The Mitzvah Principle was discovered by M. Cohen-Nehemia, an established Alexander Technique Teacher. As a member of the Inbal Dance Troupe in Israel, he had become concerned about the pattern of pain and injury in dancers that originated in postural faults and the consequent misuse of the body. Through his observation of the nomadic Bedouin of the Sinai Desert he realized that good posture was a natural phenomenon. The body is actually designed with a corrective mechanism that works with gravity to realign and rebalance the entire neoro-muscular and skeletal system with every move and each step that we take.

He called this mechanism, which is also apparent in young children, the Mitzvah Principle. When activated it triggers an upward motion that lengthens the spine, expands the chest, widens the back, and results in the free balancing of the head on the spine. The Mitzvah Principle is associated with a wide range of health benefits.

Mitzvah is a Hebrew word means "A good deed returning good to the doer"