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The ‘application approach’ is a way of teaching the Alexander Technique by applying the Technique to an everyday activity, or an activity which is relevant to or common for the pupil. It is frequently used in group teaching. It was predominantly developed by Irene Tasker as an adjunct to private lessons, but only became firmly […]

The direction ‘head forward and up’ is part of a series of directions constituting new means-whereby. F. M. Alexander wrote about the development of his technique in UoS that he discovered that in order to prevent his head being pulled back and down, he needed his head to go forward and up.[1]   In CCC […]

F. M. Alexander There was a period in Alexander’s early years of teaching where his method focused on breathing. Between 1903 and 1909 he wrote short pieces such as ‘A Respiratory Method’ (1905), ‘The Theory and Practice of a New Method of Respiratory Re-Education’ (1907), ‘The Dangers of Deep Breathing’ (1908).   In ‘A Respiratory […]

This entry deals with Alexander Technique terminology (‘jargon’) in general. For the use of words to communicate the Technique, see Communication – Words.   F. M. Alexander on the use of words Alexander’s terminology changed over the years as he developed his practice and theory.[1] There are several instances of Alexander alerting the reader to […]

This entry covers support and supervision for Alexander Technique teachers, i.e. after graduation.   Some teacher training courses have a kind of informal support by allowing and encouraging qualified teachers to visit regularly. Some courses offer (or offered) a paid post-graduate teaching term for newly qualified teachers as a way of supporting them into their […]

On people’s vision and concerns regarding the future of the Alexander Technique.   F. M. Alexander Alexander mentions in several places, especially in MSI, his vision for the future, generally the development of conscious guidance and control for everybody. For example:   Looking to the future and to the development and elaboration of this method, […]

At least one teacher training course requires students to write essays on the Alexander Technique (for example, on Alexander’s books) as a mandatory part of the course. Other training courses have writing as an optional extra.   Training courses can be accredited by The Open College Network (in the UK), where writing is part of […]

This entry covers methods which involve some kind of equipment and other aids used in teaching and learning the Technique. This entry excludes table and chair which are listed under ‘Classical procedures’. The use of a wall, a staircase, books and other readily available aids are not included.   Anatomical aids See Use of Anatomy […]

Play or a playful attitude is used in the Alexander Technique by some teachers. However, there are scant records; only a few teachers have described this approach in writing. F. M. Alexander preferred an easy atmosphere while teaching on his training course. Erika Whittaker reports: ‘It was all great fun and was never allowed to […]

Distance learning includes correspondence courses and online teaching.   In recent years people have offered lessons or courses via the internet, also called ‘distance learning’.   Correspondence courses There was a correspondence course available in the late 1990s, but details are not available.   Online courses On-demand video introductory courses,[1] [2] and written material with […]

Visualisation here refers to generating mental images that simulate or re-create sensory perception without any immediate input of the senses. Imagery refers to using visually descriptive or figurative language, for the purpose of changing people’s ideas, beliefs and perceptions about themselves. As there is considerable overlap between the two terms (and they are frequently used […]

F. M. Alexander discouraged stereotyped, imitative approaches to the teaching of the Technique. It is generally realised that teachers can only teach from their own experience and so any teaching is highly influenced by the individual’s understanding and experiences. Having said that, there are still some approaches to the teaching of the Technique which are […]

‘Hands-on work’ here refers to that part of teaching the Alexander Technique which involves the teacher using hands touching the pupil for the purpose of feedback and guidance.   History F. M. Alexander made several references to the use of hands by the teacher in his writings. The first reference appears in 1908:   I […]

The issue of communication here is chiefly divided into 1. the use of words, 2. the use of hands (see Hands-on work), 3. the use of observation, i.e. demonstration, illustrations, or video (see Observation work). This entry deals with the use of words in general.   F. M. Alexander on the use of words Alexander’s […]

Case histories here refers to reports on or by teachers or pupils of the Alexander Technique on the effects of the Technique.   F. M. Alexander F. M. Alexander relates his own story of the loss of voice while reciting and how the discovery of what is now known as the Alexander Technique benefited him […]

This entry covers a formal or structured Alexander Technique teacher training, typically taking place in a class and taking 2–4 years to complete. (For individual, personal training, see Apprenticeship training. For details of individual training course see Institutions > Teacher Training Courses.) The entry does not contain societies’ internal debate on teacher training policies.   […]

F. M. Alexander trained at least three teachers through apprenticeship before starting the three-year structure for a training course in 1931. The three-year model has been adopted by many Alexander Teachers’ societies.   Apprenticeship A. R. Alexander, Ethel Webb, Irene Tasker were all trained by F. M. Alexander on the apprenticeship model. (In Melbourne, around […]

Apprenticeship training here refers to individual, personal training which may involve assisting in teaching. For teacher training in classes see Teacher Training.   Apprenticeship Before the first teacher training course Alexander trained a number of people in his technique (year indicates first known year of assisting Alexander): A. R. Alexander (1898?[1]), Lilian Twycross (1897[2] or […]

Alexander started his first three-year training course in 1931 and, apart from the interruption by World War II, it continued until his death in 1955. The three-year model has been adopted by many Alexander Teachers’ societies.   History The first teacher training course started in 1931 at 16, Ashley Place, and continued until 1940 when […]

The use of mirrors as a teaching aid or for self-study; it is sometimes referred to as ‘mirror work’.   History F. M. Alexander reported how he used a mirror – and later mirrors[1] – to study the cause of his vocal trouble and for the development of the solution. The use of mirrors was […]

A directed activity is the application of the Technique to a simple, everyday movement, frequently broken down into a progressive series. It may include the classical procedures.   Directed activities were developed by Walter Carrington after Alexander’s death as a teacher training course aid. He called them ‘games’, a name since used on some teachers […]

The whispered ‘ah’ in the Alexander Technique is producing the sound of an ‘ah’ in a whisper while thinking of something that may produce a smile.   History The ‘a’, ‘ah’, has probably a long history in singing, in bel canto in particular. For example, Domenico Crivelli’s L’arte del canto (1841), English edition1859:   To […]

The Dart Procedures refer to a series of movements which parallel the evolution of human infant movement and, to a lesser extent, the evolution of vertebrate movement.   Origin The initial series of movements rose out of experiments by Raymond Dart after a series of lessons in the Technique with Irene Tasker in 1943. Alex […]

When A. R. Alexander left the US in 1945 one of his trainees, Dolly Dailey, took over the training course and ran it until 1949. (It is not clear whether this course was condoned by A. R. Alexander.)[1]   Alma Frank trained some teachers, including Judith Leibowitz, in the late 1940s, early 1950s.[2]   After […]

Chair work was Alexander’s favourite device for teaching his technique, and is used by many teachers of the Alexander Technique.   It allows the teacher, in a confined space, to put hands on a pupil and monitor the pupil during an activity. It traditionally includes the pupil sitting down and standing up, bending forwards and […]

Diagnosis in Alexander’s writings refers both to medical diagnosis, and to people’s own diagnosis of their own problems. Alexander also uses it to refer to the assessment of a person’s use and functioning.   In UoS, in the chapter ‘Diagnosis and medical training’, Alexander argues that no diagnosis can be complete without considering the influence […]

A procedure used by Alexander in his teaching, consisting of going from standing up to the toes. Its purpose is to generate more extensor muscle activity of the back musculature.   Description It is not described in Alexander’s writings, but he demonstrated it in the Bedford Physical Training College lecture in 1934. The write up […]

Hands on the back of the chair (HOBC) consists of standing or sitting and with both hands taking hold of the top rail of the back of a chair, frequently involving a ‘pulling’ of the top of the back of the chair.   HOBC is the only procedure Alexander described in detail in his writings. […]

Lying-down work is also called ‘semi-supine’, ‘table work’ or ‘constructive rest’; an earlier name, ‘inhibition work’ is rarely used today. It consists of a lying down and working on yourself, or having a teacher working with you while lying down. It is used by many teachers and frequently featured in books and articles as a […]

‘Monkey’ is a position of mechanical advantage. It is normally described as a bending position, where the knees are forward and (often but not always) the torso is bending forward from the hips. A monkey can be everything in between standing and squatting. Alexander called this a position of mechanical advantage, but the students on […]

There is no single position of mechanical advantage or a single definition. (A ‘monkey’ is an example of a position of mechanical advantage, see Monkey.) Generally, it can be described as a position of balance, which will aid lengthening and widening and the giving of directions.   Origin The term originates from technology where the […]

Saddle work refers to working with a pupil who is sitting on a wooden horse and saddle. It was developed shortly after Alexander’s death in 1955 by teachers at Ashley Place. It developed as a teaching-aid for a little girl of four-and-a-half with spina bifida, first using a toy donkey. Walter Carrington relates   . […]

Standing is one of the most fundamental human activities, and one of the most basic activities the Alexander Technique is applied to. Alexander addressed the issue of standing principally in pre-1910 articles and in MSI, often criticizing the ‘stand-at-attention’ position adopted.   The application of the Technique to standing is first mentioned in a 1908 […]

Wall work, or wall procedure, consists of using a wall (or other flat surface) behind you in standing, for observation, support or as a reference point.   It is first described as ‘Door Exercise’ in Alexander’s 1910 pamphlet ‘Supplement to Re-Education of the Kinæsthetic Systems’:   The pupil should stand from 6 to 12 inches […]

‘Classical Procedures’ is a term used to denote the activities used by F. M. Alexander to teach his technique. Generally accepted as classical procedures are:   Chair work Going up on the toes Hands on back of chair Lunge ‘Monkey’ (a position of mechanical advantage) Squatting Table work Walking Wall work Whispered ‘ah’   (Some […]

Alexander provides a description of some of the factors involved in walking in MSI:   The whole physiology of walking is, indeed, perfectly simple when once these fundamental principles are understood. It is really resolved into the primary movements of allowing the body to incline forward from the ankle on which the weight is supported […]