The second volume created from the recordings of Walter Carrington's talks to his students at Lansdowne Road.

The blurb on the back says...

Since this is the second volume of Walter Carrington's lectures to his students, the back cover is devoted to praise of the first volume, Thinking Aloud

I was impressed by Carrington's book which is quite the best description of the Alexander Technique I have ever read, and I think I have read them all.

Robertson Davies, author of The Cunning Man, The Deptford Trilogies, and more than 30 novels, plays and essays.

"These short talks are like koans. They present familiar terms, but new meaning turns up with every turn of the words we think we know so well - inhibition, direction, end-gaining, good use. I savored each essay as it pulled me into deep reverie about one of these concepts."

Galen Cranz, Professor, Architecture Dept U.C. Berkley and author of The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body, and Design.

In the first volume of this wonderful work, Walter Carrington quotes F.M.'s advice to an elderly pupil, "Now, my dear, see that you don't stiffen your neck, and see that you've always got something to look forward to." Students and teachers of the Alexander Technique can always look forward to reading, and rereading, these talks for the inspring wisdom of the a lifetime.

Michael J. Gelb, author of Body Learning and How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci

Walter Carrington's lectures contain 50 years of distilled teaching experience. They not only expound the principles of the Technique simply and clearly but demonstrate them, embody them; they are inhibition and direction in action.

Jean M. O. Fischer, editor of Articles and Lectures, a compilation of articles, published letters and lectures on the F.M. Alexander Technique.

This simple little book can make an informative starting point for anyone who doesn't know anything about the Technique and as such is often given as a gift. Written by an Alexander teacher, it is much better than the blurb on the back suggests, with its talk of "this fascinating therapy" and of "how the therapy works".

The blurb on the back says...

At last, here is a book which gives a clear, concise and accurate insight into this fascinating therapy.
You can find out about:

• How the Alexander Technique was invented.
• How the therapy works.
• What the Alexander Technique can do for you.

Illustrated with top-quality colour photographs, this is an essential guide for all who want to improve their physical health and mental well-being.

TEXT

The blurb on the back says...

This excellent book gives a very good clear explanation of the Technique, set in the context of valuable material about Alexander's life and work, and also contains an interesting exposition of Frank Pierce Jones' own research to establish some scientific credentials for the Technique.

The blurb on the back says...
At one time or another, almost everone suffers from back-ache and other ailments caused by tension and poor cordination. Because most of our complaints arise from our own unconscious bad habits, conventional treatment rarely brings more than temporary relief.

Alexander discovered a practical way of coordinating mind and body in all activities of living. By relying on conscious choice instead of habit we can change the way we use our muscular system, thereby avoiding tensions, strain and fatigue. Practising the Alexander Technique brings about lighter and freer movements as well as an expanded field of attention.

In Freedom to Change, Frank Pierce Jones presents the essential features of the Alexander Technique. Drawing on his long assocation with Alexander, Jones also relates Alexander's extraordinary life story and the development of the Technique.

Besides relating his own teaching experiences Jones summarizes his 25 years of research into the Technique. By meauring the differences between "habitual" and "teacher-guided" movement patterns, and by studying the actual mechanics of the body in achieving awareness, Jones provides scientific support for Alexander's ground-breaking discoveries.