The Alexander Technique is a method of bringing the way we move under conscious direction and avoiding a buildup of muscular tension. It is one of the most widely known Western systems of movement therapy. It was developed by F. Matthias Alexander, who was born in Tasmania in 1869. He developed his theories in an effort to save his career when he developed severe hoarseness that caused him to cancel some of his performances as a speaker/actor. After 10 years of research and experimentation on himself, he developed an effective, nonverbal, hands-on technique that has been transforming people ever since.

Alexander discovered that as we grow we develop habits of movement that are wrong and harmful. He also discovered that trying to stop immediately could easily add insult to injury. He developed a way to stop moving in the wrong and harmful way.

He developed what he called the “Primary Control Mechanism.” We each have so-called antigravity reflexes that work naturally when we are children. As we age, the head, neck and spine become off-balance and when they are in balance these so-called antigravity reflexes spring into play.

The Alexander Technique is a fundamental hands-on guidance. Postural habits can be very difficult to break because they are so ingrained into us. When Alexander Technique teachers guide you through the simplest and most balanced way of standing up, it can actually feel wrong when you first do it. An Alexander Technique in NY session is approximately 30-60 minutes and can involve repeating a simple task such as sitting down and standing up from a chair.

Students of the technique have stated that they feel like they are walking on air once they change their movement habits. They state that they are more relaxed in normal and tense situations. Many students with asthma have stated that they need less medication because they breathe easier. And still others who experience pain have a lessening of that pain.

Do you blame your computer, desk, work or some other part of your life when you feel uncomfortable while sitting at your desk all day? They may have something to do with it but facing daily challenges with all the tension that comes with them may be contributing to your discomfort.

You can avoid that discomfort and relieve the tension by learning the Alexander Technique. It is taught by a trained instructor to guide you through the learning process. This learning process helps you to unlearn postural habits that cause excessive tension and discomfort. These habits cause contractions of muscles when you were tense.

Very few people realize that they have these habits of contraction. Students of the Alexander Technique learn to release excess tension allowing the spine to lengthen, the joints to open up, the bones to float away from each other, and the muscles to lengthen. This creates a more coordinated body with graceful movement and improved posture. The result is optimal functional mobility, decreased pain, and a greater sense of well being.

Alexander noticed this problem and called it a Faulty Sensory Awareness. This sense is called P. You may have experienced this if you have ever taken dance lessons and the dance teacher has brought an unknown habit to your attention. Things we do on a regular basis the same way every time our old habits and we tend to be attuned to new or changing events, old habits fade into the background of our awareness. In Alexander’s case, unconscious shortening and tightening in his neck caused him to lose his voice.

The Alexander Technique in New York can teach you to change these old habits and make you more comfortable when sitting at your desk all day long.

Of course they do and the Alexander Technique has taught them how to acquire it. Singers learn their posture as they learn singing. But, if this posture is faulty then they have difficulty singing properly. To correct their posture they tried standing straight. When they do this they tense up pulling back their shoulders, which narrows their back this fixing their rib cage in backing the ability of their floating ribs to expand to allow full expansion of the diaphragm and affecting your singing.

Singers can learn that this is wrong by simply telling them to relax and stand easy and then try to sing. About 90% of them find that they sing better and breathing easier when they relax. Standing straight simply tightens all their muscles and restricts both their breathing and the whole vocal apparatus. Now this is not good posture and is counterproductive, but it shows the singer that relaxed muscles work better.

Most people will need to go through a process of reeducation of their postural and movement patterns in everyday life to gain the correct posture for singing. This will not happen overnight. Local improvement and freedom of breathing are directly associated with better use of the whole body. If you wish to improve your singing, find a teacher of the Alexander Technique in New York.

If the Alexander Technique can help during the pregnancy, it can definitely help during labor and delivery. AT exercises along with an Alexander Technique teacher can prepare a pregnant woman for labor by teaching her how to set and squat comfortably. A woman in labor has a natural tendency to tense her whole body during painful contractions. The Alexander Technique will teach her how to do the following:

1. Breathe and calm her system.
2. Focus during childbirth.
3. Better facilitate opening of the cervix during dilation.
4. Marshal her forces to push.

The Alexander lessons taken by both parents and coaches can prepare a woman for the birthing process. A coach and father can help a mother as well as manage their own bodies while providing support and encouragement just by understanding the Alexander principles.

A new mother and father will receive new resources and gain understanding throughout their parents by learning the Alexander Technique. As new parents they will learn how to lift their child out of the crib, how to hold their baby during feeding, and how to haul around all the paraphernalia of childhood. They will be better prepared for their child’s healthy progression through the developmental stages of movement. They will understand, trust and be able to visit the body’s capacity for subtle balance when their child begins to walk. As parents, they will be able to weather the storms and enjoy the rewards of life because they are more physically relaxed and confident. Therefore, the Alexander technique in New York can help with labor and delivery.

To get the body and the mind to work together you need to unlearn old postural habits, solve movement problems and improve balance and coordination. This will definitely help a woman understand and compensate for the many bodily changes that happen during pregnancy. It can also help both parents, after birth, as they will be lifting a child at various angles and carrying a small precious bundle for sustained periods.

Pregnant women always complained about low back pain. A woman’s center of balance changes as the pregnancy proceeds. A woman has a tendency to compensate by leaning back at the waist as the weight increases in the front. This can cause excruciating pain by putting unnecessary pressure on her sacrum and lower back. This small fact of pregnancy does not have to be put up with any pregnant woman. An Alexander Technique teacher can show a woman how to protect her back. A woman can easily learn how to adjust as her center of gravity shifts. A woman can be far more comfortable and pain free by decompressing the spine and distributing the baby’s weight throughout her entire body.

Physically, a woman’s heart, lungs and other internal organs get squished together as a baby grows and occupies more internal space. This can result in digestive problems and shortness of breath if a woman does not capitalize on her body’s internal support system. A woman can learn to reduce this effect by allowing her torso to expand AT exercises. This will definitely make a pregnant woman’s reading easier. With the challenges that are to come she will need to access all internal resources

A pregnant woman can learn how to handle moves that are as simple as standing and sitting as they become more difficult during pregnancy. A pregnant woman needs to learn how to and efficiently. A pregnant woman will be able to do trying tasks like tying her shoes just by listening to her AT teacher. Her teacher will even teach her how to stand up and lie down comfortably.

A woman can easily ride out the profound physical and psychological changes that go through her body during pregnancy with teacher of Alexander Technique in New York.