How to Learn the Alexander Technique: A Manual for Students

"This is the first book I ordered regarding the alexander technique and I have found it to be very useful. I am generally put off by books that only scratch the surface and give you only enough to make you want to contact a teacher - which seems to be the hidden agenda by all of these books published by alexander teachers - but this book does more. Some of the content is a bit fluffy, but a great deal is very useful and can give you the opportunity to get a start on your own. With a simple change to how to carry your head as described in the book - I have already seen a significant reduction in my back pain."
~ Written on 2008-04-28

"This book is ok, but not the best. Read Pedro Alcantara's Indirect Procedures for better info. Also, Patrick MacDonald's The Alexander Techinique As I See It."
~ Written on 2008-02-10

"To learn the Alexander technique, you need a teacher. You CANNOT learn it from a book. The technique involves communication of a kinesthetic sense from the teacher to the student through hands-on learning. With that said, this book is a valuable resource to a serious student who already has, or would like to find a teacher. The sections on body-mapping are particularly useful, and can be applied even if one is not studying the Alexander technique.

Body mapping is a practice predicated on the concept that we have concepts of our bodies, body maps, that do not accurately reflect our anatomy. Consequently, when we try to move, we often try to move in ways that we are not constructed to move. By changing our maps of our bodies to accurately reflect our anatomy, we can move and exist in the world with much greater efficiency and ease. "
~ Written on 2007-03-20

"That's a very interesting book, where you can learn about the importance of knowing your body in order to know how to use it. It can be very helpful if you intend to take Alexander Technique lessons. I bought the book because I thought this was THE book where you can learn something about the technique without taking lessons. That is not the case. The main problem is that Alexander was a fantastic pioneer on the field of sommatics but did not have the conceptual skills to transform its fantastic intuitions in an easily explainable system. If you do not have an Alexander teacher nearby you you should try Feldenkrais book Awareness Through Movement book."
~ Written on 2004-02-21

"I feel moved to respond to some of the reviews below, which seem to me to judge the book more in terms of what it is not, rather than what it is. This is an excellent book to read *as* you're taking lessons; the book provides a wonderful companion to your ongoing learning, offering some fascinating insights on body perception and habits of movement, insights that have stuck with me half a decade after I first read the book. It's a great book to browse through, reading chapters as they relate to your interests. What the book is *not* is an introduction for absolute beginners who've not heard of the technique before; it is intended for people who have taken or will take Alexander lessons, and in this it succeeds admirably."
~ Written on 2001-10-13