What is F.M. Alexander's technique?
Describing the Alexander Technique to someone who has never had a lesson is like describing the taste of a mango to someone who has never had one. That’s not to say it is a fruitless effort, but rather I will ask you the reader to keep your curiosity alive and trust me when I say that the simplest things in life are often the trickiest to describe. Alexander calls his work a technique because it can be described as a step-by-step process, but to know what it is a technique of or to in fact do this technique without skipping a step in the process is another matter entirely and why lessons are strongly encouraged to aid the learning process.
Whether you are solving a math problem, writing a line of code, playing the piano, or taking a golf swing, you are at the centre of the activity.
And while we are taught to believe that some of these activities are mental and others are physical, the truth of the matter is that they are all simultaneously mental, emotional, and physical and the better integrated the individual’s thinking-acting self, the more reliably that individual will be able to perform at their full potential. Alexander discovered a relationship between the head, neck, and upper back which enables a coordinated and upright poise.
Learning this poise improves general well-being and makes you less reactive and more easy-going overall.
The pictures above are of rather exceptional individuals that have this upright poise that Alexander describes in his books. It is their attitude of attention in activity that is so captivating and gives them that almost indescribable ‘it’ quality. But why do I call this poise and not posture?
Poise . Not Posture .
The look of an Alexander Technique lesson from the perspective of an outside observer will appear to be a lesson in posture. Oftentimes people will hear talk of the neck, head, and back and begin to ‘sit up straight’. They create a statuesque form and immediately hold their breath. If we look at some definitions of posture, we can see that this is a normal reaction:
- the position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting.
- a particular way of dealing with or considering something; an approach or attitude.
- behave in a way that is intended to impress or mislead.
The definition is quite revealing. A position to hold the body or an attitude to deal with a particular issue. Even if this is your first time reading the definition, the meaning of the word is almost hard-coded into your being and without taking the time to pause and think, the word posture will very likely take you away from the dynamic thinking-acting attitude that we are all capable of carrying in our lives.
Let’s look at 4 definitions of Poise:
- having a composed and self-assured manner.
- having a graceful and elegant bearing.
- be or cause to be balanced or suspended.
- be ready to do something.
None of these definitions are strictly physical, mental, or emotional. But I would be willing to bet that your first instinct was to read each definition and contextualise it for yourself as ‘more physical’ or ‘more mental’. For example, when I see the word ‘manner’ in the first definition, I think of a mental state. In particular, I am reminded that the Italian word educazione is manner rather than intellect or education; the association biases my initial reading of the text and I must pause and think. Only upon a second or third reading do I see that each definition of Poise listed above encompasses the full scope of the individual. You can see that in the pictures of Casals, Rogers, Astaire, and Federer. All of them are not only engaged in activity with every fiber of their being, but they draw us and their audiences in to their activities and have the ability to ‘take our breath away’. Inevitably this begs the question,
‘Why do I not have this and can you even teach such a thing?’.
