FAQ

A typical Alexander lesson will last from 45 to 50 minutes. It is comprised of two parts, referred to as a 'chair turn' and a 'table turn.' The amount of time spent during each part will depend on circumstances during the lesson. During a lesson the teacher guides the student through a variety of movements using verbal direction and light touch.

For the duration of the chair turn, the student will go through a variety of basic movements such as standing, sitting, turning, and walking. During the table turn, the student lies in an active rest position on a body work table, while the teacher makes light adjustments and guides them through movements to encourage perception and release. The purpose of both the chair and the table turn is the same: To improve the students movement and dynamic alignment, while helping them to understand their own habits and patterns.

Working on a table allows us to teach aspects of the technique without the interference of gravity. Sometimes the effort of staying upright and in balance can interfere with the goals of a lesson. It allows the student to experience alignment and movement without distraction. It also gives the spine an opportunity to release and recover from the pressure of being upright.

People typically come for lessons once a week. However, as with any educational process, more frequent lessons results in more rapid learning.

Longer lessons are rarely productive, as they challenge both attention span and the amount of physical information a person can assimilate at one time. However, lessons on consecutive days are productive.

Following a lesson, many people feel a temporary sense of lightness, or a reduction in tension and pain. However, like any educational process, a full understanding of the Alexander Technique arrives slowly over time. There will be variations between all students, but the general belief is that it takes 25-30 lessons for someone to absorb enough of the Technique to sustain a permanent benefit.

This is up to each student to decide. Some people come for lessons looking for a specific result, and when it is achieved the stop happily. During my training I was working and receiving lessons three hours a day, five days a week, for nearly three and a half years. Despite this, I still feel I benefit and learn by getting lessons from other teachers, and expect to continue doing so indefinitely.

'Posture' is often thought of as a bad word in the Alexander world. It is usually thought of as a rigid, static position. Posture is a result of our entire physical organization: position, tension, how we hold ourselves, whether we are tired, and countless other factors. The Alexander Technique addresses poise: a dynamic relationship of all of the parts of the body to each other. Rather than putting your parts in a specific place that is 'better,' lessons will help you learn to release the tension and tendencies to slouch and pull down that interfere with your naturally erect and balanced poise. Once this is accomplished, yes, you will be perceived as having better posture.

Usually this is because teachers and students are poised: upright and balanced. Many people only sit up straight when they are forcing themselves too, and it is very uncomfortable because it requires holding themselves in place. Because of this experience, they interpret anyone else who is upright as being stiff. However, when you are poised and balanced you will actually be much more free and relaxed than when you are pulled down--even when you're slouching.

Also, sometimes early in lessons people begin to think that the Alexander Technique is a set of positions that they need to hold themselves in to be "doing it properly." This can temporarily lend a sense of stiffness, but this is a misconception that goes away as a student gains a more solid understanding of the Technique.