Mind and Body Stress Relief With the Alexander Technique by Richard Brennan

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.