Alexander was born in Tasmania, Australia in 1869 on a farm with horses. He became an actor/reciter of Shakespeare in Tasmania and mainland Australia and was becoming well known and successful until he started to loose his voice. No doctors could help him so, eventually, he decided to help himself as he deduced that it was something he was doing which was causing the problem. Over 10 years he developed the Alexander Technique. He did this by studying himself closely with many mirrors to find out exactly what he was doing that was affecting his voice and breathing, and how to stop himself from doing it.
He noticed that he was tensing his neck and other areas, such as his legs and feet, and that he habitually did this to some degree in everything he did.
He realised though that his habits were so ingrained that he couldn't resolve his vocal problems unless he developed a technique for altering his posture and over-tense reactions in general. Through developing his technique Alexander cured his hoarseness plus other ailments he had suffered since childhood. He started teaching his Technique to others as he realised that many people had conditions which were similar and could be resolved in a similar way. He became known as an expert in improving breathing.
Alexander brought the Technique from Australia to London in 1904 and then to America in 1915.
