Alexander Technique(R) (Alexander method, F.M. Alexander Technique(TM))

A purported means of integrating one's mental, physical, and spiritual "aspects." According to its theory, maintaining alignment of the head, neck, and back leads to optimum overall physical functioning. Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955), an Australian Shakespearean actor, developed the method at the turn of the century and wrote The Resurrection of the Body. Although his original purpose was to assist voice projection, Alexander concluded that faulty posture was responsible for diverse symptoms. He posited that habitual unbalanced movement affects the functioning of the entire body, implying that postures entail behavior patterns and that bad postural habits can distort one's personality. Alexander further posited that all proper bodily movements flowed from one basic movement, the maximum lengthening of the spine, which he termed the "primary control." He stated that, in a sense, his method embraced all religions, and he posited an "all-wise" invisible "Authority" within the "soul of man." Practitioners ("teachers") of the Alexander Technique manually touch various parts of the "student's" body and simultaneously repeatedly pronounce phrases that are key to the method.