Alexander’s technique of inhibition must also be described. When Alexander first discovered the new head, neck and back pattern and tried to maintain it in speaking, he found he could not do so. After much reasoning and experimentation, he finally reached the conclusion that there was an inseparable fusion between the idea of speaking and the body pattern always used in speaking. If he was to get rid of the old body pattern that had caused his voice trouble and substitute the new head, neck and back pattern when he spoke, he would have to get rid of the idea of speaking! He cut through this seemingly impossible impasse by some brilliant thinking. He ‘inhibited’ or said ‘no’ to the idea of speaking, and then focused his mind on each of the component parts of speaking, such as opening his mouth, saying a sound, saying a word, etc. In this way he was able to keep the thought of speaking out of his mind and yet do the things that resulted in speech. In this way, and with severe mental discipline, he was able to maintain the new head, neck and back pattern when he spoke or recited. This, indeed, is the bare bones of Alexander’s technique of ‘inhibition’.
Lulie Westfeldt (“F. Matthias Alexander – His Life and Work” – Chapter 2)