As I mention my new Alexander Technique teaching practice to my friends, they keep asking me how is this different from what chiropractors do.
That’s easy. A chiropractor fixes you. Does stuff to you. Cracks you. You are passive. You lie on a table. You receive his treatment.
I do none of that. I help you become aware of your habits (needless
compression, tension) that will lead you to a chiropractor and the
like.
Another friend asks: “Is the Alexander Technique a physical manipulation or a mental consultation?”
The Technique is cognitively directed movement. A way of noticing your
reactions to stimuli and letting go of the ones that don’t serve you
(usually reactions of unnecessary tension and compression). So it is
both physical and mental because all movement starts first in the
mind… Actors, musicians and people in performance are the most
likely to take lessons in it.
