Learn how the Alexander Technique helps you release tension, improve posture, and unlearn faulty sensory awareness for lasting ease.

Am I Getting It Right?

How Do I Know If I’m Doing It Right?

I’m often asked this by my Alexander Technique pupils, usually accompanied by a tilt of the head, a nod, or a little waggle – as if checking it out with themselves.

As a gentle observation, each tilt, nod, and waggle is an addition – just like fixing, stiffening, or trying too hard.

Without meaning to challenge, I wonder – what do you mean by “right”?

Often, we expect a particular feeling.

Do we feel better immediately? Not necessarily. A new way often feels unusual, odd, or different – simply because it isn’t our usual way.

Our habitual ways feel ‘natural’, right, so familiar. And yet can be unhelpful leading us to stress and strain, pain and limited movements – the very thing that brings people to me for help.

Decluttering the Mind and Body

I’ve been simplifying things in my home office lately – sorting through papers, restructuring my filing system, deciding what stays and what goes.

And as I sift through these papers more consciously, I realise I feel stressed seeing all this stuff – yet nothing has actually gotten worse – the papers have been here for a while. I put them here for a reason. This is just like our habits – we practice and repeat them as they are useful and helpful in the short term.

But now, with new perspectives and fresh awareness, I can look at a piece of paper and say:

✔ Yes, I need you.

✔ I’ll keep you for a while.

✔ No, I don’t need you anymore.

Some papers are forever, some are seasonal, and some are just for a short project.

But many can go.

So yes, it takes time – one by one, seeing each one, choosing: Stay or Go.

And the more I let go, the more I’m left with something valuable: space.

🌀 Space to move more easily. 🌀 Space to keep things clean more effortlessly. 🌀 Space to find things when I need them. 🌀 Space to enjoy what I have.

I reckon the Alexander Technique is a bit like this – decluttering, simplifying, minimising effort.

Could I hire someone to do it for me? Sure. Someone could toss things out, redesign the space to look Instagram‑perfect. But it wouldn’t hold the same meaning as what I thoughtfully curate for myself.

The Art of Choice

I wonder if I’ll ever get to the point of having every piece of paper precisely where it should be and own only exactly what I need – no more, no less.

Maybe not, but I’m enjoying the process.

I am in charge.

I am choosing.

And that’s enough.

Doing It Right

In Alexander’s discoveries, we learn the subtle art of conscious and intentional coordination – with the primacy of the head, neck, and spine.

So if you’re thinking delicately, intending and wishing for your head‑neck joint to be unclenched, unfixed, and free – this is already success.

You are creating the best conditions for the “right thing” to do itself.

Just Right – Like Goldilocks

So if you’re heading into the weekend and planning a little decluttering – whether in your home or within yourself – think about how you look after yourself first.

And then see what’s left.

✔ Just enough effort to do what you choose to do. ✔ Not too much stored‑up tension as you grit your way through. ✔ But also not flopping into uncoordinated relaxation.

Just like Goldilocks – not too much, not too little, just right attention to process.

Let me know if you find this helpful. If you’d like a buddy to sit with you as you sift through your movement patterns, I’d be happy to guide and accompany you as you practice.

Warm wishes

Lucy

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Good Posture and the Alexander Technique

How do I know when I’ve got good posture?

You don’t always know. Sometimes our internal “equipment” is faulty – FM Alexander called this Faulty Sensory Awareness. This means the sensations we rely on to judge posture can be misleading. What feels “right” may actually be reinforcing old habits.

The good news is that with time, patience, and guidance, you can slowly unlearn those old ways and replace them with better ones. In the Alexander Technique, good posture is not a fixed position. It is a direction – a process of allowing the head, neck, and spine to coordinate freely so the body can move with ease.

Is good posture about holding myself upright?

No. Trying to hold yourself upright often creates stiffness and tension. And to do so you’ll be using your outer movement muscles rather than the deeper postural muscles which have the stamina to do this job.

The Alexander Technique teaches that posture is dynamic, not static. It’s about releasing unnecessary effort of these moving muscles and letting natural alignment emerge.

What is Faulty Sensory Awareness?

Faulty Sensory Awareness is Alexander’s term for the way our nervous system can mislead us. Over time, we get used to certain patterns of tension, and they begin to feel “normal.” The Technique helps us pause, notice, and redirect so we can gradually restore a more accurate sense of ease and balance through practice.

How long does it take to improve posture with the Alexander Technique?

There is no quick fix, but people often have an Ah Ha moment in the first session and with consistent practice you can begin to notice positive changes within weeks. Over time, you build awareness and learn to choose better directions for movement. This process leads to lasting improvements in posture, breathing, and overall wellbeing.

Can the Alexander Technique help with anxiety or stress as well as posture?

Yes. Because posture and breathing are closely linked to the nervous system, learning to release tension and move with ease often reduces stress and anxiety. Many people find that the Technique supports both physical and emotional resilience. We are whole, and that is one fundamental truth we work with and work towards – wholeness.

If you are ready to work on releasing tension and better better posture, with ease, book your appointment now. https://lucyascham.com/whats-on/