Mind and Body Stress Relief with the Alexander Technique

Mind and Body Stress Relief with the Alexander Technique sets out to explain not only how the Technique can alleviate physical stress, but how it can help to reduce mental and emotional stress as well. It is particularly helpful to those suffering from depression, panic attacks, anxiety and worry as it points the way to a very simple but powerful technique that has already helped many thousands of people. 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 prevent them from being truly happy. Like the great philosophers Socrates, Plato and Hippocrates, Alexander realised that there is an inseparable unity between the body, mind and emotions and he was convinced that mental stress will invariably lead to muscle tension and emotional instability and vice versa. Today, many view the Alexander Technique simply as a way of improving posture or of alleviating back pain. While it can be effective in both these respects, its full potential has still to be discovered by the majority of people. As far back as the beginning of the twentieth century Alexander could foresee that the world was heading towards the very serious problems which are apparent today. Even then it was very clear that the increasing pace of life was having a harmful effect on mankind, and today people are under a great deal more pressure, both at work and in their relationships at home, than ever before. There no longer seems to be enough time to enjoy the simple things in life, and as a result ill-health, unhappiness and worry often affect the quality of life. The technique Alexander developed is a powerful method of releasing the mental and emotional tension that can often build up when we are under stress. Many of the numerous physical problems from which we suffer today are caused directly by our harmful thought patterns, which can manifest as acute anxiety, worry, depression, boredom or irritability. Alexander devised his unique method as a way of combating the detrimental effects of stressful lifestyles which affect our psychological and emotional well-being. This book will therefore be of great interest to the increasing number of people who are trying to find a way of alleviating the stresses and strains that are becoming increasingly common in recent years. It will appeal particularly to those who face deadline after deadline at work, or to those who have an erratic or traumatic emotional life at home, or even to those who simply feel that their full potential as a conscious and joyful human being has yet to be achieved.