(I believe) my experience may one day be recognized as a signpost directing the explorer to a country hitherto “undiscovered,” and one which offers unlimited opportunity for fruitful research to the patient and observant pioneer. – F. Matthias Alexander
You now have an opportunity to experience a full course of actual Alexander Technique lessons in your home and on your own schedule at no cost to you. These lessons – 14 in all – took place during the late summer and early fall of 2024 with me, Robert Rickover, and my student, Celeste Ditter. Celeste is a middle school vocal and general music teacher. She is also a musician, audio-book voice actor, vocal coach and (just for fun) party planner on the side! She, her husband Scott, and three kids reside in Columbus, Nebraska.
Celeste came to the Alexander Technique because of a voice issue, but most of what we explored would apply to student with back pain, poor posture, stiff shoulders, stress, or any of the many other reasons people take Alexander lessons.
Here we talk a little about the project:
I am very grateful to Celeste for agreeing to be part of this project.
We hope this will be useful to the kind of explorers and pioneers Alexander had in mind – and anyone else who is curious about the Alexander Technique.
Each week’s lesson is broken into a few segments. I believe you will get the most from each segment by putting yourself in Celeste’s shoes. When she is asks a question or explores a new idea, think about what you would ask, and mentally join her in her exploration. When she is experimenting with a new idea, perform the same experiment on your own. Spend as much time as you need for each segment and feel free to watch it as many times as is useful. Remember that the original lessons took place once a week, and with a good deal of experimenting by Celeste between lessons.
Most students I have taught over the years have found that watching recordings of their lessons is at least as valuable as the original experience. Seeing and hearing yourself on the screen can provide priceless insights into your posture and movement habits. Other resources that may be helpful can be found here: Alexander Technique Self Study
At some point you may decide to have a few lessons with an Alexander Technique teacher yourself, perhaps to address a specific issue you’re concerned about.
The Alexander Technique itself is really all about experimenting with new ideas to see what is helpful, and what is not. This approach to learning the Technique is such an experiment.
We hope the experiment is successful and leads to other teachers and students sharing their own real-time experiences of teaching and learning the Alexander Technique.
The prospect of many more people benefiting from his discoveries would delight Alexander if he were here today!
You can find all the individual sections listed below and in the You Tube playlist in the video above.
Lesson 1
Section 1: Initial conversation and some basic information about the structure of the relationship of your head with the top of your spine, and the bottom of your pelvis – your sits bones – which are designed to support your weight while sitting. (“Body Mapping” in Alexander Technique terminology.)
Section 2: Cutting back the amount of effort you’re producing in all your activities.
Lesson 2
Section 1: Initial conversation and a discussion of the roles of the conscious and unconscious minds.
Section 2: Body Mapping your shoulder girdle.
Section 3: Introducing Alexander Technique directions.
Lesson 3
Section 1: Review of how to best deliver an Alexander Technique direction to yourself.
Section 2: Speaking and the power of the pause.
Section 3: How the Alexander Technique differs from other techniques.
Lesson 4
Section 1: Initial discussion about voice and the use of Alexander Technique directions.
Section 2: Constructive Rest and re-calibrating zero effort.
Section 3: Using walking to test the usefulness of an Alexander Technique direction. Discussion of the roles of the conscious mind and the unconscious mind.
Section 4: Use of Paradoxical directions for any activity.
Lesson 5
Section 1: Initial chat and Constructive Rest.
Section 2: Some new Alexander Technique directions.
Lesson 6
Section 1: Initial chat, Constructive Rest, exploring new Alexander Technique directions.
Section 2: Introducing center of gravity effects.
Lesson 7:
Section 1: Initial chat and a breathing direction.
Section 2: Using center of gravity.
Section 3: Center of gravity, Power Poses, and a brief discussion of the head’s center of the heads center of gravity and it’s implication.
Lesson 8
Section 1: Initial chat and more on using Alexander Technique directions.
Section 2: Slumping, over straightening, and Alexander Technique directions.
Section 3: More on a breathing Alexander Technique direction.
Lesson 9
Section 1: Initial chat some discussion about Constructive rest and sleeping.
Section 2: Sitting, standing and center of gravity, and combining with Alexander Technique directions.
Lesson 10
Section 1: Initial chat.
Section 2: Pre-movement internal tensions.
Section 3: Breathing and more about the roles of the conscious and the unconscious brain.
Lesson 11
Section 1: Initial chat.
Section 2: Celeste shares her reminder image.
Section 3: Experimenting with separating arm and leg movements from movements of the torso. How you affect people around you, and students.
Lesson 12
Section 1: Initial chat, question about Constructive Rest.
Section 2: Sit to stand, standing freely, and application for spin cycling,
Lesson 13
Section 1: Initial chat, Alexander Technique directions, weight lifting.
Section 2: Stand to sit, “sitting down twice”, using directions, both ends of spine.
Section 3: The power of exploring micro-movements, re-doing arrival of arm and legs on a surface.
Lesson 14
Section 1: Initial chat, various uses of the Alexander Technique including writing, constructive thinking, using Alexander Technique in a variety of daily activities.
Section 2: Weight lifting, bench presses, and how the Technique can make them safer and more efficient.
Section 3: The work of Margaret Goldie, a first generation Alexander Technique teacher.