What is the Alexander Technique?

The Alexander Technique is a powerful tool for change. It is named after the man who discovered and developed it, Frederick Mathias Alexander (1869-1955). Click here to find out more about him.

In the ITM we offer the basic definition that the Alexander Technique (AT) is the study of thinking in relation to movement. But what does this mean? And how can it help you?

“The Alexander Technique is the study of thinking in relation to movement”.

In AT lessons you learn to think differently - about yourself, about how you move, and about how you interact with the world - in order to improve how you use your body and how you approach all life situations. Most of us think and move in limited ways, and we can become stuck, and blocked. But by harnessing the power of conscious thinking, you can make big changes, and unlock potential in yourself that you may not have known was there.

Very often if I tell someone that I teach the Alexander Technique, and they have heard of it, they will suddenly sit bolt upright and say “Ah, that’s about posture isn’t it?” They imagine it involves being told to sit up straight, or perhaps being given exercises to practise. It can be a surprise for those people to find out that the AT is not about good posture as such, or about finding the right position to sit in. In fact, it’s more about flexibility, and freedom of movement.

Alexander wrote in his second book, Conscious Constructive Control of the Individual, “The aim…is to bring about at all times and for all purposes, not a series of correct postures or positions, but a coordinated use of the mechanisms in general.”

“The aim…is to bring about at all times and for all purposes, not a series of correct positions or postures, but a coordinated use of the mechanisms in general.”

The Alexander Technique is not a cure, or a quick fix. It is something more exciting than that. It is a process, and a tool for continual change and personal development, the results of which can be far-reaching.

The Alexander Technique has a long history of being taught at music and drama colleges, to help performers to develop their craft and overcome issues like repetitive strain injuries or performance nerves. But it can equally help you to bring more flexibility and ease to any every day activity from sitting at a computer to running, to doing the vacuuming. Whether your tool of choice is a violin or a lawn mower, or even just a chair, you can change how you approach the task in hand, by changing the nature of your thinking.

“In the mind of man* lies the secret of his ability to resist, to conquer and finally to govern the circumstances of his life”

FM Alexander

*Note that the word “man” here is being used in an old-fashioned sense to mean mankind i.e everybody. The Alexander Technique is for everyone, whatever their sex or gender identity.