Jana Tift

Jana has enjoyed the benefits of the Alexander Technique since 1987. Certified to teach in 1994, she shares Alexander with people from all walks of life. Her students improve their coordination and balance, reduce stress, and restore ease of movement in their daily lives.

Jana specializes in teaching actors and musicians to achieve balance in their body, and easy support when performing. She has taught the Alexander Technique in schools and universities throughout the U.S. She holds an MFA in theatre and is the co-author of YOUR BODY KNOWS: A MOVEMENT GUIDE FOR ACTORS (Routledge, 2020).

She has also worked with horses and riders as part of Kirsten Nelsen's Training for Optimal Balance program. In her private practice in the Technique, she works with students ranging in age from 12 to 82!

Empowerment: Through Alexander Technique, each unique individual can discover the means to unravel painful, limiting tension patterns. People from all walks of life can experience freer more balanced movement. Alexander Technique supports our best self and nurtures the creative artist in all of us.

Jana's guidance is gentle and non-invasive; it consists of both verbal and (if the lesson is in person) hands-on cues. Students practice simple movements that begin to unwind their tension patterns. This often leads to ah-ha! moments - discoveries about their body's natural balance, and the ways they interfere with their in-born coordination. Students leave with a set of tools to practice, and a calm, yet lively, physical - and mental! - presence.

The Alexander Technique changed my life. I went to a workshop to gain skills for helping young actors move better onstage. Was I in for a surprise!
I learned so much about the ways that I interfered with my body's natural design. I learned to let go of chronic tension that had plagued me for years. I wanted to share this freedom with the world! Alexander Technique supports everyone: from actors and musicians to grannies who want to keep up with their grandkids. It is transforming!