As the Alexander Technique somewhat flies under the radar (unfortunately) for the general population, despite being popular with many celebrities and recommended by the NHS and NICE guidelines (NG71), there's a lot of misunderstanding about it. Here are some of the most common myths and misconceptions about the Alexander Technique, along with some clarifications and rebuttals.
1. Myth: It's just about "good posture"
The Reality: This is perhaps the biggest and most common misconception. The Alexander Technique is not about forcing yourself into a rigid, "correct" position (like sitting up straight because you were told to). In fact, it's not technically about posture at all. It's about preventing the behavioural habits, including muscular tension, that pulls you out of your natural, dynamic alignment and overall functioning. Good posture is essentially a lack of bad posture. There's a visual element to "good posture", so it's not surprising people latch onto that, but it's the inner experience we're more interested in.
Think "use" not "posture": F.M. Alexander called it "use", how you use your whole self in activity. Good posture is a natural by-product of efficient use (or coordination), not an end in itself. I prefer the word poise as it encompasses the quality of your attention and thinking, not just mechanics.
2. Myth: It's a form of therapy or treatment for bad backs/pain
The Reality: While many people come to the Technique for pain relief (and get excellent results), it is not a therapy done to you. It is an educational process. A teacher doesn't "fix" you; they guide you to become aware of and change the habitual thought and movement patterns that are contributing to your pain or limitation. You learn the skill of helping yourself. Repetitive Strain Injuries, for example, are entirely self inflicted by definition. Although it would be remiss of me not to mention that the ATEAM clinical research funded by the NHS, and performed by Southampton University, concluded there were long term benefits for patients with chronic pain.
3. Myth: It's a series of exercises or a relaxation technique
The Reality: It is not a set of repetitive exercises. While there are procedures often used in lessons (like sitting, standing, or the "whispered 'ah'"), the point is to notice and prevent interference patterns to those simple activities whilst maintaining good support.
It's also not about going limp or "relaxing" in a general sense. It's about letting go of excess tension while maintaining appropriate tone for alert, poised movement. It's active, not passive.
4. Myth: "I already know how to sit and stand. I don't need lessons for that"
The Reality: This confuses knowing what to do with knowing how you are doing it. Most people intellectually know that slouching isn't ideal, but they are unaware of the specific, unconscious habits that lead to the slouch. The Technique brings these unconscious patterns into conscious control. The difficulty with habits is that we're largely unaware of them, and worse still, have a Stockholm Syndrome style relationship with them. We defend them as part of our personality. It's also not specifically about sitting and standing, we only do that as a useful generic movement metaphor. No fancy equipment required. But many teachers do niche towards other movements including running, dancing, yoga, musical instruments, horse riding. You name it, there's probably a teacher with the same interests as yours. For me that's playing guitar.
5. Myth: It's only for performers (actors, musicians, dancers).
The Reality: I usually avoid talking about Alexander's origin story to discourage this. He had intended a career as an actor until he kept loosing his voice. His observations in an attempt to discover (successfully) what was causing his voice issues lead him to create what we now know as the Alexander Technique. Naturally, performers were the demographic he was most in touch with when he began. But while performers were among the first to champion the Technique for its benefits in managing performance anxiety and improving voice and coordination, its application is universal. It's for anyone who moves, which is everyone. People use it to improve:
- Comfort at a computer desk
- Ease in walking, gardening, or sports
- Breathing and stress management
- mobility in later years & fear of falling
- General coordination and ease in daily life
- Stroke rehabilitation
- Management of Parkinson's Disease symptoms
6. Myth: It's a "quick fix."
The Reality: To be honest, this is the most uncommon misunderstanding. Changing lifelong habits of tension takes time and practice. You are literally creating new neural pathways. While you might feel a significant difference after just one lesson, integrating the principles into your daily life is a long-term process of learning and discovery. It's a skill, and an investment, like learning a musical instrument or a new language.
7. Myth: The teacher will just tell me to "let my neck be free"
The Reality: The famous Alexander phrase "let the neck be free, let the head go forward and up, let the torso lengthen and widen" is not a mantra to be repeated blindly. If you've read anything about the Technique you might think this is the main point of it. A skilled teacher uses gentle hands-on guidance to help you experience what that state of poise and release feels like, often for the first time. The verbal instructions are a reminder of the experience, and of what not to do!
8. Myth: It's elitist, esoteric, or "woo-woo"
The Reality: The Technique is extremely practical and empirical. F.M. Alexander developed it through meticulous self-observation in mirrors to solve his own vocal problems. It is a rational process of noticing a stimulus (e.g., the intention to move), pausing ("inhibiting" the habitual reaction), and choosing a new response ("directing"). While the experience can feel surprising and novel, its principles are grounded in observable physiology and psychology. It's also not ideological in it's outcomes, it only seeks to uncover your personal maximum availability.
9. Myth: It conflicts with other practices like yoga or Pilates
The Reality: The Alexander Technique is a master key that can enhance almost any other activity. It teaches you how to do your yoga poses or Pilates exercises without compressing your joints or straining your neck and spine. It's about the quality of movement, not the movement itself. Many yoga and Pilates teachers train in the Alexander Technique to deepen their understanding of movement. Personally I love to engage with my students other interests, as it helps them to apply what they've learned in their lessons to activities they enjoy.
10. Myth: It's about "thinking yourself" into a better state
The Reality: While constructive thinking is a core component, it's not "positive thinking" or visualization. The "thinking" is intimately connected to a sensory experience and a subtle neuromuscular change. It's a clear intention to organise your coordination in efficient ways. A marriage of thought and physical change, verified by the teacher's hands and your own improving sensory appreciation.
The Alexander Technique is best understood not as a treatment, a set of exercises, or a posture system, but as a practical method for recognizing and changing inefficient habitual patterns of thought and movement to allow for more natural, coordinated, and effortless functioning.
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