The Alexander Technique (AT) is about how we look after ourselves in the face of the stimuli around us, and reversibility is a useful framework for seeing how we are getting on in that endeavour. Simply speaking, reversibility is the ability to reverse or ‘undo’ a particular movement at any moment along the way.

While this may seem like a simple – even pointless – idea, it conceals a skillset. In the words of Todd Hargrove, reversibility implies

the ability to move in ANY direction with a minimum of hesitation or preparation. In other words, if you can go back where you came from, you could probably go in any other direction as well. [Moshé] Feldenkrais considered this quality of preparedness to move anywhere as the ultimate goal of movement training, an ideal state of affairs which represents the highest level of physical organization.

Although reversibility is not a term in the AT lexicon, it is relevant. One example is its similarity to the ‘crossroads’ FM Alexander explained when tackling unwanted habits: to go on and gain an end, do nothing at all, or do something different (you can see my cartoon explanation of this here).

More than that, however, I think reversibility brings to light aspects of AT which other concepts cannot. This applies in particular to insights from modern movement science. This article will therefore look at three aspects which demonstrate how useful a framework it is, these being:

Reversibility and reduced tension

Moshé Feldenkrais wrote that a ‘too-strong wish for the aim often causes internal tension’ (1972/1990 p.82). This is similar to the AT concept of ‘end-gaining’ which AT seeks to overcome.

In this regard, reversing a movement presents us with an opportunity. It helps us observe the introduction of unwanted tension into an activity we’re focused on.

For example,

I’m sitting on a bicycle, about to set off. As I lift one foot to the pedal I notice that I’ve hunched my shoulders. If I bring my foot back onto the ground, can I now un-hunch my shoulders? What if I repeat this movement a few times – doing and ‘undoing’ it – so that I ‘see’ in my mind’s eye the pattern of tension in my shoulders that I keep introducing?

The kind of reversibility described can go alongside the actual work of AT, which is the attempt to inhibit an unnecessary reaction to a stimulus. In fact, AT practitioners will often work in this way. For example, they might guide a seated client into hinging forward at the hip joints, check any unnecessary tension in the neck, and then guide them back again – repeating the process several times.

Another example – one that is almost universal it seems – is the tendency to hold one’s breath (or breathe shallowly) while working at a screen. The term ‘screen apnea’ has been coined to describe it, and it’s been the subject of a recent NPR podcast.

Similarly, then, can I ‘see’ the phenomenon of screen apnea take place as I begin to work at a screen? Can I do it, and undo it, a few times, noticing as I do the overall pattern of tension that I’ve associated with this activity? Again, reversibility in this situation prepares the ground for being able to find a way to prevent such reactions in future.

Reversibility and psychological freedom

Embodied cognition describes how our thinking is shaped by the state or configuration of our bodies. For example, a well-tested and surprising finding is that consumers tend to purchase more when they’re pushing around supermarket trolleys with parallel handles, compared to pushing trolleys with horizontal handles (retailers interested in their bottom line – take note). The reason given is that the former tend to activate arm flexor muscles and the latter arm extensor muscles.

Given such effects, playing with reversibility is bound to affect our psychological state by loosening the hold that a particular stimulus has on us. For example, you might try

I’m reaching for the cookie jar, and now I’m not.
I’m reaching for my smartphone, and now I’m not.

In a psychological sense, if we cannot reverse an action, then we are simply compelled to do it. The sources of that compulsion are various: (perceived) necessity, habit, addiction, fear, social pressure, responsibility, obligation and so on.

In contrast, reversibility implies that we are not after all compelled. It means that we have psychological freedom in relation to the stimulus. Whilst time cannot be reversed (unless you know something I don’t), I do think reversibility changes our experience of time. In this way, it is similar to the AT principle of non-doing. The author Robert Poynton gives us a flavour of this:

Poynton Do Pause you are not a to do list

By designing pauses for yourself, you have a hand in crafting how you experience time. This weakens the sense that your life is governed by an external, mechanical beat, set by someone else (or by a device) and allows you to move at a rhythm that is more your own.

Poynton, R. (2019)

The emphasis in AT is on pausing, not reversing, in the face of a stimulus, but both seem to open up greater psychological freedom. Research has detailed the greater feelings of control and self-efficacy that can flow from the AT process. Here is a very personal example:  

the Alexander Technique made me aware for the first time of how I was reacting to life. It gave me a choice. By refusing to tighten my shoulders, for example, I no longer felt so crushed by the world … As a result, I felt better and gradually I no longer felt a victim at the mercy of random black thoughts or moods. As I continued to feel better, so my responses to the world became lighter and less circumscribed and I felt myself to be on a positive feedback loop rather than a negative one.

Hatton, D. (2015)

Reversibility and balanced movement

Finally, reversibility is a useful test of how balanced we are when we’re moving.

Certain movements are never going to be truly reversible (in the sense of being able to stop and reverse at any moment). These are typically ballistic ‘thrown’ movements which begin with a burst of muscle activity for acceleration, continue under their own momentum, and then sometimes end with a burst of muscle activity for deceleration. Examples of these non-reversible movements include jumping, running, hitting or doing a forward roll. Try reversing a jump half-way – it can’t be done!

In contrast, reversibility will always be possible for movements which involve very little momentum, as long as our centre of mass stays above our base of support (for example, our two feet). Think, for example, of the refined movement of a Tai Chi grand master who will pause or change direction instantaneously. Scientists describe such low-momentum movements as ‘quasistatic’ because all forces inside and outside the body remain approximately balanced throughout.

We can term such movements ‘balanced movements’, and what’s relevant here is that there is an argument for incorporating them more often into our everyday activities, i.e.:

balanced vs momentum based movement

Given the devastating risks of falls in old age, developing balanced movement for more of the time we’re on the planet is a crucial skill. Not only that, balanced movements result in less stress and wear-and-tear on our bodies. Unlike momentum-based movements, they are intrinsically smooth because no sudden forces are applied from inside or outside the body.

As mentioned above, reversibility can be the test of our success in balanced movement. I’ve included three great examples to practise below: walking up and down stairs, everyday walking and standing up from a chair.

Activity 1: Walking up and down stairs

Walking up and down stairs is one of the best tests of balanced movement because it is slow enough to become almost entirely momentum-free. For most people, this activity is definitely not a balanced one, and so to reduce the risk of falls, we should encourage everyone to develop this skill.

Therefore, next time you have to go upstairs, test out your skill in a fun way. See whether you can pause at any moment, carry on, or reverse your movement.

Walking downstairs in this way is also possible. It is a little more challenging because it involves ‘eccentric’ contraction. However, this means that walking downstairs also has other health benefits compared to going upstairs.

Activity 2: Everyday walking

Next, there’s everyday walking on a flat surface. Efficient walking uses momentum – most obviously in the way each leg swings forward – but for walking to be well balanced, our centre of mass must remain well within the base of support of the standing leg (we spend around 40% of our time on one leg while walking). For this to happen, we mustn’t collapse or incline the torso forwards, and our weight may need to stay back a little further than most people are used to. If you explore reversibility while walking, you’ll find this to be the case.

With reversibility, you can practise the walking cycle while remaining entirely balanced. First, slow down your walking so that you can pause at any moment. Once you’ve paused on your standing leg, now lightly move your free leg forwards and backwards a few times as follows:

foot in front (flat on the ground and not taking any weight)
toes behind (not taking any weight)
foot in front (not taking any weight)
toes behind (not taking any weight)
foot in front (not taking any weight)

– and then push off slowly from your standing leg to carry on walking. The similarity with salsa dancing is entirely coincidental.

Activity 3: Standing up from a chair

Is it possible to stand up from a chair using very little momentum?

The following very short video compares someone using a momentum-based strategy on the left with someone using a balanced movement (≈ zero momentum) strategy on the right. On the left, there is a sudden increase in foot force and forward velocity. On the right, there is a continuous smooth matching of contact forces in real time.

One way we can tell that we are watching a balanced movement is that, if the movement/ video were reversed, it would still look natural. Reversing the movement of the individual on the left would look decidedly odd; however, the individual on the right would look like someone sitting down in a slow and balanced way.

The advantages of a balanced movement strategy in this situation are pretty obvious. We are taking care of our musculoskeletal system by preventing a sudden drop into the chair or an exaggerated lurch out of it. It means we can stay in balance no matter the height of the chair, or even if there isn’t one (in which case we’d just end up squatting). And if for some reason we’ve misjudged the height of the chair, there will be no sudden shocks to the system.

Conclusion: Connection between reversibility and AT

In the video accompanying the final activity described above, the participant on the left had not had AT training, and the participant on the right had had extensive AT training. The video therefore demonstrates the links between AT, balanced movement and reversibility.

It is important to emphasize, however, that AT does not focus directly on reversibility or even balance. Reversibility is instead a by-product of AT processes, and scientists investigating AT have instead researched areas such as the effects of AT on the adaptability of muscle tone.

Nevertheless, I suggest knowledge of the phenomenon of reversibility is power. As I hope I’ve demonstrated above, it represents a helpful framework for both clarifying AT concepts and testing out how our journey down the AT path is going.

Further reading

Cacciatore, T. and Johnson, P., ‘The Physics of Sit-to-Stand’ https://alexandertechniquescience.com/biomechanics/the-physics-of-sit-to-stand/. Accessed 7 Jul 2024.

Feldenkrais, M. (1972, 1991) Awareness Through Movement: Easy-To-Do Health Exercises to Improve Your Posture, Vision, Imagination, and Personal Awareness. London: Thorsons.

Hatton, D. ‘Where are your emotions?’ https://daskahatton.co.uk/articles-about-complementary-therapy/2015/03/where-are-your-emotions. Accessed Mar 2023.

Poynton, R. (2019) Do pause: You are not a to-do list. London: The Do Book Company.