The Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique is commonly thought of as a form physical therapy that is used in particular to help with conditions that are correlated with long chronic tension or stress such as back pain, stiff necks ‘frozen’ shoulders etc.

Whilst it often does bring relief for back and neck pain (because these conditions are often caused by chronic stress or muscular imbalances) the Alexander Technique actually describes a method that is designed to change the habitual movements in everyday activities and bring freedom of movement, improved balance and coordination. The method or technique is intended to reeducate your mind and body rather than being a series of treatments or exercises.

It is a process that teaches you a simple and practical method for improving your overall physical ease. It helps you discover a new balance in your body by releasing unnecessary tension and it can be applied to all routine activities e.g. standing, walking, sitting, lying down, lifting and so on,...As such it brings freedom of movement, improved balance and coordination to everyday, repetitive activities.

A particular focus of the Alexander Technique is to learn how to use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, which gives you more energy to share across all your activities.

As mentioned above, the Technique is not specifically designed to address back pain and stiffness, stiff necks and so on. However, because these conditions are often connected with long term issues of poor posture and movement, chronic tension or stress, the Alexander Technique also relieves back pain by correcting the underlying causes of the condition.

You can watch this 13-minute introductory video on the Alexander Technique produced by the British Medical Journal in 2008 as part of a major study showing the effectiveness of the Alexander Technique in alleviating back pain.

Video link Introduction to the Alexander Technique