In the view of many Alexander Technique teachers, “hands-on” work is an important, even crucial, element of Alexander Technique teaching. On the other hand, Alexander teachers are excellent observers of human movement, and much of our work involves teaching our students how to usefully direct themselves out of harmful patterns of posture and movement. And to a large extent this can be accomplished without direct physical contact by using Zoom or other similar video services.
Moreover, many of the Alexander teachers and students who have used Zoom find that it offers some distinct advantages over traditional teaching. In particular, it brings a clarity to the lesson by taking away the dependency on an “Alexander fix” that sometimes occurs with traditional teaching. With Zoom, it is absolutely clear to the student, from the very start, that they are engaged in an educational process, not a therapeutic one, and that it is up to them to explore and practice using F. Matthias Alexander’s discoveries themselves. It also makes it clear to the teacher that he/she has to be very mindful in their use of language, and has to fully bring to bear their visual observation skills. For this reason, many of the Alexander Technique teachers who provide distance learning options have found that it is actually a more effective and efficient process than in-person teaching.
Another advantage of Online sessions is that a video of the lesson can be recorded and a copy sent to the student to review on their own schedule. This enables them to review the teacher’s instructions as often as is useful, and clearly see the changes in themselves as they apply the teacher’s guidance to their activities. For some students, this is one of the most valuable aspects of Online teaching.
Some teachers who use this process do not call what they do “Alexander Technique teaching” and prefer to describe what they do as “Movement Coaching” or something similar.
If you live somewhere where there are no Alexander teachers, or are so far away from a teacher that regular lessons are not a possibility, you might want to take distance learning sessions from one or more of the teachers below. You may also want to consider exploring distance learning if you have had in person lessons and want to explore some different ways to improve your functioning, on your own, by using your mental capacities. If there are Alexander Technique teachers near you and you decide to explore distance learning first, it can occasionally be useful to have at least a one or two “in person” lessons at some point in your learning process.
You can listen to Alexander Technique teachers and students who use Zoom talk about the process here: bodylearningcast.com/teachers/distancelearning and at the Alexander Technique Distance Learning Facebook Group page you can view posts on the topic, or join the group and post your own comments or ask questions.
I’ve listed teachers below by continent only because of time zone scheduling considerations. Location is irrelevant for the calls themselves.
Please bear in mind that the links below are links, not endorsements.
Teachers in North America:
Robert Rickover – More about his distance teaching here
Imogen Ragone – More about her distance teaching here
Eileen Troberman – More about her distance teaching here
Constance Clare-Newman – More about her distance teaching here
Monika Gross – More about her distance teaching here
Teachers in Europe:
Suzanne Duncanson – More about her distance teaching here
Mireille Heald – More about her distance teaching here
Teachers in Australia: