Also called “postural rehabilitation”, the Alexander Technique is a mode of somatic education based on the relationship between the spine and the head. In this sheet, you will discover this practice in more detail, its principles, its history, its benefits, how a session takes place, how to teach it and finally, the contraindications.

The Alexander Technique is not a therapy, but a mode of somatic education, which can also be called postural rehabilitation or psychomotor rehabilitation. According to the creator of this method, Frederick Matthias Alexander, the way we use our body (what he called “self-use”) can contribute to health or, on the contrary, harm it. However, all human beings have bad posture and breathing habits – automatisms – which lead to a large number of problems: back pain and headaches, fatigue, respiratory limitation, lack of flexibility, etc. Sir Stafford Cripps, one of the English nobles who benefited from the technique, expressed his appreciation in the following terms: “Instead of feeling like an aggregate of loosely fitted pieces, full of friction and dead weight, because of what the the mere fact of existing becomes exhausting, the body reveals itself as a living and coordinated whole, made up of parts which fit and articulate perfectly. “

The purpose of this technique is therefore to unlearn certain habits that are well anchored and registered in the body. Through the gradual rebalancing of our kinesthetic sense, its objectives are to improve coordination and balance, reduce muscle tension, relieve pain, reduce fatigue and the problems associated with certain ailments, and promote a better -to be. If the technique is greatly appreciated by people on the scene, it is aimed at everyone, young or old, athletic or sedentary, men or women.

The main principles

First of all, the concept of wholeness is inherent in this theory, where each part is determining for the whole. During rehabilitation, all parts of the being must therefore work together and be coordinated. According to Alexander, body and mind are intimately linked and cannot be taken separately. 

According to Alexander, a dynamic and balanced relationship between the head, neck and back is crucial for the quality of all human movement. He therefore called primary control this dynamic relationship, this “global pattern”, between the head, neck and spine. By ensuring that this primary control works optimally, it would help overcome certain conditions.

According to Alexander, when any tension is not quickly and consciously dispersed, the body adapts to it. Therefore, the Alexander Technique advocates the development of attention (awareness), that is, a keener sense of one’s postural behaviors and of anything that can interfere with balance. In this work, it is necessary to adopt a stopping mechanism (inhibition) which consists in consciously slowing down the initiation of a habitual or automatic action and then replacing it, with the help of the intervenor, by another more appropriate one.

Remember that the Alexander Technique does not claim to be therapy; although having received serious training, its practitioners are not health professionals and cannot make diagnoses. There are, however, some therapeutic applications whose effectiveness has been evaluated by scientific studies.

Help relieve symptoms of chronic low back pain

Although the Alexander Technique has not been specifically shown to be effective in relieving low back pain, it has been successfully incorporated into multidisciplinary protocols aimed at reducing the discomfort of people with this problem. In a recent study of 579 subjects with chronic low back pain, researchers compared the effectiveness of the Alexander technique to other interventions (massage, standard care and exercise program). Subjects in the Alexander Technique with exercise groups experienced a significant reduction in lower back pain. These results still persisted one year after the end of treatment.

Improving the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease

In the late 1990s, case reports and the results of at least one preliminary trial suggested that the Alexander Technique could benefit people with Parkinson’s disease. The results of a randomized clinical trial with a control group, conducted in 2002 on 93 subjects, confirmed that the Alexander Technique could significantly reduce the disabilities and depression associated with this disease.

Increase respiratory capacity

In clinical practice, the Alexander Technique has an excellent reputation for improving respiratory function. The results of a preliminary test with a control group carried out on 20 normal subjects tend to confirm that the technique would have a beneficial effect in this regard. However, there is still no clinical trial that has tested its effects on people with asthma or other respiratory disorders.

Improve sense of balance

The results of a preliminary control trial in women 65 years and older indicate that learning the Alexander Technique may help improve the sense of balance and, therefore, decrease the risk of falls in children. the elderly.

In addition, an American compendium written for physicians, the Clinician’s Complete Reference to Complementary & Alternative Medicine, considers the Alexander Technique to be particularly likely to bring improvement in cases of arthritis and osteoarthritis, asthma, back pain and headache, chronic pain, repetitive strain injury (ROD), and difficulty breathing. According to a 2011 study, the technique would be preferable to palliative measures (which do not correct the underlying problem) for ailments such as sciatica, whiplash, bruxism, etc.

The specialist

Teachers of the Alexander Technique are movement specialists. They are not therapists, but educators who deal with students rather than patients. However, some health professionals can also be trained in this technique and practice it, such as physiotherapists or physiotherapists.

Course of a session

The learning in question requires breaking well-established habits, which means that: the student must be active during the process; the process must be followed for a certain time for the new learning to become reflex.

Generally, the teaching is done individually. It is suggested that you schedule one meeting per week, for 20 to 30 weeks, after which most people can continue to learn on their own and apply the new principles in their normal activities.

A lesson lasts 30 to 40 minutes. The teacher intervenes by verbal instructions and by touch (light). The relearned movements are first of all of a routine nature: walking, sitting down, standing up, breathing … If necessary, the lesson is adapted to more specific situations or movements: playing an instrument, handling a tool or a device. sports accessory, type, etc. Some practitioners sometimes offer weekend workshops, which mainly serve as an introduction to the technique.

Become a teacher of the Alexander Technique

To become a certified teacher, you have to train in a specialized school. For example, the etapp is a school that offers certified training in the Alexander Technique. In total, the course lasts 3 years and is made up of history lessons, practical exercises, exploration of movement… The annual teaching fees are 6700 euros and the courses are delivered by certified teachers.

There are other types of training, managed by professional associations.

Contraindications of the Alexander Technique

This technique does not have any contraindications.

Around 1890, the Australian Frederick Matthias Alexander, then an actor, experienced repeated hoarseness at the time of his performances, which threatened to end his career. As the doctors could not detect any physiological cause, he thought that he was perhaps causing the problem himself, and began – with the help of mirrors in particular – an intense observation of his posture and his vocal technique. It took him almost ten years to get rid of the inappropriate behavior.

People from the scene began to consult him for problems that interfered with their work. Soon doctors began to send clients for various kinds of problems. By 1904, teaching had become his main occupation, and he decided to settle in London, where a larger clientele called him. Among those who consulted him throughout the next 50 years, several scientists publicly testified to the validity of this approach, including Sir Charles Sherrington, considered the father of modern neurology.

From 1930, Alexander began to pass his technique on to apprentices, both in Europe and in the United States, where he stayed periodically. At 79, he managed to regain motor control after suffering from lateral paralysis caused by a stroke. He taught until his death in 1955, at the age of 86.

Three years later, the main London apprentices formed the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT). To this day, this association remains the main federating body and the main body to manage training programs. There are now over 2 practitioners around the world, mostly in Europe, North America and Australia, while the technique is part of the curriculum at several music and theater schools. Matthias Alexander is generally recognized as having a pioneering role in body awareness approaches.