Alexander Technique Author’s Description & An Actor’s Experience
“The Alexander Technique coordinates mind and body in all activities of living. In the process it organizes our sensations of movement, our feelings and emotions, and our experiences in the world around us.”
Glynn MacDonald ~ Author of book The Alexander Technique
“The Technique’s many benefits for actors include minimized tension, centeredness, vocal relaxation and responsiveness, mind/body connection and about an inch and a half of additional height!” ~
Kevin Kline ~ Theater and Film Actor Quote from The Alexander Technique by Judith Leibowitz and Bill Connington
Here’s what students have said about back pain and the Alexander Technique
“When I first started Alexander, I had been in chronic lower back pain for 2-3 years. I have been surprised at the effects of Alexander lessons. My lower back pain started to improve within the first month and after 6 months I was pain-free for the first time in years. Alexander feels to me like something that my body had been hungry for on some very basic level.”
Carolyn Bellinger-Kawahara, Ph.D.
“Through the Alexander Technique lessons, I have learned how to decrease symptoms of arthritis and neck and back pain. This has been a significant improvement in my quality of life, without medications. One of the unexpected benefits of lessons in the Alexander Technique has been a general increased sense of well-being, with some people commenting that I look younger.”
Dena Dickinson, RN, MS
“I decided to try the Alexander Technique for help with my lower back pain and I’m floored by the changes I’ve undergone. I don’t suffer from back pain any more, after decades of it. My overall stress levels have dropped significantly, and I’ve developed an extraordinary sense of body awareness. But perhaps the greatest change was the profound sense of emotional energy that I now have to draw from.”
Stephen Ladd, Screenwriter
Here’s what doctors and health professionals have to say about the Alexander Technique
Increasing numbers of physicians and health care professionals are recommending the Alexander Technique to their patients. Offered in wellness centers and health education programs worldwide, the Alexander Technique is appropriate for patients with chronic back pain, neck pain, migraines, repetitive stress injuries, balance and coordination problems, and for the depression and anxiety that often accompanies chronic pain and stress.
“The Alexander Technique remains the best of the self-care strategies to prevent the sequel of poor posture and poor breathing.”
Harold Wise, MD, PC, New York, NY
“The Alexander Technique stresses unification in an era of greater and greater medical specialization. Its educational system teaches people how to best use their bodies in ordinary action to avoid or reduce unnecessary stress and pain. It enables clients to get better faster and stay better longer. This is undoubtedly the best way to take care of the back and alleviate back pain.”
Jack Stern, MD, PhD, Neurosurgical Group of Westchester, White Plains, NY
“I found the Technique to be so beneficial in my condition that I have been referring patients in certain situations for Alexander lessons over the last several years.”
Howard L. Rosner, MD Director, Pain Management Service, The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY
“Habitual patterns of scrunched and tense use of the body are so engrained in our lives that the concept may seem extraordinary that unlearning these patterns can actually relieve pain and discomfort–but lessons in the Alexander Technique not only succeed for many people, they also allow a welcome sense of new ease in performance of all physical activities, e.g., playing a sport, using a computer keyboard, or playing a musical instrument. Research in which I have been involved has also shown enhanced strength of the muscles of breathing after a course of lessons.”
John H.M. Austin, MD, Professor Emeritus of Radiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
“I think I have given my patients something almost as good as magic. I have taught them what to do and not do when their backs give them trouble, and how to reduce unnecessary stress and pain. As a result, they no longer have to feel afraid and helpless when back pain occurs. Many consider themselves cured because they have been able to return to an active, normal lifestyle.”
Deborah Caplan, PT, certified Alexander Technique teacher and author of Back Trouble, New York, NY
“Not only do I see the therapeutic benefits of this work with various patient problems, but it has helped me deal effectively with my own adverse muscular tension. I continue to experience a newfound freedom of movement in my own body that I believe is making me a more effective therapist.”
Howard W. Makofsky, MS, OCS, Mastic Beach, NY
“In addition to its physiologic and musculoskeletal benefits, the Alexander Technique is extremely helpful in relieving the psychological states of depression and anxiety that so often accompany chronic pain and disease. It is my belief, based on professional experience, that the Alexander Technique should be part of all preventative health and education programs. It is as basic as good nutrition.”
Jill Sanders, DO, New York, NY
“The Alexander Technique makes sense in that appropriate use of the body will lead to reduction of various musculoskeletal disorders and remediate others which are established. No equipment is needed, just the skill and training of the teacher. This technique is very worthwhile as a primary preventative therapy. It is especially useful when posture is a key factor in back injuries while lifting and for workers who perform repetitive tasks while sitting.”
Robert D. Greene, MD, Emergency Department, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, CT
“The Alexander Technique has been very helpful in identifying the postural and breathing habits that contribute to my fatigue and muscle soreness. I found it a good value: cost effective, making me less dependent on chiropractors and more comfortable at work.”
Douglas J. Bush, DMD, Chester, NJ
“When, in spite of my instruction, a patient is having difficulty understanding how to make changes in habitual movement patterns or has a profession with particular physical demands, I typically suggest the Alexander Technique. I have found it very helpful for patients who have low body awareness or who have trouble relaxing. Improvement in these areas facilitates many physical therapy modalities, especially cervical spine joint mobilization.”
Gail King, PT, MS, Backtec Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, New York, NY