Lupine Embodyworks

About FM Alexander

The Alexander Technique (AT) was developed by Australian actor Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955) in collaboration with his brother AR Alexander and various students and assistants. Now over a century later, AT continues to evolve through practice, research, and exchange. With thousands of teachers practicing around the world, AT is taught as a living tradition, an experiential educational practice that helps you move and think with greater awareness in all your activities. 

For more information about Alexander, the development of his technique, and his background, this website is a good place to start: Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique.

Who Studies AT

The Alexander Technique is for anyone seeking greater ease, balance, and awareness in their daily lives. It can benefit individuals from all walks of life, including:

• People with back pain, neck strain, and other chronic pain 
• Performing artists like musicians, actors, and dancers 
• Anyone experiencing stress and anxiety
• Athletes and people who regularly exercise
• Office workers and those who work long hours at a computer
• People with medical conditions like Parkinson’s disease or repetitive strain injuries
• Pregnant people, their partners, and birth attendants
• Parents, caregivers, and educators
• Curious learners and creative people

Benefits

• Manage Pain: Learn new ways to respond to pain and discomfort from injuries, headaches, or chronic conditions
• Reduce Stress and Anxiety: Learn to manage stress more effectively and cultivate a sense of calm
• Improve Posture and Balance: Achieve better coordination in your daily movements to reduce fatigue and prevent falls
• Refine Breathing and Speaking: Learn to breathe naturally and reduce vocal strain
• Enhance Mental Clarity: Increase your focus and mental sharpness
• Boost Confidence and Presence: Develop a more confident and poised demeanor
• Tap into Your Creativity: Find your authentic voice and freedom in performance

After a lesson, many students report feeling lighter, more alert, and more peaceful. With further study, you may develop a greater capacity to meet challenging circumstances with calmness and resilience. You may begin to let go of old beliefs and habitual reactions, allowing you to experience a newfound sense of freedom and agency in your life.

The principles of the Alexander technique can apply to many aspects of life; like any practice, it has its limitations. An AT lesson is not:

• Psychotherapy or life coaching
• Medical care for the purpose of diagnosis, treatment, or cure
• A relaxation/spa/massage treatment
• A series of exercises 
• A method for achieving “correct” posture
• A quick fix

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lessons/classes should I take if I am a beginner?

I recommend at least ten lessons/classes for beginners to learn the fundamental concepts and experience new sensations and lightness with support. Some students need longer, so it depends. Ideally, a course of new lessons is compact (at least once a week) and continuous. Once you learn the basics, you may still come weekly for lessons, or you may drop in as needed. It’s really up to you and your needs. 

What happens in a lesson/class?

I seek to create a safe, tailored learning environment and approach you as a unique human being. We will work collaboratively through verbal instruction and gentle hands-on touch to develop deeper sensory awareness and improve your coordination. 

In the course of a lesson or class, I may use anatomical models, body mapping, discussion, and experiential play to convey important principles. 

I encourage students to bring activities to a lesson, and we will work together to help you find more ease. An activity could be an everyday action like brushing your teeth or picking up a glass. Or it could be related to your professional/artistic work, like typing at the computer or playing an instrument.

AT work can lead to lasting changes in how you react to pain, injury, stress, and other stimuli in your environment. We don’t offer quick fixes. The technique helps you to explore new experiences with curiosity and joy. We empower you to continue learning and exploring long after your last lesson.

How is AT different from massage, PT, yoga, chiropractic, other bodywork?

There are many ways to answer this question. There are a few key points that are important to keep in mind:

1. AT is educational, not medical, diagnostic, or therapeutic.
2. When an AT teacher uses touch, we are not manipulating soft tissue, joints, or fascia. The touch is meant to help support the student in noticing more about themselves (see below).
3. We are teaching a general awareness technique and not a series of exercises or poses.
4. Our approach is less about body mechanics, the “right posture,” strength, or flexibility. Rather, we are interested in flow, ease of movement, and learning how embodying wholeness affects our functioning, particularly movement. So our work is more about coordinating our various parts to use just the right amount of effort, and no more, to do what you love.
5. Our approach is indirect in the sense that we don’t zero in on the part/system that hurts, or that you want to improve. We zoom out and support the student’s overall use in order to support the specific issue.

Why do teachers use their hands?

We use our hands (really, our whole self touching you through our hands) as a reference point, to help you become aware of things you may not notice on your own. The touch we use can vary, from gentle to quite firm, but in all cases, what matters is how the teacher is using themselves. We aren’t touching you to fix you—we are touching you to connect with you as a whole human, and to help you to accept the support that is there and regulate your whole system.

Is it possible to learn AT over Zoom?

Before 2020, I would have cautioned against taking lessons over Zoom, but the pandemic has changed my perspective. I still think the most ideal way to learn AT at first is in person, one-on-one with a trained teacher. Once you have learned the basics, however, much learning can happen remotely. 

When teaching online, I use my words to touch you instead of my hands. I may guide you to place your own hands on parts of you, or I may guide you to direct your awareness to particular parts of your body, or specific senses. The student-teacher connection can be just as powerful online as in person—it’s just different. Working with a teacher while you are in your own home environment opens up interesting avenues for applying AT in everyday life. 

My teacher training was a hybrid setup, with some trainees in person and some trainees on Zoom. I have taken many workshops on Zoom and have taught classes on Zoom. So yes, online learning is a great way to connect with Alexander teachers and learn the technique.