• The Alexander Technique is not a series of treatments or exercise. Rather, it is a way to do things. It is a skill that you can learn to use at any time and with any activity. Whether you are sitting at your desk, exercising or performing household chores, the Alexander Technique can help you do these things more efficiently with less chance of injury.

  • I recommend that you wear loose, comfortable clothing that will allow you to move freely.

  • In a lesson, I will give you verbal instruction and gentle hands-on guidance while we do familiar everyday activities, such as sitting, standing, and walking. My words and hands will heighten your awareness to various unconscious habits you may have and suggest a more efficient way of moving. You will learn how to direct your thinking to reduce unnecessary tension and improve your overall coordination.

    As lessons progress we may do more complicated tasks based on your interests, such as bending and lifting, performing an exercise, playing an instrument, or sitting at the computer. There is also some work done lying down on a massage table. The table work is designed to allow you to release tension and refine your thinking on a much deeper level without having to hold yourself upright against gravity.

    After lessons, my students often report that they feel calmer, lighter and more centered, and they have less pain and greater freedom of movement.

  • The Alexander Technique is a process of changing habits of movement and thought. These habits did not arise over night and they are usually so ingrained that it takes time and practice to change them. You should give yourself sufficient time to allow yourself to make these changes—to re-organize your body and fine-tune the way you think.

    I recommend that my students start by taking ten lessons on a weekly basis. With this base, you should start to see improvements and you should have the ability to apply the principles to activities and situations that arise during the week. Often people feel that they want to continue on longer to fine-tune their coordination, keep the ideas fresh and get on-going support. Many people start out trying to resolve one issue, only to discover that there are multiple uses for the Alexander Technique and deeper mind-body connections to be made.

    The Alexander Technique is similar to learning a language: you can learn just enough to get by in a foreign country or you can learn how to have a fluent conversation. It all depends on your goals and your interest.

    You could also compare this to hiring a fitness trainer. Ten sessions would get you well on your way towards your fitness goals, but then you might want to continue on to maintain your fitness and to keep improving.

Alexander Technique FAQ’s

  • MELT is unlike any other technique because it addresses an entirely different system of the body. Whereas exercise deals with the musculoskeletal system, MELT involves the neuro-fascial system (the nervous and connective tissue systems.) Using soft body rollers and small balls, this groundbreaking program quickly rehydrates connective tissue, making it more supportive and supple. It allows the body to release long-held tension that can frequently leads to chronic pain symptoms. MELT also helps decrease accumulated stress in the nervous system improving overall wellness. It’s like getting all the benefits of a great massage yet it only takes minutes a day to get lasting results.

  • Yes, MELT has been reviewed by internationally respected doctors, neuroscientists, and connective-tissue researchers, including Jean Pierre Barral, D.O.; Ben Domb, M.D.; Gil Hedley, Ph.D.; Tom Myers; and Robert Schleip, Ph.D. Each expert has recognized that MELT is grounded in scientific principles and offers extraordinary benefits.

  • MELT a minimum of 15 minutes, three times a week to experience immediate and long-lasting benefits. And if you want to MELT every day, that’s okay too.

    MELT before strength training to improve muscle performance or after a cardio workout to erase joint compression and stiffness.

    People who MELT regularly find that they want to exercise more often. It’s just more fun to move when your body feels good, has more energy, and is free of pain.

  • Through the use of props and very specific exercises, MELT Performance “turns on” neuro-muscular pathways to create stabilization in the shoulders, pelvic girdle, and core. Once the body is more stable, compensatory movement patterns can be erased, and proper muscle timing can be restored. This re-patterning of movement creates a stronger, and more efficient, pain-free, body. Think of it as prehab, so you don’t have to rehab!

  • Day-to-day living creates tension within our bodies. Physical stressors range from sitting at a desk to running a marathon. Carrying children and heavy bags creates trapped tension, as does even the gentlest form of exercise. Emotional, mental, and environmental stressors such as processed foods, medications, environmental toxins, and daily worries all build tension in the body.

    New science reveals that this “stuck stress” is literally trapped in our connective tissue, which surrounds every joint, muscle, nerve, bone, and organ. Unaddressed trapped stress causes connective tissue dehydration and cellular damage. This creates a domino effect that begins with aches and stiffness and leads to common health issues such as neck and low back pain, headaches, insomnia, digestive problems, and injury. Accelerated aging and chronic health problems can follow . . . leaving us with limited options such as medicine, surgery, and a sedentary lifestyle.

    However, when the connective tissue is hydrated and free of roadblocks, our bodies function at a more optimal level. MELT is a breakthrough technique that keeps our connective tissue and nervous system in top condition and slows down the aging process. MELT rejuvenates tissue hydration and relieves the tension of day-to-day life that gets trapped in our bodies.

    No other proactive approach directly treats the connective tissue—including nutrition, exercise, yoga, meditation, or vitamins.

    MELT is easy to learn, backed by cutting-edge research, and offers immediate results that you will see and feel the first time you MELT. Changes in posture, flexibility, energy, mood, and performance occur within only a few sessions. Best of all, your body feels great long after you MELT!

  • MELT is for anyone who wants to slow down the aging process and live better, longer. For those in their 40s, 50s, and older who want to stay active, mobile, and independent — MELT is a must. MELT is for active younger adults and athletes who want to maintain a fit, toned body and achieve optimal performance without debilitating wear and tear.

    MELT is truly for everyone! Even if you are pregnant, injured, post-surgery, overweight, sedentary, out of shape, have limited mobility, chronic pain, knee/hip replacements, or bone disorders — you can still MELT. It’s the best starting point for any exercise program.

Melt Method FAQ’s

  • If you are an athlete or performing artist, your whole body is your instrument. If you play the piano, you need to be concerned with more than just your hands, just as if you were swinging a bat or a golf club, you would need to coordinate more than just your arms. Your whole psycho/physical self needs to be considered. In other words, how are you using your whole body, how are you breathing and what are you thinking? Ultimately, your mind, body, and breath need to be fully integrated in order to function at your peak. As my student, you will learn to release tension patterns that are interfering with your reaching your fullest potential. You will learn how to move with fuller expression, improve vocal problems, reduce stage fright, and improve confidence and stage presence. You will also learn how to maintain these improved conditions, which will reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries that often come with long hours of practice, and ensure that you can have a long and healthy career.

    The Alexander Technique is taught at the Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York, The Royal College of Music in London, The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and at many other music schools, universities and colleges. Prominent performers who have publicly endorsed the Alexander Technique include Paul McCartney, Sting, William Hurt, Julian Bream, James Galway, and the conductor, Sir Adrian Boult, to name just a few.

  • Although traditional therapies can play a valuable role in recuperation, the Alexander Technique is unique in that it helps you to become aware of and change the underlying cause of your problem. In a lesson, I will observe how you are using your whole body and give you insights into what you are doing that is causing the pain. As you become more attuned to how your body functions as a whole, you will learn how to correct these habits and prevent them from re-occuring. Also, if you have been experiencing pain, you might find yourself moving differently in an effort to avoid that pain, which then creates more unbalanced motion and more pain. The Alexander Technique helps you to become aware of your compensating movement patterns, it teaches you how to find a neutral posture, and learn a way to avoid future injury. It is very gentle and non-manipulative.

  • Some people are inspired to take Alexander lessons as a preventative measure to improve their alignment, and keep their bodies working properly and feeling good as they age. This is an excellent way to prevent stiffness and pain in the joints and helps with arthritis and other problems caused by misalignment and misuse of the body. Poor posture often makes people look older than they actually are. But as you lengthen up, you give off a more fit and confident appearance (not to mention that you look thinner). You also gain the added benefit of fuller breathing, which helps you to think more clearly and gives you greater endurance while performing physical activities.

  • The Alexander Technique helps us to become aware of our movement habits, and along with that comes the awareness of how we habitually think and react. The very same tools that we use to become aware of our movements can also be applied to how we react to any type of stimulus or stress. Alexander’s principles can help us to center ourselves and choose our response instead of merely reacting. It can help us to undo excess tension and become centered so that our actions can come from a calm, balanced place inside ourselves, not a nervous excited reaction to something outside ourselves.

  • F.M. Alexander developed this technique because he was suffering from vocal problems while he was acting on stage.

    Later on he became known as “the breathing man.” What Alexander realized was that the way he used his whole psycho/physical self had an effect on his breathing and his voice. If you tighten your neck, your arms or your legs you can notice this phenomena yourself. Even thinking about a stressful situation will cause you to subtly (or not so subtly) tighten in your neck and shoulders and constrict the flow of your breath. The Alexander Technique is about stripping away the interferences that prevent full and natural breathing and use of the voice.

Who can benefit from the Alexander Technique?