Hi SA, In my opinion massage does not really recognise the problem of bad use and will practically never provide more than temporary alleviation of the kind of tensions brought about by a case of the slumps for instance.
Yoga, particularly the more dynamic forms, with intelligent practice, will improve the overall use of the self but the practitioner is not presented with the opportunity to intercept the habitual response to a stimulus and will therefore never learn how to change the response. For a person able to go about their daily lives, then working in the typical way with a teacher guiding them in the simple act of standing and sitting in a chair is best, and a good teacher will help a keen pupil to work out and release most tensions over a course of sessions with that practice alone. However, most teachers also work with the student lying on a table; here the teacher can focus more on a specific part of the body and the pupil has more attention to spare since they no longer have to maintain their balance. Table work tends to veer towards therapy though, and the pupil lapses into a passive role. Chair work is more demanding of the pupil but they will learn how to use themselves quicker. Alexander technique doesn't really improve your cardio-vascular condition or help you get very supple like yoga (though it will help somewhat) and it isn't as much fun as massage (though you can feel as if you are floating after the first sessions) but it can become as Alexander titled one of his books 'The Universal Constant in Living' and form the foundation of whatever you do, be it yoga or massage. Glad you asked, -Peter On 17/10/2007, Heather Perella <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Interesting Peter. I read in wikipedia, good old > wiki, about Alexander and his technique. It seems his > technique targets certain habits. Massage and yoga > seem to be more general practices of relieving habits, > yet, even in these two, if one spot is particularly > tense then the practioner can focus on these areas. > Do you know if the Alexander technique introduces > general techniques where focus upon particular areas > can apply too? > I'll try to find out on the internet, but thought > I'd ask. > > SA > > > [Peter] > > I read that the only other person to receive both an > > Oscar and a Nobel prize > > was George Bernard Shaw. > > > > I don't know whether Shaw ever met John Dewey but I > > do know that, as adults > > and over many years, they both shared the same > > teacher, Frederick Mathias > > Alexander. > > > > Yes, Alexander was their teacher; he taught, them in > > the most pragmatic and > > experiential manner possible, that the self and the > > individual are one and > > showed them the immediate practical advantages for > > the individual of being > > in the moment. > > > > Apologies for this diversion but Al Gore > > unintentionally inspired me to > > bring F. M. Alexander to the attention of other > > MOQers. > > > > Regards > > > > -Peter > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > > Archives: > > > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
