Alexander Technique,the

My library of Alexander related books pretty much includes everything in print including all FM Alexander's original books and I have been a student for a number of years yet this really stands out.

Perhaps its the advantage of the medium (video vs book) or perhaps Jane is just a particularly skilled educator. I think it is perhaps a mixture of the two as I do have other videos which I havent found anywhere near as useful as this.

I think Jane has gone as far as possible to explain the technique without actually being there in the room with you and being your teacher.

Many videos bypass this potentially difficult area and avoid the "how" bit and are really just introductions giving you enough detail to decide whether you want to contact a teacher - this is perfectly understandable given the nature of the subject but Jane has taken a risk here I think she has managed to achieve the very difficult balance between reaching a wide audience and the responsibility of an educator.

I cant recommend this enough.

I would add...

I feel this DVD is absolutely fantastic !!! If I could give 6 stars I would .

I can see why one reviewer said this DVD is worth many books - I am not saying I would give up my entire library of books for this one DVD, but it comes quite close !!

Jane's video is the nearest thing I have seen to something which could either reduce the number of lessons you require or perhaps help someone who has had lessons but has lapsed. Even if your teacher is fantastic I would still say Jane may have something for you here in this video.

I believe a total beginer should still seek 1-1 lessons ( at least 10 and preferably 30 or more ). If you live at the North Pole or something then perhaps you should proceed alone with the help of this DVD (be careful to really listen) but for anyone else I would say that an attempt at "self teach" even with this DVD is an unwise choice unless you really dont have an alternative. It took FM Alexander 9 years to work this all out for himself - a teacher can help you make the journey in weeks.

As an actor and singer, I've had several dozen Alexander Technique lessons over the years, and I learned more from this video than from all the lessons combined! I think a book is the poorest place to start, because you don't get any demonstration the way you do here.

The Alexander Technique is a way of life: to profit from it, you must add awareness of how you use your body to your daily routine. This is what an Alexander teacher will try to teach you in series of lessons. This video, however, makes it EASY to do so because of Jane Kosminsky's incredible explanations and the demonstrations.

As anyone who has had Alexander lessons knows, you may come into a lesson feeling like you were just run over by a truck, and emerge from the lesson feeling weightless, floating instead of walking. A great way to feel, but oh, how elusive!! One difficulty I had as a student was how to get that "just out of an Alexander lesson" feeling without having to go to a lesson. I think this video will help someone accomplish that, particularly with the "self lesson," which no Alexander teacher ever showed me.

I too would love to see a sequel to this video! It deserves way more than the 5 stars I'm giving it!!

I have suffered with neck and back pain for a few years. Before my injury my posture was outstanding. I developed a slouch after I was injured because I got used to resting the weight of my upper body on my leaning elbows because the pressure of being upright hurt so badly. Now that a few years have passed and my back and neck muscles have become stronger, I have retained the habit of slouching. I decided to see if this would relieve some of the additional pain I felt. The technique is quite easy to master but the difficulty lies in breaking old habits like slouching. It really helped me a lot, especially with the neck pain. I would recommend this for anyone suffering medium to mild back pain. If your pain is so severe you have trouble with everyday tasks or functioning I highly recommend the "The Back Pain Book", get an electric massager with a long enough handle to massage the muscle spasms away and also floating in a swimming pool (get a cheap membership at the YMCA!) will relieve the pressure causing the pain. Other items I found helpful in my recovery are "The Back Pain Book: A Self-Help Guide for Daily Relief of Neck & Back Pain"
by Mike Hage, Robert G. Addison, "AM Yoga" with Rodney Yee and "Stress Relief Yoga" with Suzanne Deason.