So, you’ve heard about the Alexander Technique. Maybe a friend mentioned it helped their back pain, or you read that actors and musicians use it to improve their performance. You’re curious, but then you start hearing terms like "primary control," "inhibition," and "end-gaining" and it can start to sound like a mysterious cult rather than a practical skill.

Don’t worry! The language of the Alexander Technique is very specific because its founder, F.M. Alexander, needed precise words to describe his revolutionary discoveries about human coordination. Ultimately, it's the experience of good coordination that counts, but words are one way of communicating how to achieve this improved coordination.  This glossary will break down the essential terms, so you can understand what teachers are really talking about.

These three concepts are the absolute foundation of the entire Technique.

This is the fundamental insight that started it all. "Use" simply means how we use our Selves, how we sit, stand, walk, and react to stimuli. "Functioning" refers to how well our mind/body systems (respiration, circulation, digestion, etc.) work.

The Alexander Principle states that our use directly influences our functioning. If you habitually slump at your desk (poor use), you compress your lungs and diaphragm, which can affect your breathing (functioning). You can’t separate the mind from the body; the way you "carry yourself" has a profound impact on your overall health and performance.

Central to the Alexander Technique is the principle of psychophysical unity, which asserts that the human organism functions as an indivisible whole, where "mind" and "body" are not separate entities but interconnected aspects of a single, integrated system. F.M. Alexander argued that every thought, emotion, or intention ("psycho") manifests instantly as a physical response ("physical"), particularly in our patterns of muscular tension and posture. Conversely, chronic physical habits, like slouching or tightening the neck, shape and limit our mental and emotional states.

The Technique's practical work is therefore a process of re-educating this unified whole; by consciously inhibiting habitual reactions and directing new, more constructive patterns of use, we are not just changing a physical posture but recalibrating the entire self. This approach acknowledges that lasting change cannot be imposed from the outside but must arise from a conscious, integrated process within the individual.

This is a tricky one! Faulty Sensory Awareness means that our internal sense of what feels "right" or "normal" is often inaccurate.

Because we’ve been sitting, standing, and moving in habitual ways for years, these patterns feel normal, even if they are physically harmful. For example, standing up straight might feel like you’re leaning backward because you’re so used to slouching. The Alexander Technique involves re-educating your kinesthetic sense so you can accurately perceive what good use actually feels like.

These terms describe the active tools we use to break old habits and find a new, easier way of being.

This is perhaps the most important term in the Alexander lexicon. The Primary Control refers to the dynamic relationship between your head, neck, and back.

Optimal coordination depends on this relationship being free and easy. When the head is poised freely on top of the spine (not pulled back or slumped forward), and the neck is relaxed, it allows the back to lengthen and widen naturally. This creates conditions for easy, graceful movement throughout the entire body. Alexander saw this head-neck-back relationship as the primary governor of our coordination, hence the name.

Forget the Freudian meaning! In the Alexander Technique, inhibition is the skill of pausing before reacting.

When someone calls your name, your habitual reaction might be to jerk your head around. Inhibition is the moment of choice where you stop that automatic reaction. It’s not about suppressing an action, but about preventing a habitual, unconscious one. It creates a space where you can choose a different, more constructive response.

Once you’ve inhibited the habitual reaction, you can "give directions." Directions are conscious, gentle thoughts that encourage a new, improved neuromuscular coordination. They are not commands to make something happen, but gentle cues to allow it to happen.

The classic directions are a series of thoughts related to the Primary Control:

• "Let the neck be free..."
• "...so that the head can go forward and up..."
• "...and the back can lengthen and widen."

 You think these directions without trying to "do" them physically. It's an intention. It’s a bit like guiding your body back to its natural design.

This is the habit that the Alexander Technique is designed to combat. End-gaining means focusing solely on the end goal without any attention to the process.

Think of rushing to pick up a heavy box without considering how you bend your knees. You just want the box moved (the end). This single-minded focus leads to strain and injury. The Alexander Technique is the antidote: it’s all about the "means-whereby", the quality of attention you bring to how you perform an action.

In the Alexander Technique, the "means-whereby" represents a fundamental shift in focus from the desired end goal to the quality of the process used to achieve it. Instead of fixating on a specific outcome, such as standing up or speaking clearly, the student learns to direct their attention to the manner in which they coordinate themselves while performing the action. This involves applying the principles of inhibition—pausing to prevent habitual, inefficient reactions—and direction—consciously allowing a freer neck, a lengthened spine, and a wider back.

By prioritizing the "how" over the "what," the means-whereby ensures that the action is carried out with less unnecessary tension and interference, leading to a more integrated and efficient use of the whole self. This re-education ultimately allows the desired end to be achieved not by direct effort, but as a natural consequence of a better-coordinated process.

This is a simple but powerful practice. It involves lying on your back on a firm surface with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place a small book or a thin pillow under your head so it’s not tilted back.

This position removes the effort of fighting gravity, allowing your back to release and lengthen. It’s an excellent time to practice your inhibition and direction without the distraction of having to "do" anything else.

This is a specific way of bending your knees and hips that allows you to stay poised and balanced while performing activities like washing dishes or working at a bench. It’s a stable, agile position that maintains the integrity of the Primary Control, preventing you from collapsing at the waist.

In a lesson, an Alexander teacher uses their hands to gently guide you. This isn’t a massage or manipulation. The touch is informative and a tactile communication for when the jargon isn't cutting through. It helps you feel what a freer neck or a lengthening back is like, reinforcing the new sensory awareness you’re developing.

The Alexander Technique isn’t a set of exercises you do for 15 minutes a day. It’s a re-education of your whole self. By learning to inhibit your automatic reactions, you create a space to give directions that restore your primary control. This improves your overall use, which in turn supports your healthy functioning.

It’s a journey from being a compulsive "end-gainer" to becoming someone who can bring mindful attention to any action, large and small.

Have you encountered any other Alexander terms you’d like explained? Share them in the comments below.