New for Autumn– Twice monthly workshops!

Starting September 9th or 10th, I will be running two workshops each month on either the 2nd Tuesday or Wednesdaay evening from 7.15 to 8.45 (Doors open 7, last out 9) and on the 4th Sunday, starting September 28th at 2.15 to 3.45 (Doors open 2 and last out 4.)

Venue: either the Yoga Loft or Oxford House Creative Hub. Both have easy parking at these times.

Cost? FREE for your first workshop. So it is a very easy, no pressure introduction to the technique, and you can still have a first free, no obligation 1 to 1 lesson to find out if this could be for you. After your first workshop, the following ones will probably be £15 each, though with discounts available depending on circumstances.

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Article for
ATI ExChange

My article:

Using NLP and Positive Reinforcement to teach the Alexander Technique

Has now been published in the May 2025 edition of ExChange, the in-house magazine of
Alexander Technique International
The pdf version is here: ATI_Exchange_May2025_Using-NLP

Please note that this is written for Alexander Technique teachers, so it is a bit technical and has a bit of jargon. However, feel free to read it. It is a summary of how I can now teach what took me over five years to learn in about ten weeks to most people.

I will also be presenting my methods to the triennial International Alexander Technique Congress in Dublin, this August 2025.

The Alexander Technique–
Far More than Posture and Health

Most people have heard about the Alexander Technique via a friend or maybe an article. If this is you, it is likely you came here to deal with posture or health, particularly back pain. If you are an actor, singer, musician, dancer or a sports person, you may have come here to improve your performance. The technique is excellent for all of these, but its scope reaches far further, as the bold claims above imply. How is this?

Natural State

The technique is actually a way of getting back to the natural relaxation, poise, coordination and liveliness that most of us had as a young toddler. It takes us back to the freedom, efficiency of movement and alertness of naturally living animals: cats, despite being partially domesticated, are an excellent role model.

It is based on 

• • • • Getting rid of background tension, which most of us have been unknowingly and very gradually accruing since about age three, 
      • Keeping our awareness open (a practical form of mindfulness) and 
      • Bypassing unhelpful ingrained habits of movement, alignment and even thinking, which again have built up since childhood

So the technique improves posture, not by giving the usual advice such as “shoulders back” etc or by giving exercises for “core strength”- most people have plenty of that working in the wrong direction… but by getting you to let go of the background tension that pulls people out of line and by putting aside the mental and physical habits which distort our natural poise, alignment and coordination. It is not doing something extra to improve things… It is UNDOING what has been causing the poor posture in the first place.

In the case of health, back pain for instance, a person may or may not be able to maintain what they think of as good posture, but the extra background tension in their body will be compressing their spine and causing the muscles that are trying to keep them upright, to have to work harder. Relieve this tension and the habits associated with it– and the pain is highly likely to reduce, even where there has been an injury or a ‘slipped disc.’ (See the 2008 research into improving back pain, published in the British Medical Journal.) The same principle applies to all structures and organs of the body: stop excess tension and unhelpful habits and it reduces strain, wear and tear, excess toxins and waste products from damaged tissues, and excess work for all our organs.

Want Zen? No need to sit cross legged!

A Thinking Experiment

Sit normally in an upright chair.

Think of your neck being soft, calm and relaxed.

(It doesn’t have to feel that way, just think of what that would be like.)

Think of the back of your head releasing away from the rest of your body.

(it doesn’t have to, avoid deliberately making it release, just think of the idea of it, though it is ok if you notice that it does release.)

And think of the rest of your head being buoyant and also rising away from the floor, as if it is lifting your body

You will usually find that you naturally start to sit up a bit more upright.

We achieve the benefits of the technique, not by doing things, trying to sit, stand or move in specific ways, but by specific ways of thinking. This experiment demonstrates how we can relax, change our posture and influence our bodies, just by thinking!  Try it on someone else as well and watch the changes.

Quicker Easier More Affordable and Here in Plymouth Now!

All this is available, easily and quickly here in Plymouth, Devon, right now.

I am David Owen, and I have been teaching the Alexander Technique for over 35 years. From very early on, I was led by a set of circumstances to refine my teaching, so that what took me about five years to learn, I can teach to most people in about 10 one hour lessons.

New Development – New Site

Whereas the workings of the technique have seemed mysterious or confusing to many, I have learned how to help you to understand it clearly and apply it quickly and easily. This makes it much more affordable and accessible to far more people.

Because of this, I have decided to make my teaching methods available to other teachers. This means that many more people will be able to rapidly and easily learn and get the wonderful benefits of the technique, than I would be able to teach myself. I call my teaching system Loosen Up. As part of this development, I have reserved my original site LoosenUp.org (Opens in a new page) as a resource for teachers and as information for potential pupils beyond my reach. This means that Alexander Technique Plymouth is a new site as of Spring 2025, to serve the people of Plymouth and nearby.

I have now written an article for ExChange, the in-house magazine of the Alexander Technique International organisation. And I am also booked to give  workshops at the triennial International Alexander Technique Congress this coming August in Dublin.

Core Principles

And although some people have tried to simplify the technique to make it more accessible, I believe some of them have missed out many of the most important principles or missed the point entirely. I myself was taught by some of the most conscientious, thorough and respected teachers in the world and I have been rigorous in keeping to the core principles which are otherwise so easy to gloss over or fudge.

I am also a trauma and diversity informed practitioner, with 35 years of experience and I understand how to support peoples’ various access accommodations.

How I Work

I recommend 2 sessions per week for two weeks to get you as relaxed as possible, as quickly as possible, and to coach you to stay alert, and to learn how to set aside unwanted habits. 

I then space out lessons to once per week, where I mostly teach you to trust and stay out of the way of your natural poise and coordination while sitting or standing or moving. 

I then wean you off being tempted to rely on me as I space sessions further apart. Here I teach you how to apply the technique to all areas of your life. I teach you to internalise the lessons and principles and generate those principles within yourself, so that you are self reliant and no longer need me or any other teacher. You are obviously still welcome to build on this basis with me or any other teacher, especially if you have specific applications or challenges, but you will be self-sufficient with all the basics.

You are welcome to a one hour free session. There I will demonstrate some of the principles of the technique and assess you, your health, your situations and your needs. I will then adapt my teaching to your circumstances if you choose to continue with me. 

For many people, the processes are similar. Some people take longer to let go of background tension, especially older people or those in pain, and for these people, I also have to ease them out more gradually and carefully. For others, they are already more loose and relaxed than most, and I can more quickly move on to fine tuning their poise and coordination and applying them to specific applications that they want to develop. Some people have become collapsed and I have to use more encouragement for their poise to reassert itself and draw them into alignment. And for some people, I need to attend to their particular needs and accommodations. Though, however different people are, I adapt to them and yet give them the whole benefits of the technique.

Do You Want to Have Alexander Lessons?

So did you come here already knowing you wanted to have Alexander Technique lessons? In which case you have come to the right place.

Call me, preferably on my mobile 07791 930028 at any reasonable time to enquire or arrange an appointment.

If you want to find out if the technique is suitable for you, I am happy to give you a free one hour consultation, assessment and quick demonstration.

I charge £60 per lesson or £500 for a course of 10 lessons, so long as the balance is paid by the seventh lesson.

I usually work from a yoga studio near the middle of Plymouth with parking nearby and can be flexible about when and also where I work. For instance, I can travel to you if you have mobility or transport difficulties. This is free within 10 miles of the centre of Plymouth and I only charge a modest mileage fee beyond that. See my Lessons & Classes page for fuller details.

If you are not yet clear that you want to learn the technique with me, feel free to read the rest of this site or even phone me to find out if I can help you any further.