My complex relationship with the question, “What is the Alexander technique good for?”

When I became an Alexander Technique teacher, I always used to dread this question; “What is the Alexander Technique good for?”

Whenever somebody asked it, one of two things would happen. Either I would want them to understand everything about it that I did, which would take more time than either of us wanted to commit. So, I’d ramble on for a while about habit or faulty sensory perception until one of us lost the will to live and I’d stop talking.

Or, even though I don’t think it was what they intended, the question I would hear in my head was: “Condense all of your years of experience into a nice simple soundbite that will make sense to someone with absolutely no experience.” which, now that I think about it ended up more or less the same way.

Professions which involve mindfulness are tricky this way, mainly because in today’s hectic world, mindfulness and its benefits are outside the realm of most people’s experience. What ends up happening, is that these wonderfully deep and profound practices are squeezed into limiting, ill-fitting pigeon holes.

Yoga becomes that thing which is good for improving flexibility and looking good in lycra on Instagram. Meditation is limited to being a way to deal with stress and anxiety…