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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Alexander Technique?
How is the Alexander
Technique different from other bodywork?
Who studies the Alexander Technique?
How do I learn the Alexander Technique?
What is an Alexander Technique lesson
like?
Who was Alexander?
What training is required to be an Alexander Technique teacher?
What is AmSAT?
Where can I find out more about the Alexander Technique?
What is the
Alexander Technique?
We all have unconscious habits that interfere with our body’s
natural and efficient coordination. After years of slouching,
hunching over and overly tensing our muscles, these habits begin to
feel “normal” and it is very difficult to change them. Yet, it is
these habits that put excess strain and stress on our bodies and in
many cases exacerbate or even cause many of our persistent aches and
pains.
The Alexander Technique provides a practical means for
overcoming these impeding habits and learning to function with more
ease and less strain. Whether you are an athlete with back pain, or
a business executive who gets nervous making speeches, Alexander
lessons are fundamentally the same—under the skilled guidance of a
teacher, you learn that you have choice within your habitual
response patterns and can experience an increased general
coordination.
The Alexander Technique is not a therapy that
treats a passive patient. Rather, it is meant for those who are
interested in learning what they can do for themselves to improve
their overall well being. The Alexander Technique does not teach you
something new to do but helps you bring more practical intelligence
to what you are already doing. It is not a series of treatments or
exercises but rather a re-education of how you use yourself in all
your activities throughout the day-from walking, to working at a
computer, to singing, to doing yoga.
The Alexander Technique
is unique in its approach because it recognizes the need to improve
the general coordination of the body as an indirect and long-lasting
way to deal with specific problems such as low back pain, RSI and
asthma.
With the Alexander Technique you can encourage a
marked improvement in overall health, alertness, and performance by
learning to consciously eliminate harmful habits that cause physical
and emotional stress and by becoming more aware of how you engage in
your activities.
>>>for
an excellent in depth introductory article about the Alexander Technique click
hereBack to top How is the Alexander
Technique different from other bodywork?
The main difference between the Alexander Technique and other
traditional bodywork therapies such as massage therapy is in its
approach. When you go to a traditional bodyworker you are a
passive recipient of a treatment, manipulation, or adjustment. You
"get worked on" and you look to the practioner or therapist to "fix
you". When you go to an Alexander Technique teacher expect to be an
active participant in a learning process. The teacher and you will
work together to discover habits that are contributing to or causing
your problem. The Alexander Technique teacher is not going to offer
to fix you but will offer to teach you. You must take some
responsibility for your learning but in the process you take credit
for your improvement and gain some degree of control over your
problem.
Back to top Who
studies the Alexander Technique?
The Alexander Technique benefits people with a wide variety of
problems including...
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1. People looking for an effective way to deal with chronic pain,
persistent muscular tension,repetitive strain injuries (RSI), and
arthritis. |
Find out more about how the Alexander Technique can help with
chronic pain
computer
use
RSI
arthritis |
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2. People wishing to better perform and more fully enjoy a particular
activity. |
Find out more about how the Alexander Technique can help with
music
dance
acting
sport |
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| 3. People wanting a better
way to manage stress. |
Find out more about how the Alexander Technique can help with
stress |
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| 4. People wanting
to better meet the challenges of pregnancy and aging. |
Find out more about how the Alexander Technique can help with
pregnancy
aging |
Back to top Who was Alexander?
As a young man, F.M. Alexander (1869-1955) had a promising career as
a Shakespearian actor. However, problems with chronic hoarseness
plagued him from early on. Not able to find lasting relief from
treatments offered him by his doctors, Alexander turned to himself
for answers. After carefully observing himself in a series of
mirrors over a period of years Alexander discovered that a pattern
of muscle tension throughout his entire body, caused by interference
with the natural balance between his head and neck, was the source
of his voice problems. This discovery enabled Alexander to
eventually solve his vocal difficulties and was the basis for the
development of the Alexander Technique.
>>more
about the history of the Alexander Technique
Back to top What training is required
to be an Alexander Technique teacher
AmSAT certified Alexander
Technique teachers must complete 1600 hours of training over a
minimum of three years at an AmSAT
approved training program. Alexander teachers are trained in careful
visual observation to spot the source of movement problems. They are
schooled in teaching skills that encourage learning in a
non-judgmental, supportive atmosphere. And they are trained to use
their touch to impart the subtle suggestion of expansion and
lightness in movement. Additional studies include anatomy, study of
F.M. Alexander's theoretical writings, as well as literature and
research by Alexander scholars and those in related fields.
>>for a good description of teacher training click here
Back to top What is AmSAT?
The American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT)
is the largest professional association of board-certified Alexander
Technique teachers in the United States. Its mission is to define,
maintain, and promote the Alexander Technique at its highest
standard of professional practice and conduct.
AmSAT maintains the
nation's highest standards for teacher training, certification, and
membership and maintains affiliation with similar credentialing
bodies worldwide. Since its formation in 1987, over 600 teachers
have completed a rigorous training process to earn
AmSAT certification.
In addition to providing educational support services for its
members, AmSAT provides
information and assistance to the public in locating qualified
teachers.
Back to top Where can I find out more
about the Alexander Technique?
There is a tremendous amount of information about the Alexander
Technique-in print, video and on the Internet-to learn more visit
the American Society for the Alexander Technique website:
www.amsat.ws or
contact Lauren for additional information.
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