Classical Procedures are the activities used by F. M. Alexander to teach his technique. Generally accepted as classical procedures are:
- Chair work
- Going up on toes
- Hands on the back of the chair
- Inclining forwards and backwards while sitting
- Lunge
- Lying-down work
- ‘Monkey’ (a position of mechanical advantage)
- Squatting
- Walking
- Wall work
- Whispered ‘ah’
The term classical procedures is used to distinguish what Alexander is known to have used in his teaching from later developments. A number of other procedures developed after Alexander’s death used for teaching the Technique include saddle work, Dart procedures and a variety of simple movements called directed activities (‘games’).
‘Chair work’ here includes both sitting and standing work, leaning against the back of the chair (with shoulder blades against a book or the like), and moving forwards and backwards from the hips whilst sitting (but note this also has a separate entry).
Description
See link for each activity for a description.
Criticism
The use of classical procedures have been criticised for being too limited and irrelevant for people’s daily activities, and for not addressing the need for learning more complex activities. For a defence see Explaining the Alexander Technique.[1]
Marjory Barlow has criticised non-classical procedures such as saddle-work as ‘gimmicks’. [2]
See also Teaching styles, Directed activities, Dart Procedures, Application approach, Descriptions of F. M. Alexander, Saddle work.
