Frequently asked questions
The following are some frequently asked questions about the Alexander Technique and their answers. If you can't find the information you need on this page or on the rest of the website, please don't hesitate to contact Philippa.
- Is the Alexander Technique a therapy, like massage?
- Is the Alexander Technique an exercise system like Yoga or Pilates?
- Why do I need a teacher?
- How do I know if my teacher is any good?
- Is the Alexander Technique difficult to learn? How many lessons will I need?
- Will the lessons be painful?
- Will the Alexander Technique improve my posture?
- Will the Alexander Technique help me give up smoking or lose weight?
- Can the technique be taught in groups?
- Am I too old to change?
- When will I get it right?
- Are there any Alexander Technique exercises I can do at home?
- Should I be doing any other exercise while I am having Alexander Technique lessons?
- Should I be having any other kinds of treatment while I am having Alexander Technique lessons?
- My question isn't in this list - can I contact Philippa and ask it?
Is the Alexander Technique a therapy, like massage?
No, the Alexander Technique is not a therapy in the usual sense, in that an Alexander Technique session does not involve being treated by the practitioner while you are the passive recipient. The technique is taught to you with your active participation, hence Alexander Technique teachers tend to refer to a session as a 'lesson' and their clients as 'pupils'. This doesn't mean that you won't find a lesson 'therapeutic' - the whole point of learning the technique is that it is beneficial, and often people experience profound changes even in one lesson.
Is the Alexander Technique an exercise system like Yoga or Pilates?
No, the Alexander Technique does not involve any exercise at all! During a lesson you will be encouraged to stand, sit and move in a different way, and this procedure may be repeated, but it is not a form of exercise and there is no exercise programme to take away with you and repeat at home. However you will be encouraged to practise the technique in your daily activities away from lessons, and also to 'lie down in semi-supine' regularly. Although the Alexander Technique is not an exercise regime, it does result in significant changes to the body and to energy and stamina, for example you will notice an increasing strength in the back together with a release of undue tension and the experience of balance and lightness.
Why do I need a teacher?
You are unique. Over your lifetime you have developed patterns of use, ways of moving and reacting, which are so ingrained that to you they feel 'right'. Other ways of moving and responding may feel 'wrong'. Unfortunately some of the ingrained patterns are unhealthy and a host of problems can result - for example undue tension and pain, or anxiety, or restricted mobility, or breathing disorders (and many more). The Alexander Technique is about learning to use yourself differently, to develop new healthier patterns of use. However, because these new patterns will feel 'wrong', you will need to be guided by a teacher while you learn them. Eventually these healthier patterns will start to feel 'right', as you develop a new sense of yourself, and you can choose to have lessons less frequently.
Right from the start the teacher will encourage you to put into practice in your daily life what you have learnt in a lesson, and also to 'lie down in semi-supine' regularly. The more commitment you can give to the practice of the technique, the sooner you will find that you can decrease the frequency of your lessons. Your teacher will advise you about this - a good teacher will not try and persuade you to have more lessons than you need.
How do I know if my teacher is any good?
Before booking lessons with a teacher, check that he or she has completed an approved training course, is qualified and is a member of a professional Alexander Technique teachers' organisation. The main one of these is STAT (the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique). On their website, you can find a list of members in your area. If the teacher is a member of STAT it means that they are qualified, insured and fully CRB-checked.
Is the Alexander Technique difficult to learn? How many lessons will I need?
The Alexander Technique is a very simple technique but applying it does take commitment and a willingness to change. The key first step is to accept fully that your health and well-being are affected by what you do and how you think - in other words, how you use yourself (see 'The Alexander Technique'). This first step then leads to being aware of your harmful habits, and being able to use the technique to let go of them, and to use yourself in a different way.
There are two levels involved in learning the technique. The first is conscious awareness and memory and the second is on the unconscious physical level - some people call this 'muscle memory'. So when an Alexander Technique teacher helps you to stand, sit and move in a different way, and repeats the process, you will be learning on both levels.
Most people notice beneficial changes during and after the very first lesson and each subsequent lesson builds on these changes. Ingrained habits can be very strong, so if you are new to the Alexander Technique it is best to have the first lessons as close together in time as you can manage. Then you can space them out further as you come to be able to practise the technique more successfully by yourself. You will get a good grounding in the technique in 20-30 lessons.
Research published in the British Medical Journal in 2009 proved that the Alexander Technique gave significant results in the treatment of back pain after just six lessons. It also found that a year's worth of lessons were very effective.
Will the lessons be painful?
No. The teacher uses his/her hands gently and will not intentionally move you, or ask you to move, in any way which he/she knows could cause pain. If you have a chronic painful condition, you are more likely to experience less pain in a lesson than usual.
Will the Alexander Technique improve my posture?
This is probably the most frequently asked question about the Alexander Technique, and the short answer is 'yes'. However, to many people the word 'posture' can imply a somewhat inflexible position (as in 'sitting up straight') which is not what the technique is about at all! Practising the Alexander Technique leads to the head, neck and back becoming more naturally aligned with each other and a lengthening in stature inevitably results. It is worth emphasing that the technique is not about adopting a fixed position but instead allowing a free flowing relationship to exist between the head, neck and the back - and by extension, the limbs.
Will the Alexander Technique help me give up smoking or lose weight?
The Alexander Technique will help you find more balance and ease in your life. Because of this, you may well find that you become less dependent on unhealthy substances or harmful repetitive behaviours. Also as you become more accepting and appreciative of yourself your 'body image' changes and you become more aware of the effect of lifestyle and diet - so naturally you will move towards taking more care of yourself. If you come to the Alexander Technique in order to tackle a dependency or addiction, the teacher will not focus on that issue directly. Instead you will learn the technique in just the same way as you would in any other circumstance. Please don't hesitate to contact Philippa if you have any queries.
Can the technique be taught in groups?
Every person is an individual and will benefit most from one-to-one lessons, in which they can experience the hands-on guidance of the teacher. However, group sessions can be very effective for learning the principles of the Alexander Technique and participants can also gain alot from sharing the experience with other members of the group.
Philippa teaches mainly one-to-one lessons but if you would like her to lead a group session for a small number of participants, please get in touch.
Am I too old to change?
Definitely not! Despite rumours to the contrary, older people are no less skilled at learning than younger people, and indeed your rich life experience can help in the process of learning the Alexander Technique. All it takes is commitment and a willingness to change.
When will I get it right?
In answering this question it might be helpful to use the analogy of learning a musical instrument. If you learn the violin there is no stage at which you can say that you have 'learnt it'; you are always in the process of learning it, and also it can be quite hard to judge exactly how much you have learnt, unless you record yourself at regular intervals and listen back. Similarly, when learning the Alexander Technique there is not an end point you can reach where you will have 'got it right'.
Another similarity to learning a musical instrument is that there is a lot of learning that takes place unconsciously - sometimes known as 'muscle memory'. So although you may sometimes tell yourself off for not learning fast enough or not remembering, all the time the unconscious learning is going on! You will learn to be able to trust that learning happens on different levels.
As you become aware of and learn how to free yourself from your ingrained habits, there will be times when the work becomes more challenging and you may experience moments of temporary slight discomfort as you learn to release over-tension and let go of pain. However, from early lessons onward you are likely to experience increasing ease, lightness and well-being, and this will encourage you to continue the process.
If you want to assess in detail how you are benefitting over the course of your lessons, you might like to keep a journal in which you can write down any observations. Because the Alexander Technique is a holistic technique, you may notice changes that you had not anticipated, and these can be very interesting! However, it is not essential to keep a record of your progress.
Are there any Alexander Technique exercises I can do at home?
The Alexander Technique is not an exercise regime to be practised in the same way as yoga. It can, however, be applied to all your day-to-day activities and therefore you can practise it in everything that you do (including while doing yoga!).
The one 'exercise' that you will be encouraged to do regularly is to lie down in 'semi-supine' (also known as the 'balanced resting state').
In addition, some Alexander Technique teachers will give you some procedures to do at home to help you apply the technique to specific issues or activities.
Should I be doing any other exercise while I am having Alexander Technique lessons?
The Alexander Technique can be applied to all activities, including exercise, so there is no reason that you should stop doing exercise. However, practising the technique will allow you think and move differently from how you did habitually before, and this will affect the way that you do your exercise and may also affect the kinds of exercise you choose to do.
If any activity causes strain or pain, an Alexander Technique teacher would advise you to stop doing it, or not to do it to that extreme. Also he/she may advise you to take a break completely from a particular form of exercise if he/she thinks you are damaging yourself by doing it. Each case is different, so it's best to talk to your teacher about the kinds of exercise you do, and if you experience any tension, strain or pain during or afterwards. As a general rule, pushing yourself too hard is unhealthy!
Should I be having any other kinds of treatment while I am having Alexander Technique lessons?
It's best to discuss with your Alexander Technique teacher the kinds of treatment you are having and whether they conflict with the practice of the technique in any way. If you haven't got a teacher yet, but you would like advice about this issue, please do get in touch.
