I am an Alexander Technique teacher. I have only had one Feldenkrais lesson, but it was a very positive experience for me. I was astonished by how similar the two techniques are – it seemed that we were teaching exactly the same thing, but from a slightly different angle. Curious about the differences, I asked the Feldenkrais teacher what principles that method is based on. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “In Feldenkrais, the only principle is that there are no principles.” To me, this was a clear elucidation of the fundamental difference between the two systems, because the Alexander Technique is explicitly based on a handful of universal principles discovered by F.M. Alexander.

I like to add that every teacher teaches according to his/her own experience and knowledge. For instance, I find that the way I teach is in many ways much closer to the description above of the Feldenkrais method than what the writer experienced from his AT teacher; my understanding of AT is definitely about self-exploration and seeing the habit as something that can evolve into something positive. I also do much more than chairwork, including a very wide range of other possible activities and movements in my lessons, according to the student’s interest and desire.

It is important to remember that a method or a technique is only a limited means for the teacher to transmit a deeper understanding of greater importance. There are great AT teachers, and there are great Feldenkrais teachers (and not-so-great ones in both fields, too!). If a teacher has a real understanding of the essential underlying unity and goodness of all things, that is what will be transmitted, regardless of the form he/she chooses to use. Then, it is up to the student to be open to receiving the message and doing what he/she wants with it.

Do you know if it is common for the “facet joints” to have problems? They are moving all the time I just wondered.