What is it?
The short answer to this question is: a method for carrying out any activity more efficiently.
Whatever the activity, the Alexander Technique can help us achieve better results with less effort, furthermore, without injuring ourselves.
Many of us suffer pain in varying degrees, chronic conditions and fatigue due to unwittingly interfering with our delicate mechanisms of balance, posture and coordinated movement. The Alexander Technique provides us with the means of avoiding this interference, and thus the problems they can give rise to.
The Technique, however, is not simply a therapy. It is something you must learn and put into practice in order to enjoy its benefits. This is not to say that putting the Technique into practice does not have therapeutic effects, only that it is something that requires our active participation.
The Alexander Technique can also facilitate both the learning of new activities and the relearning of familiar ones, with a minimum of frustration and injury.
Who’s it for?
Due to the general nature of the Technique, people may seek classes for a number of reasons:
- Chronic or recurring pain
- Balance or movement problems
- Stress or nerves
- Improve performance of specific skills such as playing a musical instrument, sports, etc
- Preventative health education
How do you learn it?
The Alexander Technique is a practical skill which you learn through a series of individual lessons. Although group sessions can serve as a good introduction, individual sessions are necessary to obtain a full practical understanding of the work.
You can find more information about private lessons here.
Teacher training
Alexander Technique teacher training, as recognised by professional associations, generally consist of 1600 hours of practical instruction over at least three years.
Wanting to teach the Technique as a profession is not a prerequisite of training. In fact, most join the course for their own personal development. The desire to teach the Technique to others is something that gradually develops (or not) as the training progresses. Teacher training offers a three year intensive study in the practical application of the Alexander Technique.
It is, however, for people who already have considerable practical experience of the Technique. If your experience of the Technique is limited, one-to-one lessons with a qualified teacher would be more appropriate.
If you are interested in training, Sydney City Alexander Technique offers an approved teacher training course in Sydney. You can find more information here.