Tag Archives: Constructive Rest

Free Won’t – Your Key to Fulfilling New Year Resolutions

Posted on by January 9, 2017

~by David Nesmith~ The Alexander Technique is a practical pedagogy for recovering your natural potential for ease, efficiency, balance, and choice. Nature endowed us with the capacity to reason and to choose. This capacity is found at a neurological level in our brain. For example, the cerebellum, which is largely responsible for coordinating muscle movement, contains around 20% of its neurons for volition or excitation (doing) of movement and 80% for inhibition or stopping (non-doing) a movement or action. (Ask your friendly physiologist!) Therefore, there are more neurons for NOT doing, than doing. This realization ought to cause us to pause and consider, hence inhibit and think for a change! … Continue reading →

13 Ways of Looking at Constructive Rest

Posted on by December 19, 2015

Submitted by Ben Flanders http://spontaneouscoordination.drupalgardens.com/blog —  With apologies to Wallace Stevens. If you haven’t read his poem “Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird” go and do that right now. He makes ya think… http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174503 —  Constructive rest is not one thing. It can be different things to different people, and it can be different things to the same person on different days (or times of day, or moods or…well you get the idea.) Here are my humble thoughts on just a few ways to practice constructive rest. 1. Progressive Relaxation: start with the muscles around the eyes and the face, work your way down. Go as deep or shallow as you like. 2. Coordinated Breathing: rest one hand on your chest and one on your belly, notice where you tend to expand, and play with letting the movement of the breathing flow throughout your whole torso  (or chest, or ribs, or hips…) 3. Nap: Sometimes we’re just fried. Take a nap on the floor or a mat for 20 minutes. Set … Continue reading →

Ease Your Mind, Free Your Body with Constructive Rest

Posted on by September 28, 2013

In honor of International Alexander Awareness Week, this class, lead by David Nesmith, will meet on Oct. 19th & 26th at All Life Center for Integrative Well Being north of Columbus near Delaware. Constructive Rest is a dynamic, practical procedure for rejuvenating your mind and body. A powerful tool for life, Constructive Rest will help you revitalize yourself during the day and help you sleep better at night. Experience mental ease and muscular freedom, while restoring breathing coordination and renewing a healthy relationship with space. Wear comfortable clothes, bring a mat or towel, and a questing spirit, hungry for more profound rest! See the calendar listing for details, click here! … Continue reading →