Most of us begin our lives moving with ease and grace. Yet as we get older, we tend to override our inherent freedom of movement with habits that confine and compress us. We become so accustomed to excess tension that, unless we are in pain, we rarely notice it. This causes our innate monitoring systems, our sensory awareness, to be unreliable, making it practically impossible to make changes in ourselves without causing new problems.
“It is what man does that brings the wrong thing about, first with himself and then in his activities in the outside world; it is only by preventing this ‘doing’ that he can ever begin to make any real change.”
- F.M. Alexander
The Alexander Technique is based on two central principles:
- A dynamic relationship between the head and spine controls everything we do, either in a way that improves our overall condition or diminishes it.
- Innately we're designed to function as a unity of mind and body. When we attempt to change or 'fix' anything primarily physically or primarily mentally we're doomed to failure.
While the effortless poise of small children is in sharp contrast to that of most adults, practically anyone can rediscover freedom and ease in movement. We can learn to become aware of, and gradually to strip away, habits of reaction, tension and movement that interfere with, distort or obscure natural and healthy patterns of coordination.