Many people come for lessons because they have aches and pains of one sort or another and hope the Technique can help. Some come because they have heard or read about it and believe it would be beneficial. Actors and musicians--a group that Alexander belonged to himself--tend to have experiencd the work as it is now a standard part of the syllabus in most drama and music training schools.

We believe the real benefits are a slow improvement in overall well-being as stiffnesses from past bad habits slowly release. Alexander discovered firstly in himself and later in his many thousands of "pupils", that as his way of doing things, or "use", improved, so did the unconscious processes of the body, including breathing, digestion and circulation. The effects of bad use of the body show up mainly with age and the Technique is a means of reversing such bad use.

So although the work is general, many indirect benefits may result. These would be of interest to people with:

• neck and back pain
• poor coordination
• poor posture
• physical impairment due to an operation or injury
• joint pain caused by misuse
• hip problems
• those wanting to improve performance as musicians or sports practitioners
• stress problems

It is never too late to start using the Technique to good effect! Experience shows that although young people will respond quicker and be more easily able to make changes in their use, older people can successfully improve their use and get the resulting benefits. Bernard Shaw started having lessons in his eighties with Alexander himself and was very positive about the results!