What is the Alexander Technique?
The Alexander Technique is a practical method of body–mind re-education that helps restore a more natural, coordinated and balanced way of moving. It is not about “learning something new”, but rather unlearning tensions and habits that, without us realising it, interfere with our wellbeing and performance.
When we begin to use the body more freely, many discomforts resulting from excessive tension are reduced or even disappear, and our daily activities (from walking or bending, to playing an instrument, dancing, acting or playing sport) become more efficient and enjoyable.
This happens because there is no real separation between body and mind: how we move influences how we think and feel, and vice versa. The Alexander Technique teaches us to recognise and modify those automatic patterns that lead us to “do too much”: gripping, tensing, straining. By changing them, positive transformations also occur in our behaviour and in the way we respond to our environment.
The method was developed by the Australian actor Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955). During his performances, Alexander began to lose his voice due to persistent hoarseness. Determined to find the cause, he spent years observing himself and experimenting with his own physical use. He discovered that certain habits of tension, especially when speaking, were responsible for his problem. By learning to inhibit those habits, he recovered his voice and found a principle applicable to any human activity.
In 1931 he published his book The Use of the Self, where he describes the evolution of his method. His work soon caught the attention of actors, doctors and scientists. Among his students and supporters are figures such as George Bernard Shaw, Aldous Huxley, John Dewey, the neurophysiologist Sir Charles Sherrington and the zoologist Nikolaas Tinbergen, who dedicated part of his Nobel Prize in Medicine acceptance speech (1973) to praising the Alexander Technique.
In 1931, Alexander also began to train teachers, establishing the teaching criteria that are still maintained today. After his death, his students founded the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT) to preserve the quality of training. Currently, becoming an Alexander Technique teacher requires a three-year training course (approximately 1,600 hours). There are recognised associations and schools in numerous countries.
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) defines the Alexander Technique as a method that “helps improve posture and movement” and can help reduce and prevent problems caused by bad habits. Recent research, gathered within The Poise Project, has demonstrated its effectiveness in managing Parkinson’s disease.
In the arts, the Alexander Technique was introduced to the Royal Academy of Music in the 1960s, and has since become part of the training for musicians, actors and dancers at internationally prestigious centres. Artists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Paul McCartney, Sting, Renée Fleming, Judi Dench and Alan Rickman have spoken publicly about its benefits.
In Spain, the Alexander Technique is taught in conservatoires and higher music education centres, including: Musikene (Higher Music Centre of the Basque Country), ESMUC (Catalonia College of Music), the Royal Conservatoire of Madrid, the Reina Sofía School of Music, Alfonso X El Sabio University, the Higher Conservatoire of Aragon, and the professional conservatoires of Terrassa, Manresa and Igualada.
It is important to remember that the Alexander Technique is an educational method, not a therapy. Therefore, those who teach it are teachers specifically trained over three years, rather than therapists. Their goal is not to “treat” a pathology, but to teach healthy coordination between body and mind, with benefits reflected in both health and performance.
