Alexander Technique

As a music education student, just about all of the classes I take are required for my major. This semester however, I decided to take a “fun” class that I am not required to take! The class is called “Intro to the Alexander Technique”. Taking this class was one of the best choices I have ever made. From Wikipedia:

“The Alexander Technique is a technique of body re-education and coordination, accomplished through physical and psychological principles. The technique focuses on the self-perception of movement and is promoted for the alleviation of back pain, rehabilitation after accidents, improving breathing, playing musical instruments and singing.”

The Alexander Technique is named after the man who started it, F. M. Alexander  (pictured above).

The class I am taking is just an introduction because the technique is usually taught in individual lessons. In class we have been talking about how we use our bodies in our every day lives.Take me for example. Every time I sit at the computer, I slouch over the keyboard like a witch over her cauldron. I have terrible posture. I am slowly realizing that the way I sit at the computer affects my overall health. When I slouch, I am squishing all of my organs and creating a lot of tension in my neck because it has to hold up my 12-pound head (brains are heavy, especially mine). As I become more aware of the way I sit, I realize that I can choose to balance my head on top of my spine. I can choose to sit differently.

That is just one example of me using my mind to make different choices with the way I use my self. The class is incredibly enlightening. I feel a lot more aware of myself and my actions after only 5 weeks of class. In addition to finding more comfort in front of the PC, I am primarily using the Alexander Technique to improve my singing. When I sing, I think about the choices I make, and I am realizing that I often do things with my body that make it more difficult for me to sing healthily.

If you ever get a chance to learn more about the Alexander Technique, take it!

~ by Cory Anderson on February 19, 2009.