhances performance within any activity. It is useful to learn, and once learnt, you will wonder what you have been doing with yourself all these years.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Therapy Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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