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The Alexander Technique (AT) was developed by F. M. Alexander in Europe more than 100 years ago.  AT is the study of kinesthetic experience and human movement.  And, this secret of the stars is taught by an elite group of teachers who have undergone three years (1600 hours) of rigorous training.  Once the domain of European pain clinics and spas, exclusive performance schools and private lessons to the stars, the Alexander Technique can now be available to you!  Sharon Jakubecy, teacher of the Alexander Technique at the exclusive Stella Adler Academy (see bio below), is now offering private lessons to a select group of students.

Book A Lesson with Sharon

In 2003, Sharon Jakubecy became an AmSAT certified Alexander Technique teacher who trained intensively for three years at ATI-Los Angeles. She currently teaches Alexander Technique and dance to actors at Stella Adler Academy of Theater & Acting and American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood.  Sharon's deep understanding of the nervous system was established earning her Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science in 1995 at UCSD.  Her extensive dance training endows her with a clear knowledge of how the body moves.  Due to this combination of Alexander Technique, dance, and cognitive science education, Sharon offers a highly sophisticated and professional approach to learning.

In Echo Park near Downtown
Call for prices. Package deals available.

Phone: (310) 383-1796
Email: info@AlexanderTechniqueLA.com

Click here to listen to
an interview with Sharon
from the Dr. Fitness and the Fatguy show

Events

Poise and Presence

An Introduction to the Alexander Technique

In this workshop you will discover the secret that many successful actors, musicians and athletes use to produce fluid performances. You will learn how to release interfering tension in your whole body. You will find centeredness and ease by applying AT principles to speaking and performance. You will gain poise and presence by managing stress more effectively.

Where & When
Saturday, May 23, 2009
1:00PM-3:00PM
VCPA (upstairs at Mortise & Tenon)
446 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
(click here for driving directions)

Cost $20 preregistration $25 at the door
To register email info@AlexanderTechniqueLA.com or call (310) 383 1796

This workshop is designed to emphasize the balance of your head, neck, and spine so that the body can move more efficiently. You will enjoy sophisticated, gentle hands-on guidance and feedback, a chance to unravel stress while you lie on the floor, and instruction (through words and touch) regarding habitual movement patterns. With Sharon's expert guidance, you will examine everyday basic movements such as sitting, standing, speaking, walking, bending, reaching, and maybe performing. Through releasing unnecessary effort, you gain POISE and PRESENCE on and off stage.

Sharon Jakubecy, M. AmSAT, is a certified Alexander Technique teacher. She coaches students privately and at Stella Adler Conservatory and American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has also offered workshops at LA Opera, Children's Hospital LA, Unknown Theater, and many others.

Look and Feel Better Today

• Improve your posture and spinal alignment


• Learn to relieve and prevent pain


• Reduce strain and muscular tension


• Find a better way to manage stress


• Increase range of motion, breathing capacity and overall energy


• Improve balance and coordination (AT training is required for pilots in the Israeli Air Force)


• Exude a more radiant outward countenance and projection of voice. AT has proven extremely effective for senior business executives, salespeople, and lawyers wanting to improve their public speaking skills

AT in the News

Oprah's magazine O reports on the effects of Alexander Technique lessons for back pain.

In the article "A Dramatic Cure for Back Pain," author Tim Jarvis reports on the British Medical Journal's publication regarding back pain therapies. READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Study Shows 85% Reduction in Back Pain Through Alexander Technique

Chronic back pain affects millions of Americans and, though treatments have multiplied, relief remains elusive. In August, the British Medical Journal published a study showing that Alexander Technique, a noninvasive method of improving posture and movement, reduced back pain by an impressive 85%.  See the study online at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/337/aug19_2/a884

One of the few studies to show significant long-term benefits for patients with chronic back pain, this randomized clinical trial involved 579 patients and compared Alexander Technique with classical massage and normal GP care.

Of all the approaches tested, 24 Alexander Technique lessons proved most effective; subjects who received the 24 lessons reported only three days of pain per month, versus the control group who reported 21 such days.

“Lessons in the Alexander technique offer an individualized approach designed to develop lifelong skills for self-care that help people recognize, understand, and avoid poor habits affecting postural tone and neuromuscular coordination.”
British Medical Journal 2008;337:a884

“Alexander Technique is the perfect antidote to physical tension caused by working on the computer or fighting traffic,” says Sharon. “This technique teaches people simple tools to relieve their pain.”

For all inquiries, please contact:
Sharon Jakubecy, M. AmSAT, Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique
Email: info@alexandertechniqueLA.com
Cell phone: (310) 383-1796

So, Who is F. M. Alexander?

F. M. Alexander, born in Australia, lived most of his life in England throughout the early half of last century. He was an early proponent of the mind/body continuum and sought to introduce a clear scientific process to address it. In fact, Dr. Nikolas Tinbergen devoted much of his acceptance speech to the merits of the Alexander Technique (AT) upon winning the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1973.

"[The Alexander Technique has shown] very striking improvements in such diverse things as high blood pressure, breathing, depth of sleep, overall cheerfulness, mental alertness, and resillience against outside pressure. Many types of under-performance and ailments, both mental and physical, can be alleviated, sometimes to a surprising extent, by teaching the body musculature to function differently."
Dr. Nikolas Tinbergen,
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine Science, 7/5/74

F. M. Alexander co-wrote one of his four books with renowned philosopher Jon Dewey spreading AT's influence to the United States. One of Alexander's most devout students was the best-selling novelist Aldous Huxley -- Huxley even based a character on F. M. Alexander in his book Eyeless in Gaza. In fact, many famous figures of his time including Sir Stafford Cripps, George Bernard Shaw, Sir Charles Herrington and James Harvey Robinson were avid students. Some of these intellectuals called Alexander Technique a western shortcut to Zen.

"The great phase in man's advancement is passing from the subconscious to conscious control of his own mind and body."
F. M. Alexander

Uunlock the Mystery of the Mind

The Alexander Technique can fine-tune awareness and connection between body and mind. Everyday we are bombarded with stimuli to which, on the whole, we react immediately without stopping to think. In fact, many of our problems stem from the fact that we don't think! Most of the time we act and react in our own habitual way. Bent on getting the job done, we give little thought as to how we do it and this leads us into bad habits: we tighten our necks, compress our ribcage, tense our muscles, and hold our breath. AT zeroes in on what Alexander called the mysterious "critical moment" in your thinking.

The critical moment occurs within the continuous stimulus/response loop happening in your mind. At that critical moment, AT attempts to install "new software" in your thinking (within this stimulus/response loop) to choose a better response. Can you really re-wire your mind? Yes, AT sets a person free from the tyranny of habit and destructive patterns. In its place, AT allows for rational, reasoned conscious thinking. This has scientifically been shown to produce marked health benefits.

"[The AlexanderTechnique shows someone] how to control nature within himself, that is to say, how to control his own reactions to the external world."
F. M. Alexander 

Achieve Peak Performance

The Alexander Technique is a psychophysical education that provides a clear, systematic approach to the underlying principles that govern all human movement. AT relieves tension, rigidity, strain, and fatigue throughout the body. These disorders are replaced by grace, poise, confidence, and energy. Professional athletes like John McEnroe have used AT to improve their game. AT lessons realign the body (and mind) in order to release unnecessary tension and improve freedom of movement. In the process, you'll relieve compression in your spine, counter gravity, and find yourself "higher" with a sense of expansion, lightness, and energy. 

Lessons provide an education into the mechanics of the body, your movement patterns (one's somatic experience of themselves) in your everyday life. AT deals with kinesthetic perception, "the sensations of position and movement, of heaviness and lightness, of tension and release, of effort and ease." The purpose of AT is to organize this information within yourself so that it can be perceived in relation to stimuli coming from outside yourself. It's like having an owner's manual to your body.

"[The Alexander] technique is finding an ever-widening role among people with chronic pain and tension. Basically, it helps people shed long-established habits and relearn how to use their bodies with ease."
New York Times, 6/21/99

Prevent Pain, Tension, and Stress

Study shows 85% Reduction in Back Pain Through the Alexander Technique!

Chronic back pain affects millions of Americans and , though treatments have multiplied, relief remains elusive. In August, the British Medical Journal published a study showing that Alexander Technique, a noninvasive method of improving posture and movement, reduced back pain by an impressive 85%. See the study online here.

One of the few studies to show significant long-term benefits for patients with chronic back pain, this randomized clinical trial involved 579 patients and compared Alexander Technique with classical massage and normal GP care. Of all the approaches tested, 24 Alexander Technique lessons proved most effective. Subjects who recieved the 24 lessons reported only three days of pain per month, versus the control group who reported 21 days of pain.

The Alexander Technique can also provide relief, recuperation and prevention from a number of other neurological and musculo-skeletal ailments including:

• Neck, back, and hip disorders
• Traumatic and repetitive stress injuries
• Chronic pain, auto-immune conditions, and arthritis
• Breathing and coordination disorders
• Stress disorders and migraines
• Depression, ADD, and anxiety

"AT enables people to get better and stay better longer. This is undoubtedly the best way to take care of the back and alleviate pain. By teaching people better body mechanics, it frequently enables patients to do away with pain."
Jack Stern, MD, PhD
Neurosurgeon and Professor fo Neurosurgery, New York Medical College

Try the Secret of the Stars

F. M. Alexander was an orator (reciting Shakespeare) when he set out to improve the use of his voice and stumbled upon what is now known as the Alexander Technique. Actors, dancers, singers, and musicians have used AT to produce more fluid performances. AT is a required course at many prestigious schools including the Julliard School in New York, American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, New England Conservatory of Music, Yale School of Drama, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London. And, AT remains central to the training of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra to achieve optimal performances.

Many renowned performers including Ben Kingsley, William Hurt, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Sting, Paul McCartney, Robin Williams,Kevin Kline, Paul Newman, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Juliette Binoche, Kenneth Branaugh, Michael Caine, and Hillary Swank have used the Alexander Technique as their secret weapon on stage and on screen. Alexander Teachers often work behind the scenes on Hollywood movie sets and at exclusive acting schools (eg. The Actor's Studio, Circle in the Square, Stella Adler, HB Studios, etc.) to help bring out award-winning performances.

"The Technique's many benefits for actors include minimized tension, centeredness, vocal relaxation and responsiveness, mind/body connection and about an inch and a half of additional height!"
Kevin Kline, Theater and Film Actor
The AlexanderTechnique, Judith Leibowitz & Bill Connington

What is a Lesson Like?

Each lesson is personally tailored for your specific needs and emphasizes proper alignment of the head, neck, and spine so that the body can move more efficiently.  A lesson includes:

• Sophisticated, gentle hands-on guidance and feedback


• Relaxation and a chance to unravel stress while you lie on a bodywork table


• Instruction (through words and touch) regarding habitual movement patterns


• Examination of everyday basic movements such as sitting, standing, speaking, walking, bending, reaching, and specific activities like working at your computer, playing a sport, public speaking, etc.

Testimonials

"I started the Alexander Technique when I was at my wit's end. Being a creative hands-on person, I had by my early twenties developed tendonitis in my right arm. Sharon, through her patience and care, gradually taught me to think of my constant pain as bad habits and to focus instead on all over good body use. The gradual changes in my body involved a new way of thinking about moving. Now, with this heightened body sensitivity, I can do everyday activities (cooking, cleaning), fine motor activities (playing the cello, bookbinding) and basic activities (walking, standing) with grace and ease."
Vi Ha, Los Angeles Librarian

"Halfway though my first lesson with Sharon, the shooting pain down my arms that had plagued me for months disappeared! Weeks before, when my chiropractor told me that my pain was 'postural', I really panicked. All my life people have told me that my posture was bad, but no matter how hard I tried to 'stand up straight' I could never do it for more than a minute. Studying Alexander Technique with Sharon immediately gave me better use of my body and I have enjoyed better posture and many health benefits--including the complete disappearance of my chronic back pain and tension. And, to top it off, lessons with Sharon are supportive, pleasant and relaxing."
Carole Real, Writer

"After I decided to come to Sharon for help with my lower back pain, I'm floored by the changes I've undergone. I don't suffer from back pain any more, after decades of it. My overall stress levels have dropped significantly, and I've developed an extraordinary sense of body awareness. But perhaps the greatest change was the profound sense of emotional energy that I now have to draw from. Sharon's teachings are nothing short of a godsend. My friends notice the change, but they can't pin down just what it is. I recommend her without hesitation. Thanks again Sharon!"
Stephen Ladd, Screenwriter

"I've actually been contemplating an epic two-page acknowledgement to you thanking you for the Alexander Technique lesson and all the truly profound breakthroughs that have resulted. For the first couple of days afterwards, I was walking around in a state of bliss. Many other thoughts and realizations/awareness-breakthroughs occurred as a result of the lesson which have now settled into a deeper awareness in me. I'm looking forward to scheduling another lesson sometime soon."
Michael Fitzpatrick, Internationally renowned cellist; Music Advisor, WORLD PEACE ONE(www.worldpeace1.com)

"I found the Alexander Technique after suffering from neck, shoulder, and lower back pain for over 10 years. Since my lessons began, I feel more in tune, more aware of how my body reacts to the environment and am gaining more control of my body and mind. I leave each class lighter, brighter, and happier. I like to think of my true self "emerging." As I let go of positions of fear, I am renewed with a sense of confidence and joy. Sharon has been a wonderful teacher. She is patient, and very attuned with the student's body. She teach[es] me how to apply the Alexander Technique to my job and life and make a true difference in my life. I am grateful for this transforming experience, and I enthusiastically recommend Sharon to everyone I know."
Juliet Hwang, M. D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow Children's Hospital Los Angeles

"As an owner of a high-powered Advertising Agency, I constantly travel between New York and Los Angeles, working long hours for demanding clients like Virgin Megastore, EA Sports, and 20th Century Fox. Working with Sharon, I've learned practical lessons on relieving stress and performing at peak levels both at work and in my everyday life. She is a fantastic teacher who makes the work fun, exciting, and applicable to my own needs. I'm very pleased with the results -- I just wish I traveled less so I could work with her more often!"
Matt Pressman, Managing Director, Project 2050

"I have suffered with chronic neck and upper back pain for over a year. In my twenties I had studied Alexander technique at Drama School for a short time, but had no idea how dramatic the effects would be when it was reintroduced to my life. Sharon is a masterful guide and teacher. I am reluctant to take medications and have been inspired by the technique - I leave each class pain free. Every week takes me a step further to understanding the workings of my own body. I am learning new habits that simply melt away my tension and with it, any pain. I am confident Sharon and Alexander will ensure I do not need to pump my body full of chemicals as I embrace my new posture and with it a calmer, happier, pain free existence. Thank you Sharon, you are an inspiration."
Samantha Robson, Writer & Producer

Links

• Personal Life Coaching - Become a life coach or personal coach. Coach training, articles.
• SelfGrowth.com - SelfGrowth.com is the most complete guide to information about Self Improvement, Personal Growth and Self Help on the Internet. It is designed to be an organized directory, with articles and references to thousands of other Web Sites on the World Wide Web.
• ClaremontForum.org - The Claremont Forum is a nonprofit community center promoting volunteerism, wellness, personal education, and the arts.
• Throughthebody.blogspot.com - [via] Corpora Performance Research and Development Center
• The American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) - The AmSAT Mission: To define, maintain and promote the Alexander Technique at its highest standard of professional practice and conduct.
• Oni Dance - a Los Angeles based dance company. Artistic Director: Maria Gillespie
• www.nowcasting.com - A resource for actors.
• www.actorsintensive.com - Private Acting Coach, Acting classes, and weekend workshops with Kirk Baltz
• AltMD.com - search engine that makes it easy for you to learn more about alternative medicine and find the best local health and wellness specialists.
• Yelp.com - Alexander Technique Los Angeles on Yelp
• Citysearch.com - Alexander Technique Los Angeles on Citysearch
• CreateYourHealth.com - Watch a video of Sharon explaining the Alexander Technique.
• Veterans Center for the Performing Arts (VCPA) - Celebrating the military veteran by developing and producing their original works in the visual, fine and performing arts.
• www.rolfworks.net - Structural Integration with Lynn Cohen