How to Explain the Alexander Technique to a Friend Who's Never Heard of It

Imagine you’ve just come out of an Alexander Technique lesson—feeling lighter, taller, calmer. You're walking differently and breathing more freely. Then a friend asks: “What exactly is that Alexander thing you do?”

Then you pause. Because explaining the Alexander Technique isn’t always easy. It’s not a treatment, it’s not an exercise routine and it’s not about standing up straight in the military sense, which anyone who has had an AT lesson will tell you is never going to work. So how can you talk about it in a way that makes sense without sounding vague or overly technical?

Here’s how I like to approach it when someone asks:

1. Start Simple: It’s About Awareness and Choice

I usually begin with something like:

“The Alexander Technique is a way of becoming more aware of how you move, sit, stand and respond to things so you can do these things with more ease and less tension. It’s about learning to do less of what’s getting in your way and more of what helps you feel at ease in your own body.”

Most people can relate to the feeling of holding tension in their shoulders or slumping at a desk. The Alexander Technique helps you notice these kinds of patterns more regularly and without judgement so you’re responding to situations with awareness, rather than reacting habitually.

2. Explain That It’s Not Therapy, It’s Education

This part helps set it apart from massage, physio, yoga or other disciplines that it may cross over with. You could say something like:

“It’s not a therapy, it’s more like learning a skill. You work with a teacher who helps you understand just how you’re using your body in everyday activities, then once you start noticing what you’re doing more regularly and more accurately, you can begin to do it differently, with greater efficiency and comfort.”

3. Use a Real-Life Example

Most people benefit from hearing about it's practical benefits, so try to tailor an example to an area they may have experience of. For instance:

“Let’s say you get a sore neck when you’re working at your computer. An Alexander teacher wouldn’t just tell you to sit up straight. They’d help you notice how you’re holding your neck, how you’re tightening your jaw, maybe even how you’re gripping the mouse. Then you learn to interrupt those habits, not by effort, but by paying attention and making different choices.”

That tends to make people realise

that it's like bringing mindfulness into movement. Then, to show it’s relevance, you might add:

“People take lessons for back pain, posture, performance anxiety or to improve how they move in sports, music or acting. It’s popular in music conservatoires and performing arts schools and also with people who just want to move and feel better.”

4. Let your own experience speak for itself

Alexander Technique lessons open your eyes to a new way of thinking and moving

Explaining the benefits you personally have enjoyed can speak volumes as it shows the impact the lessons have had and how the same might be relevant to the other person. That's usually enough to pique someone’s interest, without sounding like you’re preaching.

5. Final Thought

If your friend is curious, suggest they try a lesson. As much as you can hear about someone else's lessons, or read up on it, the Alexander Technique is something you really need to experience.

* If you know someone who is interested in taking an Alexander Technique lesson or coming for a Run SMART lesson, tell them to mention this blog and they will receive a £10 discount from their first lesson. *