By Patrick Johnson, Gabriella Brandes, Victoria Door and Rajal Cohen Both Mindfulness and the Alexander Technique are used to help manage stress. An article comparing similarities and differences in how these two disciplines are used to manage stress was recently published in the European Journal of Integrated Medicine. The article, […]
Category: Study Summaries
Beyond Posture Correction: Exploring How Alexander Technique Reduces Chronic Neck Pain
Growing evidence suggests that learning Alexander technique (AT) can reduce musculoskeletal pain, including knee pain,1 back pain,2 and neck pain.3 However, the mechanisms by which AT works are still not well understood. The studies reported here addressed two major questions related to the mechanisms of AT. The first question was […]
Short Video: How does the Alexander Technique work? Towards a scientific model
This video was commissioned by the FM Alexander Trust from Sci Ani (Science Animated) to explain the scientific paper by Cacciatore, Johnson, and Cohen. The animation illustrates the paper’s central proposition, that changes to postural tone and body schema underlie many of the reported benefits of the Alexander Technique. It […]
A Scientific Investigation into Violin and Viola Playing
Guest author Dr. Alison Loram describes her Master’s Thesis research about the effect of Alexander Technique inspired interventions on patterns of movement and tension.
Study Summary: How Posture Interferes with Movement—Evidence from Standing Up Slowly from a Chair
This essay by Tim Cacciatore discusses his 2014 study, “Neuromechanical Interference of Posture on Movement: Evidence from Alexander Technique Teachers Rising from a Chair,” published in the Journal of Neurophysiology. The study documents the striking difference between healthy, untrained subjects and Alexander teachers in standing up unusually slowly and smoothly […]
Study Summary: Twister—Measuring How Alexander Technique Lessons Affect Postural Tone
How do you measure postural tone? In this essay, Tim Cacciatore and Korina Biggs describe Cacciatore et al’s 2011 study, “Increased dynamic regulation of postural tone through Alexander Technique training,” published in Human Movement Science. The researchers use a novel device, dubbed “Twister,” to detect marked differences in background postural […]
Study Summary: From Jones to Stevens to Cacciatore—What Can We Learn about AT from Sit-to-Stand?
Chair work and the movement from sit-to-stand is one of the most common procedures used in Alexander Technique lessons. In this essay, Tim Cacciatore discusses the general research literature on sit-to-stand, assesses earlier studies of AT and sit-to-stand by Frank Pierce Jones (1959) and Chris Stevens (1989), and summarizes his […]