What is the Alexander Technique?

You may be wondering, “What is the Alexander Technique?” 

Before answering, let me ask you the following…

Do you…

…struggle from neck, back, or hip pain?

…dream of having a more resilient, confident posture?

…experience discomfort during work or daily activities, such as typing, cooking, or gardening?

…wake up feeling unrested and tense?

…wish to be less reactive and more balanced?

…desire to shift to the next level in your artistic or athletic practices?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I invite you to explore a series of lessons in the Alexander Technique. 

The Alexander Technique is a movement re-education practice that teaches you how to become aware of your habits and to allow for mindful pause, leading to easeful, coordinated movement with a resilient posture. 

We all have habitual ways of moving and thinking, which may get in the way of our most functional, confident selves. Consider how you sit, walk, sleep, and react in a conversation. Do you suffer from discomfort, worry, lack of breath? Habits can be changed. The Alexander Technique helps you to realize that you have a choice in how you think, move, and respond to the world around you.

​​This practice is for anyone looking for a proactive approach to restoring their movement efficiency, shifting painful habits, and expanding their capabilities. Mindfulness lead to resiliency in thought and action.

Benefits

The benefits of the Alexander Technique include improved posture, increased focus, greater coordination and balance, reduced pain and tension, easeful movement, freedom of breath, heightened confidence, better sleep, and less stress. 

Mindfulness moves to the forefront as you discover greater pleasure in your daily activities and profession. Awareness in action may lead you to break through a plateau, refine your technique, start a new chapter, shift a habit, and/or recover from an injury. It takes courage and honesty to step back, reassess, regroup, and restore – and it’s well worth it.

The Alexander Technique perfectly pairs with your massage sessions. Massage benefits last longer since you are consciously shifting your body mechanics.

What to expect in a lesson

Sessions (called “lessons”) are carefully crafted to the unique needs of each student and include seated, standing, lying down, and transitional movements. Teachers utilize a guiding touch and verbal cueing throughout the lesson. Students learn a variety of self-care strategies and discover how to integrate the principles into their lives.

Students wear comfortable clothing and remove their shoes, if possible. Lessons are 45-minutes and taught one-on-one . Students discover maximal benefits from weekly sessions in a series of 8 to 12 lessons. Following this foundational period, students may shift to biweekly or monthly lessons for maintenance and/or for depth of study. Each student’s pathway is unique. 

Let me be your guide on this pathway to self-discovery. A little mindfulness goes a long way.

Lessons are now offered at Metta on Tuesdays afternoons & evenings with other availability by request. Book yours now! You may also learn more on Nicole’s personal website: www.resiliencythroughmovement.com 

Want to dig deeper?

For those that desire a deeper or more scientific understanding, here are some resources to learn more about the technique:

• Animated Science: https://youtu.be/YZaUgt8wyoY
• Alexander Technique Science: https://www.alexandertechniquescience.com/at-science/at-clinical/ 
• British Medical Journal: https://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a884
• Alexander Technique in Education: https://alexandertechnique.co.uk/education 
• Harvard Health Blog: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-alexander-technique-can-help-you-literally-unwind-201511238652