Signpost to an Undiscovered Land

“What is the Alexander Technique?” Those of us who have studied or taught this work have all been asked this question and it is not easy to answer. In one sense, the answer is simple enough: the Alexander Technique is a way of learning to move and do things with less tension—we’ve seen the many videos and books that depict the Alexander Technique as a form of movement awareness that addresses the problem of misuse in action. The basic image is familiar to all of us: the student is asked to stand in front of a chair and to sit down. Pointing out how the student pulls his head back and arches his back, the teacher then asks him to pause before sitting down, and shows him how to direct the head and neck in order to reduce the harmful tension. By being shown how to perform the action more efficiently, to use the joints instead of muscle tension, the student learns to perform actions more effortlessly, and to notice the tensions and holdings that interfere with free and easy movement.