The Alexander
Technique is all about posture. By
adjusting posture a whole new way of being can
result. We all have physical tendencies which
generally go unnoticed, such as tilting our head
towards the fork as we eat, yet our head
requires far more energy to move back and fourth
that the energy required to lift that fork just
a few inches closer to our mouths.
Perhaps it is
better described as a means of integrating one's
mental and physical being into one. It is a practice for maintaining
the alignment of head, neck, and back,
which if practiced can lead to optimum overall physical functioning.
Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955), developed the method at the
turn of the century. Although his original purpose was to assist voice projection, Alexander
concluded that faulty posture was responsible for a diverse range of problems.
He believed that habitual unbalanced movement affects the functioning of the
entire body, implying that postures entail behavioural patterns and that
bad posture distorts the personality.
Alexander also
believed that all proper bodily movements flowed from one basic movement,
the maximum lengthening of the spine, which he termed the "primary
control".