Smart Yoga: Apply the Alexander Technique to Enhance Your Practice, Prevent Injury, and Increase Body Awareness

by David Moore

Overview

David Moore draws on thirty years of teaching to bring fresh and practical insights into how the Alexander Technique can contribute to a safer and more effective yoga practice. With a wealth of illustrations that support the clear, precise explanations, this book offers comprehensive advice in modifying a yoga practice to take into account the huge variability in individual ranges of movement. Moore includes techniques to accommodate limitations imposed by injuries, structure, body type, strength, and flexibility. Smart Yoga offers an explanation of the Alexander Technique’s approach to posture and movement, suggestions for altering faulty breathing patterns, and information about how Hatha Yoga, Patanjali, and Buddhist insight practices relate to the Alexander Technique.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623171414
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	06/06/2017
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

David Moore has traveled all over the world to teach yoga and the Alexander Technique for thirty years. During that time, he has founded the School for F.M. Alexander Studies in Melbourne, Australia; worked as the director of said school; and served both as the Chair and as a member of the Australian Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. He has also published a number of articles on the Alexander Technique and its health benefits.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Foreword xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction xvii

Part 1 Background

1 My Story 3

2 A Look at Yoga's Foundations 9

3 What Is the Alexander Technique? 13

Part 2 Principles of the Alexander Technique

4 The Use of the Self 19

5 Self-Diagnoses for a More Beneficial Practice 23

6 Dealing with Harmful Habits 25

7 How to Achieve Healthy Coordination: The Primary Control 35

8 A Holistic Approach to Self-Care 47

9 What Happens in an Alexander Technique Lesson? 53

Part 3 Considerations Regarding Yoga Practice

10 Avoiding Injuries with an Individualized Approach 61

11 Anatomical Awareness and Energy Flow 75

12 Pain Management 95

13 Exploring Yoga's Relationship to Neuroplasticity and the Autonomic Nervous System 101

14 Pregnancy 109

15 Breathing, Mindfulness, and Meditation 113

16 How to Practice Constructive Rest 131

Part 4 Yoga Poses and Asanas

17 Mountain Pose and Good Posture: Tadasana 141

18 Floor Stretches 149

19 Monkey and Squatting Poses 159

20 Standing Poses 173

21 Twists 185

22 Forward Bends 193

23 Downward Facing Dog Pose: Adho Mukha Svanasana 207

24 Back Bends 213

25 Side Bends 225

26 Kneeling Poses 231

27 Hip Openers 237

28 Inverted Poses 241

29 Plank Variations 249

Conclusion 255

Appendix: Useful Contacts 259

Glossary 261

Resources 263

Notes 265

Index 273

About the Author 281

About the School for F. M. Alexander Studies 282

Editorial Reviews

[Smart Yoga] has many merits, including clarity of purpose and lightness of style. David’s overview of yoga is concise and clear-headed, and therefore useful to both someone who has practiced yoga steadily and to someone coming to it for the first time. His introduction to the Alexander Technique is comprehensive without being overwhelming.”
—Pedro de Alcantara, author of Indirect Procedures: A Musician’s Guide to the Alexander Technique and The Alexander Technique: A Skill for Life

“There’s humor, insight, and beauty as well as clear explanations of complex ideas in this book. Those new to yoga or the Alexander Technique or both will be enticed to read on, while those with extensive knowledge of either or both will appreciate, enjoy, and mull over the personal and comprehensive body of learning encapsulated in this book.”
—In the Moment

From the Publisher