Join Anne Mallen and Jim Crosthwaite for Alexander Technique classes on the theme of "Move more freely, relieve back pain, improve your posture, speak more clearly."

You will get a whole new perspective on sitting, walking, lifting, bending, speaking, and more.

Last Saturday's edition of My Career in the Age featured AT teacher and graduate of the school, Kate Morris, who tells of her change of career from academic researcher to Alexander teacher.

The results of a large and well designed study on the effect of yoga lessons on back pain by Arthritis Research UK has just been published. Unlike many studies on back pain treatment, this study has demonstrated long-term benefits.

"We are delighted that our trial has shown that yoga provides such positive benefits for people with chronic low back pain. This extremely common condition cannot be managed with painkillers alone and there is an urgent need to have non-drug therapies that sufferers can utilize in their own home. This trial is part of our larger commitment to seek self-help solutions to this common musculoskeletal problem," said Professor Alan Silman, the Medical Director of Arthritis Research UK.

Comparing these results a similarly large and well designed study published in the British Medical Journal in 2008 on the value of the Alexander technique in alleviating chronic back pain, the results from the yoga trial were better than for those who had just 6 Alexander technique lessons but not as good as for those who had 24 Alexander technique lessons (which is around the number of lessons normally recommended by Alexander teachers).

Arthritis UK is now in the process of setting up another trial investigating the effectiveness of Alexander technique and acupuncture in alleviating chronic neck pain. This will be a three year trial involving 450 subjects, so we will have to wait some time for the results of this.

A second American Study which was the largest one done to date in the USA on the effectiveness of yoga and stretching for back pain, and which has been recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that: “Yoga classes were more effective than a self-care book, but not more effective than stretching classes, in improving function and reducing symptoms due to chronic low back pain, with benefits lasting at least several months.” This study had over 300 participants and had the longest follow up of any trial so far carried out in the USA.

The problem with treatment approaches to back pain

The problem with purely treatment approaches to back pain, is that whilst patients may receive some or considerable relief from their symptoms, in the absence of any behavioural change then the symptoms are more than likely to return, which is why studies have mostly failed to find evidence of long-term improvement from purely treatment approaches.

Yoga and Alexander Technique Classes

The good results for both yoga/stretching and the Alexander technique for the long-term alleviation of back pain would suggest that classes applying the Alexander technique to yoga should be highly effective for those wishing to deal with back pain, and that is indeed the experience of those who have attended such classes at the School for F.M. Alexander Studies, one of the few places in Australia where this combination of classes is offered.

Our experience at the school includes working with a large number of people who have found that previous yoga classes they attended did not work for them. In almost every case a qualified Alexander yoga teacher is able to diagnose their condition accurately and offer instruction in a way that works for the individual.

The other advantage of including the Alexander technique awareness in the yoga, is that the identification of harmful habits of posture and movements and learning to change these habits allows for incorporation into everyday life and activities.

CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE YOGA AND ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE CLASSES BEING RUN AT THE SCHOOL FOR F.M. ALEXANDER STUDIES.

It looks the the results obtained in the back pain study published in the British Medical Journal in 2008 has unleashed interest in further studies in the UK.

The latest is a major trial at the University of York funded by Arthritis Research UK, which will investigage the usefulness of both acupuncture and the Alexander technique in relieving chronic neck pain. The study is substantially funded to the tune of  719,000 pounds - over A$1,000,000, so it should be working with a large enough sample to produce credible results.

Here is a link through to futher information about this study.

I have been asked by a potential trainee “from what angle do you and your program teach the Alexander technique?" My answer to this inquiry is as follows:

Over the 55 years since Alexanders’ death a number of interpretations of the Alexander technique have developed into different schools. Initially there were three first generation teachers who taught the bulk of the second generation trainees – Walter Carrington, Patrick Macdonald and Marjorie Barstow. A number of other first generation teachers also taught a smaller number of students – including Bill and Marjory Barstow and Peter Scott.

With the exception of Marjory Barstow, the other teachers all claimed to be teaching the technique largely as practiced by Alexander, but their interpretations of what this involved had some significant differences. Marjory Barstow was quite explicit in the fact that she had developed new ways of teaching the technique which differed from Alexander.

Some of the different approaches to the technique and where our teaching sits amongst those approaches.

Tradition vs Adaptation

On the one side we had teachers like Marjory Barlow who insisted on sticking to the teaching methodology of Alexander, (as she interpreted it) it, and Marjory Barstow on the other side who insisted that what was important were the principles and that if the principles were adhered to the teachers could apply and develop whatever methods worked for teaching the application of those principles.

The schools position in this regard is that what is most important are the principles of the technique and that each teacher will ultimately develop his or her own way of teaching this work. Our intention is to give trainees a very thorough understanding of the principles of the technique, both through a close study of Alexander’s own writings and by learning to apply those principles to their own process of change during the course.

To this end trainees learn to apply to themselves and to teach the full range of “classical” approaches to teaching the technique – chair work, table work, monkey, hands on the back of the chair, lunge etc. Trainees also learn to work in applying the technique in a whole range of different activities, including yoga and voice and performance. (I note that the “traditional courses” never followed Alexander’s example in staging Shakespeare performances.)

In fact in an approach which is so focused on change and growth, I find the very idea of a “traditional” Alexander technique and bit incongruous.

Direction and Inhibition

Within the “traditional” Alexander traditions – Carrington, Macdonald and Barstow there is a significant difference in the understanding of these terms in practical work. The Macdonald work is much more active and energetic with a strong emphasis on direction & the Barstow work focused on clarity of thinking and direction, whereas the Carrington approach is much more focused on inhibition. This is not to say that all approaches don’t encompass both direction and inhibition - it is more where the emphasis is placed.

The school’s position in this regard is that all approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. In a teaching situation the balance of the focus between direction and inhibition will vary from person to person and from time to time. The directors own preference for working on himself is the Macdonald and Barstow approaches, but he realises that with some pupils the balance needs to be more focused on inhibition and non-doing. Trainees at the school are therefore exposed to the full range of teaching approaches and to this end we have a range of visiting teachers who we consider embody the best of the particular approaches they work in to teach at the school.

Group work vs Individual lessons

Some 20 years ago when I was starting my teaching career there was an awful kerfuffle about this in the Alexander world which has somewhat died down now. However many training courses today never offer any skill development for teaching groups.

The school's position in this regard is that the skill of working with and running groups is an essential one for teachers to have for a number of reasons. Firstly, some potential students only want to work in groups. Secondly, the running of introductory groups is a powerful way of promoting themselves and building up a practice. Thirdly, for teachers who are employed by institutions group teaching is the only option they have, and if the technique isn’t taught in groups it isn’t taught at all. Fourthly, working in groups adds a dimension to the work that isn’t there in individual classes – i.e. the ability of group members to observe and learn from each other and to really have to think. Fifthly, many trainees come to the course with pre-existing teaching skills in a range of disciplines which are normally or often taught in group situations and we need to teach them how to firmly embed the Alexander technique principles into the classes they teach.

I also recognise that the Alexander technique by its very nature is a technique applied individually. It can’t be taught like a yoga class where everyone goes through the same movements. And the requirement for a teacher to adequately teach a group is that in addition to their verbal communication skills they have to have the manual guidance skills and diagnostic and assessment ability which they develop in learning and practicing the one on one teaching.

“Pure” Alexander technique and other disciplines

The school believes that trainees can most effectively learn and develop their skills in the Alexander technique by its application to a range of movements, activities and disciplines. My observation of those who have studied only “pure” Alexander technique is that some have only rudimentary skills in the observation of complex movement activities.

The school encourages its trainees to apply of the technique to any practices or disciplines they may be engaged in. At present the school has one day which includes teaching voice and performance and one day where students look at the application of the technique to yoga teacher. The school also offers a Diploma of Yoga and Alexander Technique Teaching to those with very considerable yoga experience and who have the ability to be able to apply and impart the principles of the Alexander technique whilst teaching yoga.

Language and communication

What the Alexander technique brings to the teaching room which no other discipline does is the teacher who has highly developed skills in manual guidance. Focus on and development of this skill in the training course is vital. But along with this we also want to train people who can use language skilfully to engage their students thinking.

Student clinic

For trainees in the final part of their training the school runs three student clinics per week. These provide trainees with practice at teaching a course of lessons to a number of students under the direct supervision of the director or a senior teacher. Trainees must do a minimum of a series of at least eight lessons with five students. Most trainees do considerably more than this before graduation.

Other skills

Because most Alexander teachers end up in private practice there is a whole set of skills which are not normally taught in most training courses, yet which we consider are essential for the transition from trainee to teacher. In particular, business, organisational, financial and publicity skills. Whilst this area is not focused on in the first 3 years and 1600 hours of the training the school does offer tuition and support for those in the process of setting up in practice.

Government Accreditation

Eight year ago the school got Australian government accreditation for an Advanced Diploma in Alexander Technique teaching. This means that the school does not have to collect GST on the fees it charges trainees and also allows us to provide training to trainees from overseas who can apply for a three year student visa. Trainees from all over the world have attended our course, which adds richness and variety to the school.

The school is part of an active and dynamic teaching centre

In addition to the training school, we run s a very active public program with a wide range of courses, workshops and private lessons run by visiting teachers and teachers at the schoo.

This means that whether school is in or out there are normally activities happening here, and as students progress in the course they have the opportunity to participate and assist in classes – that is a chance to develop their own skills and also to learn valuable skills from highly experienced and effective teachers. It also means that the school has a pool of students for trainees to work on in student clinic.

The California Dental Hygenists Association's Magazine have just published their latest edition of their journal with a nice article on how the Alexander technique can be applied to deal with the challenges of their profession. Here is a link to the article.