Peggy Florin has been a teacher of the Alexander
Technique since 2014. Her work is informed by an
extensive career in the movement arts. She was on
the dance faculty of Bennington College from
1989–2009, and she taught at Bard College from
1998–2021, where she is Emeritus Professor of
Dance. Peggy trained at the Manhattan Center
for the Alexander Technique with Caren Bayer
and received her AmSAT certification in 2014.
​She has taught Embodied Anatomy at the
Riverside Initiative for the Alexander Technique,
a teacher certification program in New York City.
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She maintains a private practice in North
Bennington, Vermont and at the Bennington
Center for the Healing Arts.
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How We Work Together
During the first lesson, I observe how you sit, stand, and walk. If I see blockage or discomfort, I use my hands to gently help you become aware of holding and habits of posture. And so we begin a process of change. Along with standing and chair work, each lesson includes time on an Alexander table. With the student in a position of active rest, changes in the neuromuscular system are promoted. This allows for release of superficial muscles, and a deeper toning of the body.
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A series of six lessons, once a week, is often enough to bring valuable understanding and embodiment of the principles of the technique. Lessons over the course of several months or longer can bring about benefits that will last for a lifetime.
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About FM Alexander
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Frederick (FM) Alexander (1879–1952) was born in Tasmania, Australia, where he built a successful career
as an actor and Shakespearian orator.
After suffering from persistent hoarseness and respiratory troubles Alexander lost his voice. When his doctors were unable to help, he carried out an experiment setting up a three-way mirror so that he could closely examine his head, neck, and chest while reciting. He noticed that he stiffened his neck, and that this action took his head back, depressed his larynx and constricted his breathing.
Thus began a process of uncovering habits through observation and reasoning. He learned that the inhibition of habits was a key to lasting change. This tremendous journey of discovery continued over the course of his life as he refined and developed his method, training many generations of teachers in what became known as the Alexander Technique.
FM Alexander was a man ahead of his times, an early explorer of the unity of body and mind.