Fitness Without Stress: A Guide to the Alexander Technique

Rating:
Summary: A long advertising slot..
Review: ...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..

Rating:
Summary: Short and to the point.
Review: A concise introduction to Alexander's ideas and to his Technique.

The language is direct and to the point with a minimum of jargon.
I've purchased copies for friends who've asked me what this "strange" thing I'm studying is and most have found it useful.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best resources for new students.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best resources for new students.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Still the best book on the subject.
Review: Fitness Without Stress has been around for awhile now - there are more elaborate books now, with lots of photos, and some of them are very good. But for my money, this book still does the best job of explaining what the Alexander Technique is ( and is NOT!) in a way that can be easily understood.

It was my first read on the subject, and I frequently find myself lending my copy out to friends who have expressed an interest in the Technique. I also send it as a gift to people I know in other cities who might be interested.

Definitely worth a read!

Rating:
Summary: This book is an excellent introduction.
Review: 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.)

Rating:
Summary: A good start to learning about this method.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Very nice job!
Review: Rickover has succeeded where others have failed in making the essential ideas of the Alexander Technique available in clear, everyday language.

I seriously injured myself at the height of the aerobics craze and after years of trying everything from chiropractic to surgery (all of which cost big, big $ and did no good) I finally found an Alexander teacher who, in just a few lessons, helped me to be almost completely pain free. Best of all, she showed me how I could look after myself and not be dependant on therapists or doctors.

If you're concerned about your body's fitness, buy this book!

Rating:
Summary: good for introductory education only
Review: Though not (yet) a student of the Alexander Technique, I am a proponent, agreeing with the holistic aspect of the underpinning philosophy and knowing individuals who have been helped by Alexander lessons. But as I read and learn more about it, I encounter a problematic pattern with books on the subject that is true of Fitness Without Stress -- namely an underlying defensiveness as it argues the benefits of the technique. Given the benefits of the Technique yet its lack of broad acceptance in the medical community, the defensive stance is perhaps understandable, but it needn't be proffered: those who come to the Technique with a genuine desire to learn, understand and practice its principles will see a benefit, it seems. Since those picking up books on Alexander's methods will likely be doing so of genuine interest, having exhausted other psychophysical methods available to them, it becomes a case of trying to convince proponents.

Though I fully concede that the benefits of a method like the Alexander Technique can only be gained through direct experience, the subtitle of Rickover's book, "A Guide to the Alexander Technique," will be misleading of this fact for the beginner. A better subtitle would have been "An Introduction to the Alexander Technique," for the book does provide a decent synopsis of the history, applicability and benefits of the method, as well as helpful information on locating a qualified teacher.

The Technique, I concede, is difficult to describe, making the challenge of writing about it a formidable one. By its very nature, the Technique escapes exact description and, because it is necessarily an individualized practice, defies summation in a listing of generally applicable methods.

I bought this book initially hoping for some pointers on making my workouts more efficient and graceful, and for that, was completely disappointed. But I should have known better, given the little I do know about the Technique: a teacher is needed. No tips on incorporating Alexander methods into one's exercise regimen could be usefully described in a book, so in this sense, Rickover has not at all failed. And he does successfully make explicit some important features of the philosophy underlying the Technique: the holistic nature of it, that the body must be considered to act (and manifest pains and motion) as an integrated whole, and that there is a choice between stimulus and response; that, as rational human beings, we can effect changes in our patterns of bodily use.

Rickover has also, commendably, gone to the trouble of inserting a recent update of current addresses for professional societies, as well as his personal contact information. So, all told, not what I was looking for, but certainly what I should have expected, and a good introduction to the Technique for those not yet involved in lessons.