F M Alexander

Biography
In order to understand the Alexander Technique it is necessary to know something of its originator. This is a very brief account of Alexander's life and work - please see the links and downloads page for sources of more information.

F M (Frederick Mathias) Alexander was born and raised in Tasmania and made his early career as an actor.   This career however was threatened by persistent problems with his voice.   Having tried every available avenue of medical help and advice without success he set out to solve the problem on his own - the result of his experiments and observations being what is now know as the 'Alexander Technique'.   

He moved to London, England, setting up shop at Ashley Place in Westminster, London and established a private practice and training school for teachers of the technique, as well as other ventures, including the 'Little School' - an experimental school in which children were supervised by Alexander teachers during all activities.

His private practice initially attracted actors and politicians - other public speakers who had experienced difficulties similiar to F M's own, but he widened the application of the principles he had discovered to help with many other situations, always maintaining however that the principle of the technique was preventive, rather than curative and '(re)educational rather than medical.

His students in the training school included Patrick Macdonald, Wilfred Barlow and Walter Carrington, all of whom became teacher trainers, and many other teachers such as Margaret Goldie, Peggy Williams, who had long and successful careers teaching the technique.

During the second world war Alexander moved to the USA where he continued teaching.   

Over his career he wrote four books describing the technique:

'Man's Supreme Inheritance' (1910), 'Conscious Constructive Control of the Individual' (1923) 'The Use of the Self' (1932), 'The Universal Constant in Living' (1946).