History of the Alexander Technique
F. MATTHIAS ALEXANDER
The Alexander Technique was discovered in the 1890s by the Australian born F. Matthias Alexander (1869-1955).
He observed that his loss of voice during his recitation performances was due to misuse of his muscular mechanisms. He discovered how to prevent this misuse, how to allow the muscular system to expand as a whole, not contract, shorten or tense, and he observed that not only did he regain his voice, but his health, ease of movement and breathing improved significantly.
He came to London in 1904 where he taught his technique for the remainder of his life. George Bernard Shaw, Aldus Huxley, Sir Stafford Cripps, and John Dewey were among his pupils who publicly endorsed the his technique.
In 1958 The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique was formed which continue to uphold the standards of teacher training, a minimum of 1,600 class hours over three years.
