Alexander Technique Lessons in New York City

 

There are lots of Alexander Technique teachers in New York City, perhaps because there are so many people here who NEED Alexander Technique. Why is that?

First, New York City is home to a thriving performing arts community, subject to stage fright and lots of performance-related aches and pains, which hamper their joy in their work, and sometimes cause conditions like vocal strain that affect whether their performances will even be possible.

Second, New York City has the hardest-driven population of office workers in the world, with shoulders and necks sore from slumping and staring at computer screens.

Third, New York City supports a large population of creatives looking to explore their souls and imaginations and finding Alexander Technique is a fascinating way to understand themselves better, and free their ability to express themselves. So, Alexander Technique teachers proliferate here.

But how do you find the best Alexander Technique lessons in New York City?

My recommendation would be to inquire into the training of the teacher. (This should be discussed on their website). Teachers whose training was certified by the American Society for Alexander Technique will have undergone a 1600-hour program of hands-on learning.

Rarer to find in the U.S.,but lurking here and there in New York, are teachers who were trained by, or trained by someone trained by, Walter Carrington, a trainee and colleague of F.M. Alexander (the originator of the Technique) who carried on F.M.’s training practice in London. Carrington’s way of teaching is particularly efficacious for encouraging good breathing (which indicates that it’s very, very good for everything else we can possibly be trying to do.) Carrington-style teaching is, in my opinion, the best possible approach.

Within these parameters, it’s also important that you and your teacher are compatible as people, because teaching and learning Alexander Technique is a team effort between the student and the teacher. So, if your prospective teacher offers a consultation by phone in advance of your first paid lesson, take advantage of that opportunity. And if a lesson is required to meet your prospective teacher — dive in and take that lesson. Alexander Technique is an experiential learning process, and you will find out so much more by trying the work out, with the teacher as your guide, than will be possible any other way.

Most importantly: take that first lesson (masked), and those after it, in person, hands-on. Even as the pandemic continues to play a role in what we do with other people, virtual teaching is not comparable in quality to hands-on teaching. The entire educational endeavor is only meaningful as a two-way communication, via touch, that gives the student a direct experience of Alexander Technique (and gives the teacher direct knowledge of what the student is doing). Alexander Technique requires presence. Alexander Technique lessons in New York City are widely advertised. Do your research, take a sample lesson or two, and choose carefully. I hope you may choose to study with me.