Alexander Technique | RePattern2Learn

Alexander Technique Lessons

What is the Alexander Technique?

If you're curious . . . Why Alexander Technique?

The Alexander Technique helps you understand your reactions. It helps you stop and think, to be with yourself while you're doing an activity.

AT&Me is a Facebook page devoted to pausing for awareness, gratefulness, and ease. How we move, how we think, and how we treat ourselves and others: that's what this is about. Join the conversaton!

The Alexander Technique (AT) is a series of exploratory lesson experiences designed to build awareness so that a student can make choices. It's not therapy, though people have compared it to a combination of physical therapy and yoga. AT lessons involve movements that enable the teacher and student to discover habits that may not be working.

The goal is to build better patterns, then learn to stop and choose the better patterns in activity until they become new habits.

Digging into the Science

Lighten Up or Pull Up

This article explains how "thinking up" can positively change how the muscles work and thinking "heavy" can negatively change how muscles work. Though it's based on research about AT and Parkinson's Disease, the principles apply to everyday life for everyone.

https://www.alexandertechniquescience.com/general/study-summaries/lighten-up-parkinsons/

Science Catches Up

https://www.alexandertechniquescience.com/general/overview/science-catches-up/

The Beginning of Understanding: A New Scientific Model of the Alexander Technique

https://www.alexandertechniquescience.com/general/overview/the-beginning-of-understanding-a-new-scientific-model-of-the-alexander-technique/

Group Classes

Happy Backs
Moving with the
Alexander Technique

This beginner class is open to teens and adults. It's a good way to get the basic concepts and experience a private lesson.

minimum 3 students

maximum 6 students

Eight 60-minute sessions

The first class is free.

$100 for remaining seven classes

includes one private lesson

Balance,
Coordination,
Ease

Monthly group class open to teens and adults. It's a nice way to keep yourself in the Technique. Sign up for the months you're available and get back in after you've been gone.

minimum 3 students

maximum 6 students

Weekly hour-long classes

$10 per lesson, paid by the month

Classes begin in October

Happy Backs

Tuesdays at 11:30

Balance, Coordination, Ease

Thursdays at 2:00

Saturday mornings

Taking a class is an inexpensive way to begin. It's guided exploration without hands-on work, so you can experiment on your own and take the concepts home to play with in real life.

The format is part slide lecture and part exploration.

We focus on basic movements:

lying down
sitting/standing
bending and reaching
breathing

Dress in comfortable clothes for moving.

Bring socks for shoes-off portions of class.

Be prepared to be on the floor. (I will teach you how

to get back up!)

Bring a mat if you prefer

using your own.

Private Lessons

Cost

$50 per lesson

$40 per lesson for a course

of 12 lessons or as a

continuing student

A lesson includes

work at the chair or wall, sometimes with movement props
a table turn

If you're coming for a private lesson . . .

How long is a lesson?

45-50 minutes

What should I wear to a lesson?

Wear clothes you can comfortably move in, like loose pants or leggings

and a top with sleeves that come to the elbow. Shoes come off to have a better connection with the floor, so please bring socks.

How many lessons should I take?

12 lessons will give you a really good start. Students who come with a specific

issue may want 20-30. Often students take a series of lessons, do some work on their own and then resume less frequent lessons.

How often should I schedule lessons?

To begin, once a week is minimum; twice a week is better. After the first 12 lessons it works to have lessons every other week or once a month.

Thank you for your expertise, caring, warmth, and patience in teaching our little group about the Alexander Techniques. I am a real novice in this journey to improve body posture and strength, yet I am already experiencing the benefits.

Linda L., Happy Backs Pilot Class

Lake City

I am free of pain because I am learning these methods.

Claudia Barlow

What people are saying

I originally looked to Alexander Technique to help with pain and discomfort while playing flute, but it ended up helping in every other facet of my life too—especially as a student-athlete. I became more in tune and aware of my body and learned so many new ways to take care of myself and to be more thoughtful with movement.

Heather, flute and Ultimate Frisbee player

University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

Taking AT lessons has improved my posture, my balance, my movement and has helped prevent migraines. It is a method that changed the way I stand, bend and move. By understanding and applying proper body alignment I avoid back aches, neck aches and have gotten away from my constant slumping posture.

Becky Davis

AT in Your Life

AT&Me

A Facebook page devoted to pausing

for awareness, gratefulness, and ease. How we move, how

we think, and how

we treat ourselves

and others: that's what

this is about.

Join the conversaton!

email Judy for schedule info

If you want to practice on your own . . .

Active Rest (also known in the AT world as a "lie down" or "constructive rest" or "semi-supine"

because of the position you see below). It's rest for your muscles and activity for your brain as it directs length to the muscles.

From the Think Up - Alexander Technique App.