Customer Reviews

Fitness Without Stress: A Guide to the Alexander Technique

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I count myself extremely fortunate to have been given a copy of this book by a friend late last year. I had read a few other books about the Alexander Technique, but this one got me to actually phone a local teacher and take a series of 15 lessons. The severe shoulder, wrist and neck pains I'd been experiencing for years are now almost all gone - those lessons I count as the best investment I ever made in my own well-being.

If you have chronic aches and pains, by all means investigate this method. Fitness Without Stress will tell you all you need to get started. I'm about to buy a couple of copies for my older children who I think could benefit from this method.

I had heard about the Alexander Technique and its benefits from several colleagues, but couldn't for the life of me understand what it was all about. I'd also read a couple of articles but was still mystified. Them someone suggested I read "Fitness Without Stress" and I finally began to understandwhat the Alexander Technique was all about.The book is clearly written and begins in a way that makes a lot of sense to me - by comparing and contrasting the approach of the Alexander Technique to that of most fitness programs in vogue today.Another thing I liked about the book was the inclusion of several personal accounts. The book also provides information on where to go if you want to take a lesson or a workshop, or if you want to read more in depth about the Technique.This is a great "first read" about the Alexander Technique. Be forwarned though: it is not a do-it-yourself book. (In my experience with the Alexander Technique teaching process, which began after I read the book some five years ago, you really do need the help of a skilled teacher to get started in most cases.)

This is the book to read first if you don't know anything about F.M. Alexander and the Alexander Technique. And if you DO know something of the Technique, it's a great book to give to friends or relatives who are curious about it. My 85 year-old grandmother read it and said, "That's the first time I understood why you're taking lessons." (That after almost a year of trying to explain it to her myself!)

...not for the author, but for "the technique." If you're fit and looking to perfect your abilities, don't look here. I'm well experienced in weightlifting and the resulting body awareness, plus physical therapy to boot. So I'm looking for a bit of refinement. But no dice..

See, the author just claims over and over the idea "you need to find a teacher." He can't even describe what the "Alexander technique" is! Granted some things are best left for experience, but how about a general idea? A hint of why I should bother to see a teacher?

And even if I was fully knowlegable in this mysterious "technique," this book does does not show how to apply it to any type of physical fitness, as the title wrongly implies.

So keep clicking, there's got to be better stuff out there..

The Alexander Technique had made an amazing difference in the lives of my wife and myself. My wife suffered from severe backpain for over 20 years and after a few months of lessons, they've pretty much all gone. My own neck and shoulder discomfort took a little longer, but it too is largely a thing of the past.One of the things that impresses me most about the Alexander Technique is it's simplicity and down-to-earth practicality. Rickover's book is, I believe, the best place to find out about it.

This is the one book about the Alexander Technique that made sense to me and convinced me to have lessons. I had back and neck problems that my doctor was unable to help me with, except with painkillers that just covered up the problem. I had read a couple of other books about the Technique, but they just didn't make sense to me. Rickover's book is written in a no-nonsense style that showed me that the Technique is really a very practical process that I could learn to use for my own benefit. I'm happy to say I'm now almost completely pain-free and never have to resort to pain killers anymore!

I am eternally grateful to have discovered the Alexander Technique two years ago. I had horrible back problems and was about to undergo surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. I stumbled upon Fitness Without Stress at a friend's house and once I started it, I couldn't put it down - it just made so much sense to me. I found a local teacher and after just a few weeks of lessons, my doctor said I didn't need surgery!

If you have any kind of stress-related condition find out about the Alexander Technique. This is a great place to start.

I think the Alexander Technique is one of the least-understood mind/body approaches,and one that deserves a lot more attention. I think part of the problem is the unique nature of the Technique, making it hard to put into an established category. Part is also due to the obsurity of much that has been written about it.

I found this book to be very clear and readable. I had already had some experience with the Alexander Technique and I credit it with helping improve my breathing capacity which had seriously deteriorated with age and years of mis-using my body. Within just a few lessons, I noticed quite a siginificat change and now I can climb stairs and walk for miles without any problem.

This is an easy-to-read introduction to a topic that, from my own personal experience, is of great importance to anyone suffering from stress-related conditions. Lessons in the Alexander Technique have transformed my life and that of my son, who was badly injured in a car crash.

As some of the other reviewers have mentioned, this book does not attempt to "teach the Alexander Technique" - which is probably just as well since I doubt it can be taught from a book. You really need a trained teacher.

But what this book does - and does extremely well - is explain some of the underlying ideas of the Techhnique in a very clear, direct way. I see it as a book to read if you've heard something about the Technique and want to find out more before taking lessons.