In the 1890s, an aspiring Australian actor realised that his career prospects were threatened by recurring hoarseness. The young man, Frederick Matthias Alexander, visited specialists, but doctors were unable to diagnose a medical cause for his loss of voice.

Through a process of self observation and experimentation, he saw that when he performed, he habitually used his voice and body in ways that led to excess tension. Alexander eventually discovered how to consciously change these unconstructive patterns.

As a result, Alexander's voice problems and breathing difficulties disappeared. He became calmer, and his general health improved. He began teaching others, and came to London in 1904 where he later established a training course for the Alexander Technique. There are now teacher training programmes in several countries and over 2,500 teachers world-wide.

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