Who is F. M. Alexander?
F.M. Alexander (1869-1955) was born in Australia. For a few years he worked as a Shakespearean actor but his career as an actor was constantly jeopardised by the threat of hoarseness or loss of his voice. As doctors could not help him, he tried to cure himself. He spent long years ovserving himself in front of mirrors and examining how he could help himself.
By acquiring the correct posture, his vocal chords wew provided the space and position that ensured him the right articulation. His technique proved to be useful for a number of other problems. He wrote about his results and method in his book titled The Use of Self. Having cured himself, he started to teach his method. In 1904 he moved to London and continued teaching there. Later, he spent several years lecturing in the USA. From 1931 until his death he led the traingin of teachers in the Training Centre he himself had founded.
As a result of these activities, the Alexander technique spead mostly in the English-speaking countries, where thousands of well-trained teachers are avaible. The technique can be learnt as an optional subject in secondary schools in England.