How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery

"Vineyard, founder and director of the Alexander Technique School of New England, presents a thorough introduction and guide to the posture and movement method that's been used for more than a century to improve performance, reduce chronic pain and heal injuries. In this volume, 'the first authoritative, comprehensive and all-new guide' to the technique in 20 years, Vineyard shows readers how understanding and improving habits of movement like 'head-neck coordination' and even sitting 'help you achieve self-mastery,' here defined as the 'self-understanding' and 'bodily control' needed to 'identify and release our harmful reactions to pain, fear, and anxiety.' The upshot: a healthier, more resilient mind and body. Through numerous case studies and a handful of exercises, Vineyard teaches self-awareness and the primary Alexander Technique skills: conscious inhibition-'quieting your inner conversation'-and 'directing,' a heightened sense of space and the body's place in it. Vineyard details the internal processes which govern movement, and the factors that lead to 'maladaptive change in muscle activity'; she also has tips for troubleshooting common problems like pain and weakness."--Publisher's Weekly.