Mind and Body Stress Relief With the Alexander Technique

This book presents an effective way to reduce physical, mental and emotional stress. Topics covered include worry, depression, insomnia and panic attacks. It is easy to understand and is suitable for those new to the Alexander Technique as well as those who have experience of it. The most common perception of the Alexander Technique is that it is simply a way to improve posture, or to alleviate back pain. Whilst it can be highly effective in both these respects, it has much broader potential benefits. F. Matthias Alexander, the progenitor of the technique, developed his unique method not only as a way of improving posture and physical health, but also as a route to freeing people from their 'fixed prejudices' and 'erroneous concepts', which he believed prevented them from being truly happy. Like the great philosophers Socrates, Plato and Hypocrites, Alexander realised that there is an inseparable unity between the body, the mind and the emotions and he was convinced that mental stress invariably led to muscle tension and emotional instability - and vice versa. Unlike many other books about the Alexander Technique, this book deals primarily with how the technique can help emotionally and mentally, as well as physically. The new 2011 ebook edition has been updated to include a summary of important new research reported in the British Medical Journal in 2008, which showed significant long-term benefits of the Alexander Technique to back sufferers. The useful addresses and further reading sections have also been updated with new websites and book titles. Illustrated with 21 line drawings.

Are you rushing through life as if it is something to be coped with rather than to be enjoyed? Is your body giving you warning signs of the mental and physical stress you are under? Typical symptoms of stress include backache, neck or shoulder tension, headaches, insomnia, frequent colds, asthma, digestive problems and high blood pressure. Being under stress can become a habit, making it hard to relax. It can also affect your breathing and bring on feelings of panic and anxiety. What can the Alexander Technique do for you? * Increase your self confidence. Stress tends to affect people with low self-esteem so that they feel unable to say 'no' even when they are already under pressure. The skills you learn will help you treat yourself with more care. * Alleviate symptoms of depression. When you learn to improve your posture you will gradually feel less in a 'slump' and more interested in life. * Make you less anxious. Learning how to breathe correctly will help you feel calm and centred, making it easier to concentrate and organise your life better. * Relax your body. Stress causes excessive muscular tension. You will learn how to release it and move through life with greater ease. * Build your emotional health. You will feel happier and more at ease with others as internal and external conflict is reduced In this book, author Richard Brennan shows us how to gain emotional, mental and spiritual balance in our lives using simple techniques to improve our posture, breathing and way of thinking.

Richard Brennan is an Alexander Technique teacher, author and Director of Training at the Alexander Technique Centre based in Galway, Ireland. Richard is the author of five books on the Alexander Technique which are translated into eight languages, and a further two books on the topic of stress. His new book on back pain, Back in Balance, is due for publication in 2013.