The Align Method: 5 Movement Principles for a Stronger Body, Sharper Mind, and Stress-Proof Life

by Aaron Alexander CR, LMT, Kelly Starrett (Foreword by)

Overview

Use posture and body alignment to build strength, achieve peak performance, reduce pain, and find a new sense of confidence with celebrity manual therapist and movement coach Aaron Alexander.

Good posture is about more than standing up straight: It can change your mood, alleviate pain, rid your body of stressful tension, and may be the difference between getting that raise you've wanted and attracting your ideal mate, or not. But in order to reap all those benefits, the body must be properly integrated. Celebrity movement coach and manual therapist Aaron Alexander offers a revolutionary approach to body alignment to build strength, reduce pain, and put you on a direct path to peak performance that is both fun and accessible.

The Align Method centers on five daily optimizations that can be easily integrated into any workout, mindfulness practice, or daily life activity:

• Floor Sitting
• Hanging
• Hip-Hinging
• Walking
• Nose Breathing

A truly aligned life isn't limited to sweating in a gym or stretching in a yoga studio, and Alexander provides the fundamental principles to optimize your physical and mental process in any situation. Blending Eastern philosophy with Western mechanics, The Align Method brilliantly outlines the necessary tools to leverage the power of your own senses and body language to feel more flexible and confident, and details exactly how to reshape your environment for enhanced creativity and longevity. This is the quintessential user's manual to feeling better than you ever thought possible, and looking great while you're at it!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538716144
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	12/24/2019
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Aaron Alexander, CR, LMT is a pioneering manual therapist and movement coach with over sixteen years of professional experience whose clients range from A-list Hollywood celebrities to professional athletes and everyone in between. Over the last five years, Aaron has interviewed over three hundred of the world's preeminent thought leaders on physical and psychological well-being on the top-rated Align Podcast, bringing together a variety of diverse perspectives on physical inhabitance. He's a contributor to major media outlets ranging from Entrepreneur Magazine to MindBodyGreen and can typically be found somewhere in the Pacific Ocean or on Original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction 1

Part I Welcome To Your Body

Chapter 1 Stand Up for Yourself-Posture and Personality 7

Chapter 2 Rigidity Tends to Break-Play May Save Your Brain and Body 26

Chapter 3 Tools and Techniques to Align Your Body 36

Part II 5 Daily Movements to Align Yourself

Chapter 4 Floor Sitting: Your Foundation for Self-Care 51

Chapter 5 Nasal Breathing: Tuning Your Engine 69

Chapter 6 Hip Hinging: Give Me Leverage and I'll Move the World 82

Chapter 7 Hanging: The Power of Decompression 99

Chapter 8 Walking: Circulating Your Mind and Body 108

Part III Your Environment Forms Your Mind and Body

Chapter 9 Clothing-If the Shoe Fits 125

Chapter 10 Align Your Home for Optimal Health and Creativity 134

Chapter 11 Aligning Your Office for Better Movement 142

Chapter 12 Therapeutic Movement for Driving and Travel 152

Chapter 13 The Aligned Morning-How to Start Your Day Upright 166

Chapter 14 The Aligned Evening-Accessing the Superpowers of Sleep 177

Part IV Moving Your Senses

Chapter 15 Near Sight-Your Eyes Need Movement Too! 193

Chapter 16 Finding Your Voice-the Way Sound Moves Us 209

Chapter 17 Out of Touch 224

Chapter 18 Mindfulness-Tidy Up Your Mind to Stand Taller 232

Conclusion 245

Notes 249

Index 265

Editorial Reviews

"This book is a powerful guide to leverage movement as a potent tool for health.With so much attention focused on the components of the optimal human diet Align refreshingly directs our attention to the fundamental role of body posture in influencing health. Aaron Alexander skillfully directs the reader to an understanding that how we choose to walk, sit, stand and even sleep will either increase the likelihood of illness or pave the way towards health."—David Perlmutter, MD, #1 New York Times bestselling author GrainBrain and Brain Wash

"Amidst

all the hype and fads, it's easy to forget the key pillar in any healthful

practice: movement. This book shows you how to move your body through the world

with greater intention and in doing so, will help you live each day with more

vitality."—Robb Wolf, New YorkTimes bestselling author of Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat

"Sometimes to move forwards we have to first look

back. This book will help you cut through the health and wellness hype and

return to the basic principles of what it means to be a fully alive human

being."—Mark Sisson, New York Times bestselling author of The Primal Blue Print and Primal Kitchen

"Living a healthier and happier life doesn't require complicated training plans. If you follow the simple steps Aaron shares in this fascinating book, you'll be well on your way to becoming the best version of yourself."
—LairdHamilton, Pioneering waterman and co-founder of XPT

"Aaron

will set you straight-literally-with this ground-breaking book!"—Dr. Steven Gundry, New York Times bestsellingauthor of The Plant Paradox

"The postures we take

from day to day can either help or hinder the longevity of our functionality.

How we move, connect, and build awareness of common postural mishaps that cause

unwanted emotional and physical stress, dysfunction, and pain can be easily avoided

- if you know how. Aaron maps out how to become more aware of where you are at

today and how to add simple ways to realign your mind and body and gain

self-care tools to help you live a better life. He's infused a great deal of

knowledge into one book and how he shares it is spectacular."—Sue Hitzman, New York Timesbestselling author of Melt Method

"Cool dude. Good moves. He is the sweetest muscle guy I have ever met. Endorse Aaron forever."—Wim Hof

"The first time I met Aaron he was shirtless and barefoot doing a one arm handstand along with some Capoeira moves at Onnit Gym in Austin, TX. Ever since, he has never failed to amaze me, not just with his movement practice, but also with his dedication to helping others reach their full potential. With this book, he becomes your personal coach, and you couldn't hope for a better one."
—Jamie Wheal, executive director of The Flow Genome Project

"Aaron is a

world-class coach with an amazing knack for simplifying complex ideas for

anyone to understand. This book contains all tools you'd need to move the body

out of pain and into performance!"—Chuck Liddell,American mixed martial artist and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONEMicrosoftInternetExplorer4 "Aaron's movement system is killer-really unique and really effective. If you want a world-class understanding of movement, you've picked up the right book."
—Steven Kotler, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance

"Aaron is the definitive movement coach of our

generation. But alignment is about more

than how the body moves. It is about how

you stand mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. This book is an essential read for anyone on

the path of self-mastery."—Aubrey Marcus, founder and CEO of ONNIT and New York Times bestselling author of Own the Day, Own Your Life

"Movement is an important part of achieving high level wellness that is frequently neglected. Align is a wonderful compilation of suggestions to help your body work for you, rather than against you. A valuable resource to help you attain the body you have always wanted."
—Dr. Mercola, founder of Mercola.com, mostvisited natural health site

"'Culture is not your

friend' once said Terence McKenna. The day to day life we deem normal

involves a form of unseen physical specialization where our movement behavior

consists mostly of sitting, standing a walking a few steps, a predicament I

have coined as 'movement poverty.' With his brilliant

book, Aaron provides us with a stimulating perspective and a simple yet

effective method to get us back into better motion, health, vitality and

physical freedom."—Erwan Le Corre, founder of MovNat and author of The Practice of Natural Movement

"If you've ever wanted to feel more confident, capable, and at home

in your body but didn't know where to start, this is the book for you. Aaron

shows that by spending just a few minutes on restorative daily practices, you

can make the most of every moment and tap into potential you never even knew

you had."—Gabrielle Reece, pro volleyball player andco-founder of XPT

"This is a fabulous book. I don't know anything quite like it.

All systems in the body require movement for optimum health. Competent movement

that is neither too much or too little, and of the right type is the key. Aaron

Alexander masterfully weaves together a formula for successful pain-free living."—Professor Stuart McGill, authorof Back Mechanic

"In

order to move well, you must move through your own body; investigating its

bits, pieces, and perceptions. Aaron masterfully helps you find the keys to your

own body home so that you can arrange the furniture of your structure and

enlarge your sensual experience of being "at home" in yourself. His

book includes wit and wisdom about our sedentariness crisis and easy steps that

every human can take to coax their body to be a better citizen within movement

culture."—Jill Miller, author of The Roll Model: A Step by Step Guide to Erase Pain,Improve Mobility and Live Better in Your Body

"Improving your health and well-being can seem daunting, but

really it's a matter of making better decisions on a moment-to-moment basis

rather than drastic changes. If you let Aaron guide you as he has me, you'll

have the tools to dramatically boost not just your brain health but the quality

of your whole life."—Jim Kwik, CEO of Kwik Learning

"Aaron shares his method for

how to approach every day with more strength, confidence, and capability and

his heart and compassion shine through."—KinoMacGregor, Ashtanga yoga instructor and founder of Omstars

From the Publisher