Alexander Technique (AT), developed by F. Matthias Alexander in 1894, is said to not only alleviate illness and pain, but also enhance performance of sportsmen and artistes. Robin John Simmons, Director of Training at ATLAZ (Alexander Teacher Training Centre, Zürich), was at Shoonya – Centre for Art and Somatic Practices, Bengaluru recently. He has been teaching AT since 1971.
Excerpts:
Tell us about F.M. Alexander and how he evolved AT.
He was born in Tasmania, and lived from 1869 to 1955. He developed a passion for theatre, moved to Melbourne and studied to become an actor. However, he was dogged by a persistent throat trouble and often found he lost his voice towards the end of a performance. His doctors could not help him as there were no drugs during his time. Alexander decided to investigate what he was doing with his body while performing. By observing himself in a mirror, he discovered that his voice problem stemmed from a whole psychological urgency to try to project his voice to the back of the auditorium. He realised he used great force and the result was he over-tensed himself. He re-trained himself to avoid triggering his habit and made a comeback on stage.
His friends and colleagues were astonished at his recovery. Doctors started to send him patients they couldn’t help. Alexander realised he had discovered something uniquely important. He was encouraged to travel to London to meet top medical men in 1904. He not only impressed them with his discovery, but also found himself giving lessons in his technique to theatre actors of his day. He wrote four books about his discoveries. He set up a training school for his technique in 1931.
What is the procedure of AT?
There are several procedures in AT. When someone comes for lessons in the technique, we first need to establish what their interest is. Do they want to get rid of a pain or improve their performance in activities, such as music or sport? Do they want to improve their posture and movement? Do they want to manage their pregnancy and birth-giving in the optimal manner?
Having established the aim, we then need to observe the person in their everyday actions. This helps to get a sense of possible misuses in psycho-physical behaviour. So discussion of the need and observation of ordinary actions is where we start. Alexander devised a series of positions of mechanical advantage. They are arrangements of the body. This indirectly improves many aspects of psycho-physical functioning, including thinking and breathing. People learn to give themselves conscious messages or directions that enhance the process. So the person is not actually ‘doing’ anything, instead they are bringing their intelligence, sensory awareness and an enquiring mind to promote the release of unnecessary tensions within these balanced and carefully-organised positions. This is not ‘relaxation’. Instead, the muscles tend to release and lengthen and get into a more balanced tone through the body. This influences thinking and behaviour.
How does AT help master oneself?
In the act of being more observant, the person naturally gives themselves moments of self-awareness that constitute a moment of waiting or pausing or refraining from just automatically responding. We give ‘homework’ that relates to each person’s individual needs, to help them become more self-observant and be able to engage the Technique consciously in their actions.
How does AT help musicians and performers?
There are two groups of people that we find are enthusiastic about AT – musicians and horse riders. Both tell us that when they apply AT to their activity, they get immediate feedback, either from the instrument (which would possibly be their voice) or their mount, which confirms the value of using AT in their playing or riding.
In the UK, AT is in all the major music training colleges, including the Royal Academy and the Royal College. In fact, at the Royal College of Music in London, they have an actual department of AT, and all music students in the RCM must pass through this department. We never teach anyone how to do anything ‘correctly’. The Technique is learning what not to do while you are doing what you are doing – but you need to find out what it is you don’t want to do!
