This process of directing energy out of familiar into new and unfamiliar paths, as a means of changing the manner of reacting to stimuli, implies of necessity an ever-increasing ability on the part of both teacher and pupil to pass from the known to the unknown; it is therefore a process which is true to the principle involved in all human growth and development.

~ F.M. Alexander, from The Use of the Self

 The Alexander Technique is an embodied awareness practice, a way of learning to make conscious choices and change unnecessary habits of excessive muscular tension. “Thinking-in-action,” F.M Alexander called it, or as my first Alexander Technique teacher, Eva Karzcag, would say: “Attention filling your whole body.”

Working with Eva, I discovered that joints are more than boney structures. It’s the space between bones that makes movement possible; the tension we carry constricts space, thus inhibiting motion and contributing to soft tissue pain. By becoming conscious of the source of tension, a different choice of action becomes possible.

Since training as an Alexander teacher in the late 1980s, I have had the joy of sharing this practice with many musicians, actors, dancers, pregnant women, athletes, educators, and others involved in a wide range of professions and interests. The Alexander Technique develops kinesthetic perception (including sensations of movement, body position, and qualities of lightness, heaviness, tension, and ease), offering insights that can immediately be applied to daily life. After almost 30 years of teaching and practicing the Alexander Technique, I find the experience of my body as both spacious and grounded at the same time, never ceases to be a revelation!

F. M. Alexander developed his technique over 100 years ago as a way to solve vocal problems that threatened to end his acting career. He discovered that how he performed—what he later would call “use of the self”—directly impacted his ability to perform. Through a lengthy process of inquiry and self-study, he created a comprehensive mind-body approach to understanding habit and experiencing freedom from habit, a process of learning and self-discovery.

I teach the Alexander Technique as a gentle, hands-on process by which you can discover how you can experience greater ease of movement and a more holistic sense of body and self. This is a participatory process designed to engage your own capacities to make and integrate lasting change.

I offer individual sessions and small group classes at Voice Body Mind Healing Collaborative in Providence, RI.

To book an individual session email:

paulasager [at] threestonestudio.org

paulasager [at] threestonestudio.org