Customer Reviews

The Alexander Technique: A Skill for Life

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This book was recommended to me by my Alexander technique Instructor. Although no book can really replace an Alexander instructor, this book is a very good companion guide with your lessons. The author gives a very good introduction to the technique, an understanding into what the technique is and what it is not. He also gives several examples and pictures to illustrate 'good use' and 'bad use'. There are many useful insights that illustrate how the technique is not about maintaining a certain body posture, but it is about the use of the self (The self includes body, speech and thinking). The author also beautifully explains the concepts of non-doing, end-gaining, inhibition and direction etc.

There are also accounts by people who caused injuries to themselves through bad use and recovered after learning the Alexander technique. These stories are pretty insightful and inspirational. I myself have suffered from chronic hip pain because of misuse, and have been on the path to recovery after learning the technique.

The technique although quite simple can take a considerable amount of time to learn, understand and implement into everyday use. So I would highly recommend this book (along with taking lessons from a personal instructor) which can accelerate one's understanding of the technique. I benefited a lot from reading this book and it helped me improve my use tremondously.

If I had to recommend one book to a beginning student of the Alexander Technique, it would be this one. Pedro's writing style conveys the subtlety of the AT while remaining thoroughly readable and quite humorous at times. It is no substitute for lessons with a qualified teacher, but is an excellent companion on the journey.

Pedro's "Indirect Procedures" is also excellent and goes into greater depth.Indirect Procedures: A Musician's Guide to the Alexander Technique (Clarendon Paperbacks)

This book gives a wonderful picture of the philosophy of the Alexander Technique, and how it is applied in everyday life. The pages sing with musicality.

If you have heard of the Alexander Technique, but don't know much about it, or have heard a brief description from a friend that has left you befuddled, this book is an excellent introduction. If this book is not your first contact with the technique, I still highly recommend it. I had been taking lessons in the Alexander Technique for about a year when I first read it, and it provide a great supplement to what I had already learned. I often refer back to it.
The book begins with some history on the technique along with its basic principles and also explains what happens during a lesson. It is divided into chapters that focus on different aspects of life and shows how our "suppositions, habits, and behaviours" affect all parts of our lives.
One thing I especially like about this book is that there are many photographs of people and animals as well as personal statements written by students of the Alexander Technique - these are very helpful, in giving visual and real life references to what is in the text.
De Alcantera's writing is thought provoking, easy to read, specific, direct and often humorous. It's a great read. I didn't want to put it down!

This is an interesting discussion of the philosophy behind the technique. It is not pragmatic, in that it is more theoretical than actual suggestions. You must have an instructor for this to make any sense.