David Koffman has spent most of his 34 years as a student, hunched over a desk piled high with books or curled over a keyboard, one hand on the mouse. Over time, the historian and doctoral candidate from Brooklyn developed the same bad posture common to desk jockeys and computer users everywhere, with the same physical complaints -- chronic neck pain and backaches.
Physical therapy didn't help. Then a couple of fellow academics recommended the Alexander Technique, a centuries-old method that teaches movement with awareness, more fluidity and less stress. After four months of lessons, Koffman is still at his desk researching and writing, but he is more conscious of his posture. The result is less pain and muscle tension.
"My body has made its own corrections," he said. "There's still some pain; it's not totally gone. But I understand that I still have some more work to do."
The Alexander Technique, developed in the 19th century by an Australian actor, Frederick Alexander, to combat chronic laryngitis, was once the exclusive province of stage performers. Actors, vocalists, musicians and dancers sought training in the technique to move more freely, combat stress and improve their performances. Today, however, with a growing number of instructors in 42 states, including Minnesota, the Alexander Technique is beginning to go mainstream. Office workers, graduate students, busy parents and arthritic retirees alike are seeking out teachers to learn how to undo years of bad body habits.
It takes time and money
Proponents say the Alexander Technique has helped them fight the pain and muscle tightness hampering their favorite activities, be it gardening or tennis. But it takes time to learn and the instruction, which is not covered by insurance, can be costly. Nevertheless, some medical professionals recommend the technique as a lower-cost alternative to back surgery.
In a typical lesson, the instructor uses words and gentle hands to focus students' attention on longtime habits and teach them new ways of moving to correct poor posture and release built-up muscle tension. Through repetition, students eventually let go of bad habits and replace them with more efficient, freer motions.
Julie Brundage, 36, a native of Irmo, S.C., gives private lessons to about 15 students out of a tiny studio in midtown Manhattan. On a recent afternoon, Koffman perched on a chair next to a wall of mirrors, his head up, eyes forward, feet flat on the floor. Brundage was addressing Koffman's complaints of wrist pain. She knelt beside him and gently placed one hand on his upper arm and another on his wrist.
