29 Jul History of The Alexander Technique

The technique was developed by an Australian called F M Alexander in 1890s.  He was a talented actor but had a problem with his voice.

He went to the doctors and they told him to stop speaking for a few weeks before going on stage.  At the beginning of his performance it would be fine but it would become increasingly hoarse. He consulted many different doctors but they could not give him a diagnosis or a solution.

He worked out, that it was something he was doing on stage that was causing the hoarseness, as he was fine before the performance but it always got worse on stage. He decided that by observing what he was doing he might be able to stop doing whatever was causing his problem. He realised through self observation he might be able to isolate the problem and find the solution. He was pushing himself out of alignment when he spoke and causing strain on his larynx. This was such a deeply entrenched habit and he couldn’t stop himself doing it.

Over many years, he developed a technique, which enables a person to consciously control the way they move. He was able to stop pushing himself out of alignment when he spoke on stage, had no further voice problems and was able to continue a successful acting carer.

He also began to share his technique with other people with voice difficulties and they noticed that other health improvements resulted in using the technique. This technique promotes overall good health and helps people with many illness caused by imbalances in the way we move, sit and stand.

In 1904 he moved to London where he worked to teach other people the Alexander Technique until his death in 1955.

For more information about the technique go to the S.T.A.T. website.