Relief from Back Pain, Neck Tension & Poor Posture

Whatever your age or ability, the Alexander Technique can help boost your performance and relieve the pain and stress caused by postural habits.

Unlike exercise or physical therapy, AT doesn't add something new — it helps you unlearn the habits that are causing your pain. The technique teaches the appropriate amount of effort for each activity, giving you more energy and less strain.

How It Works

Coordination and poise rely on the natural balance of the head, neck, and back — what F.M. Alexander called "The Primary Control." The Technique works through re-establishing this natural balance to promote easy upright posture and efficient functioning.

Most of us, after the age of 3 or 4, learn tension patterns that interfere with the natural ease we all had as children. These patterns become so habitual they feel normal — yet they limit our movements and cause pain.

Alexander Technique for Back Pain

Back pain is the single most common reason people come to see me. Most have already tried physical therapy, chiropractic, massage, or pain medication — and while those approaches may help temporarily, the pain keeps returning.

That's because most treatments address where the pain is, not why it's there. The Alexander Technique is different: it helps you identify and change the habitual movement patterns that create and sustain your pain.

This isn't a fringe idea. A landmark randomized controlled trial published in the British Medical Journal (the ATAS trial, 579 patients) found that participants who took 24 Alexander Technique lessons experienced significantly fewer days of back pain compared to those receiving standard medical care — and the benefits lasted for years.

In my own practice, I've seen people who suffered for decades find lasting relief — not because I "fixed" them, but because they learned to stop doing the things that were causing their pain in the first place. Learn more about my approach to chronic pain →

Posture Correction That Actually Lasts

If you've ever been told to "sit up straight" or "pull your shoulders back," you already know it doesn't work for long. Within minutes you're back to slouching, and now you're annoyed at yourself on top of it.

That's because forcefully holding yourself in a "correct" position is just replacing one kind of tension with another. The Alexander Technique takes the opposite approach: instead of adding effort, it helps you release the tension that's pulling you out of alignment in the first place.

As those habitual tension patterns dissolve, your posture naturally improves — without effort, without constant reminders, and without the stiffness that comes from trying to hold a position. Many of my clients describe it as feeling "taller" and "lighter" after just a few sessions.

Tech Neck & Desk Work Relief

Hours spent hunching over a laptop, craning your neck toward a screen, or tensing your shoulders while typing take a real toll. "Tech neck" — the forward-head, rounded-shoulder posture that comes from screen time — is one of the most common issues I see in my Watertown practice.

The problem isn't your desk setup (though that matters too). The problem is that your body has learned to hold tension patterns during screen work that persist even when you step away. Ergonomic adjustments help, but they can't undo the habits your nervous system has already locked in.

The Alexander Technique teaches you to notice when you're tensing up at your desk — and to release that tension in real time. My clients who work at desks often report that their neck pain, headaches, and shoulder tension diminish significantly within a few weeks of lessons.

Who Comes to See Me

What to Expect

Sessions are typically 45-60 minutes. You'll remain fully clothed while I guide you through simple movements — sitting, standing, walking — using verbal cues and gentle hands-on contact.

This isn't a series of treatments or exercises, but a re-education of the mind and body. Over time, you'll develop awareness that stays with you long after our sessions end.

See It in Action

Anna at Work

Practicing "active resting"

Working with athletes on balance and poise

Working with musicians

Kids are the best!

What Clients Say

Frequently Asked Questions

Why in-person lessons make all the difference

The Alexander Technique is fundamentally a hands-on practice. In a face-to-face lesson, a teacher's gentle, skilled guidance communicates directly with your nervous system in a way that words and a screen simply cannot replicate. Through touch, your teacher can detect subtle patterns of tension, offer real-time feedback as you move, and help you experience improved coordination in the moment — often before you are even consciously aware of the change. This quality of direct, embodied learning is at the heart of what makes AT so effective, and it is best absorbed in person.