The Alexander Learning Studio of Portland, Oregon - Alexander Technique method lessons instruction workshops in Portland, OR.

About the Alexander Technique

Applications for the Alexander Technique

"Boiled down, it all comes to inhibiting a particular reaction to a given stimulus -- but no one will see it that way. They will see it as getting in and out of a chair the right way. It is nothing of the kind. It is that a pupil decides what he will or will not consent to do."

- F.M. Alexander, Founder of the Alexander Technique -

The benefits that result from changing your reaction patterns are far-reaching. At any age, pupils of the Alexander Technique often experience improvements in the following areas:

Bad Postural Habits
Back Pain and Other Physical Discomforts
Speech and Breathing Disorders
Injury Rehabilitation
Sports Performance
Performing Arts and Public Speaking
(including Performance Anxiety)
Unwanted Reaction Patterns and Clarity of Thought
(including stress and anxiety)

Bad Postural Habits
"Alexander students rid themselves of bad postural habits and are helped to reach with their bodies and minds, an enviable degree of freedom of expression."

- Michael Langham, Director, The Juilliard School,

New York -

"Instead of feeling one's body to be an aggregation of ill-fitting parts full of friction and dead weights pulling this way and that, so as to render mere existence in itself exhausting, the body becomes a coordinated and living whole, composed of well-fitting and truly articulated parts."
- Sir Stafford Cripps, British Chancellor of the Exchequer
(1947-1950) -

"Lessons in the Alexander Technique taught me how to sit in a state of lumbrosacral poise, and my chronic low back pain gradually became cured. The Technique is true education. Compared to surgery (e.g. for low back pain or for chronic obstructive lung disease) a course of instruction is inexpensive."
- John H. M. Austin, M.D., Professor of Radiology,
Director of Thoracic Imaging/Chief, Division of Radiology,
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York -

Back Pain and Other Physical Discomforts
"97% of people with back pain could benefit by learning the Alexander Technique - it is only a very small minority of back pain sufferers that require medical intervention such as surgery."
- Jack Stern, M.D., Ph.D., Spinal Neurosurgeon
White Plains, New York -

"The Alexander Technique helped a long-standing back problem and to get a good night's sleep after many years of tossing and turning."
- Paul Newman, Actor -

Speech and Breathing Disorders
"The Technique's many benefits for actors include minimized tension, centeredness, vocal relaxation, and responsiveness, mind/body connection and about an inch and a half of additional height."
- Kevin Kline, Actor -

"The Alexander Technique remains the best of the self-care strategies to prevent the sequel of poor posture and poor breathing."
- Harold Wise, M.D., P.C., New York -

Injury Rehabilitation
"Through the Alexander Technique I was able to rehabilitate my running after 25 years of being unable to run through injuries, to the extent that I was able to set ten world records for veterans in 1982."
- Paul Collins, Marathon Champion -

"The Alexander Technique can help relieve pain and prevent recurrences by correcting poor posture and teaching proper patterns of movement."
- Andrew Weil, M.D. -

Sports Performance
"I can definitely say without hesitation that I wouldn't have had the rowing success that I have had the luxury of experiencing in my short time on the water without finding the Alexander Technique and the great teachers that I have had the privilege to work with."
- Valerie Thompson-Williams, Rowing Gold Medalist -

"Balance is a vital aspect of good hammer throwing and getting the head, neck, spine and pelvis in the correct relationship enables the balance of the throw to come so much more easily. Once the balance is settled there is an enormous improvement in turning speed."
- Howard Payne, Record Hammer Thrower -

Performing Arts and Public Speaking
(including Performance Anxiety)
"Good acting is revealing yourself, not covering yourself up. If your body is free, your mind is free. [The Technique allows] you to feel what it's like to stay open physically, and also stay fully involved in whatever you're supposed to be doing."
- Annette Bening, Actress -

"The Alexander Technique has helped me to undo knots, unblock energy and deal with almost paralyzing stage fright."
- William Hurt, Actor -

Unwanted Reaction Patterns and Clarity of Thought
(including stress and anxiety)
"The Alexander Technique makes a real difference to my often tense and busy life. Its thoughtful approach has made me calmer, improved my concentration and given me a clearer sense of my own well being. I am grateful for it."
- Joan Bakewell, Journalist -

"In addition to its physiologic and musculoskeletal benefits, the Alexander Technique is extremely helpful in relieving psychological states of depression and anxiety that so often accompany chronic pain and disease. It is my belief, based on professional experience, that the Alexander Technique should be part of all preventative health and educational programs. It is as basic as good nutrition."
- Jill Sanders, D.O., New York -