Quotes about the Alexander Technique by famous people:
Jack Stern, spinal neurosurgeon :
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.
John Cleese, actor :
I find The Alexander Technique very helpful in my work. Things happen without you trying. They get to be light and relaxed. You must get an Alexander teacher to show it to you.
Sir Charles Sherrington, neurophysiologist
Mr Alexander has done a service to the subject [of the study of reflex and voluntary movement] by insistently treating each act as involving the whole integrated individual, the whole psychophysical man. To take a step is an affair, not of this or that limb solely, but of the total neuromuscular activity of the moment, not least of the head and neck.
Professor Nicholas Tinbergen, Nobel Prize winner for medicine and physiology :
We already notice, with growing amazement, very striking improvements in such diverse things as high blood pressure, breathing, depth of sleep, overall cheerfulness and mental alertness, resilience against outside pressures, and in such a refined skill as playing a musical instrument.
Howard Payne, Commonwealth record hammer thrower
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.
Greg Chappell Australian test cricketer (1970 - 1984)
The Alexander Technique will benefit anyone whether they are an elite athlete or whether they just wish to live life without the aches and pains that many people suffer and accept as part of life. It is a pity that these techniques are not shown to us all at an early age for I have no doubt that this would alleviate many of the causes of ill health in our communities.
Roald Dahl, writer
The Alexander Technique works... I recommend it enthusiastically to anyone who has neck pains or back pain.
George Bernard Shaw, writer, Nobel Prize winner for literature
Alexander established not only the beginnings of a far reaching science of the apparently involuntary movements that we call reflexes, but a technique of correction and self control which forms a substantial addition to our very slender resources in personal education.
Aldous Huxley, writer
It gives us all the things we have been looking for in a system of physical education: relief from strain due to maladjustment, and consequent improvement in physical and mental health, increased consciousness of the physical means employed to gain the ends proposed by the will and, along with this, a general heightening of consciousness on all levels... We cannot ask more from any system of physical education; nor, if we seriously desire to alter human beings in a desirable direction, can we ask any less.
Alec McCowen CBE, actor
I love the Alexander Technique. It has corrected my posture, improved my health and changed my life.
Michael Langham, Director, The Juilliard School, New York USA
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.
John Dewey, educationalist and philosopher
Effective learning must be based on first-hand experience.
William Hurt, actor
The Alexander Technique has helped me to undo knots, unblock energy and deal with almost paralysing stage fright.
Patrick Maddams, managing director, Royal Academy of Music
The Alexander Technique can be sustaining; it is something that if learned well, can be carried along with you for the rest of your life. It gives you confidence to be who you are when you are up in front of an audience.
Kevin Kline, actor
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.
Harold Stone, Associate Director, Theatre Department, The Juilliard School, New York USA
Of all the disciplines that form the actor training program, none is more vital, enriching and transformative than the Alexander Technique.
Valerie Thompson-Williams, rowing masters gold medallist
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 AT and the great teachers that I have had the privilege to work with.
Joan Bakewell, TV presenter and journalist
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.
Andrew Logan, sculptor
The Alexander Technique changed my life. It enabled me to devote more time to creating beauty. This inner strength is essential for all.
