Table of Contents

Testimonials... Table of Illustrations I.    Introduction II.    Introduction to the Alexander Technique III.    Introduction to the Self-Experiments PART 1:  HOW DO YOU MOVE?  TALES FROM THE BEGINNING     1.  Surprising Observations         John, Part One     2.  A Malfunctioning Locomotor System         Erin, Part One     3.  How Did We Get This Way? From Fish to Horse to Biped     4.  Standing on Two Legs: The Biped’s Challenge         SELF-EXPERIMENTS             A.  Rest Your Back                 Semi-supine                 Prone             B.  Motion and Mind                 How You Move                 Can You Change?                 Noticing Your Habit                 Your Mind-Body Connection PART 2:   HOW DO YOU FEEL?  THE MIND-BODY LINK     5.  A Sense of Feeling     6.  Feelings Gone Wrong         Gary         Betty, Part One     7.  The Feeling of Fear         How We Perceive Danger     8.  Fear’s Body-Mind         In the Grip of Fear         A Threatening Injury         The Shrinking World of Pain     9.  Anxiety and Performance         Bruce, Part One     10.  Attention, Awareness, and Conscious Inhibition         Bruce, Part Two PART 3:  HOW DO YOU THINK? THE MIND CHANGES EVERYTHING     11.  A Fine Day in London with Nothing to Feel     12.  Finding The Thinking Mind         The Light in the Attic         Surprises and Beliefs     13.  Believing Is Not Seeing     14.  The Difference that Inhibition Makes         Erin, Part Two     15.  You Have a Helper         SELF-EXPERIMENTS             C.  How to Inhibit                 Quieting Your Inner Conversation                 Turning on Your Prefrontal Cortex                 Thinking with Meaning                 The Positive “No”                 Conscious Inhibition             D.  Acts of Inhibition                       Stop Moving                       Thinking of Not Doing                       Letting Your Helper Do It                       Letting Go of Belief PART 4:  SPACE AND DIRECTION: OUR HIDDEN SENSE     16.  Fewer Words, More Space         Cleo         Meghan     17.  More Problems with Feelings         Nathan         Nancy     18.  Balance and Coordination     19.  A New Way of Moving         Brian         Betty, Part Two         SELF-EXPERIMENTS             E.  How to Direct                 Think of a Cube                 Up-Down, Wide, Forward-Back                 Putting Directions Together                 Turning Your Head                 Forward and Up                 Thinking Names of Body Parts                 Alexander’s Directions             F.  Moving with Inhibition and Direction                 Bending Your Leg                 Moving Forward and Back                 Standing and Sitting PART 5:  TOUCH: OUR FORGOTTEN SENSE     20.  Touching the Heart         Sam         What is it About Touch?     21.  The Teacher’s Hands PART 6:  CONSCIOUSNESS:  OUR NEWEST SENSE     22.  Pain-Free and Moving Again         John, Part Two     23.  An Incredible Lightness of Being         Erin, Part Three     24.  Speaking from My Self         Greg     25.  Self-Mastery: Connection         SELF-EXPERIMENTS             G.  Strengthen Your Back                 Neck Extensors                 Neck and Back Extensors             H.  Self-Mastery Every Day                 Exercise                 Sports                 Practice and Performance                 Anxiety                 Pain                 How You Live         Appendix: How to Find A Teacher         Glossary         Notes         Bibliography         Acknowledgments         Index