Richard Brennan > Quotes

“Alexander then placed two extra mirrors either side of the original mirror that he had been using. He quickly noticed that, although he had been convinced that he was putting his head forward, he was in fact pulling his head back with even more tension than before. He realised that he was a victim of what he termed faulty sensory appreciation. In other words, he felt that he was doing one thing when, in fact, he was really doing the opposite.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“The Primary Control acts as the main organiser in the body. It depends on a freedom between the head, neck and back to work efficiently, and its function is to govern all the other mechanisms in the body.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“Alexander called this process of stopping and thinking about actions before carrying them out - INHIBITION.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“The first step when learning the Alexander Technique is to try to become more aware of yourself as you go about your daily activities as well as being more aware of what you are thinking as you do them.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“Surprisingly, muscle tension can even break a hip before the person has reached the ground. It's a frightening thought, but a good example of how stressed muscles can become.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“If you stop doing the wrong thing the right thing will happen by itself'.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“Allow the neck to be free, in such a way that the head can go forward and upwards, in order for the back to lengthen and widen.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“The Alexander Technique is a very practical method which enables us to be conscious of each moment; this enhances the quality of life and enables us to live life to the full.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“The tightness in one set of muscles will invariably affect the whole body. After releasing this muscle tension, movements become easier and we can experience a sense of lightness that may not have been present since childhood. We can begin to perform activities with greater efficiency and therefore be left with much more energy at the end of the day. Having a massage can produce similar effects but after an Alexander lesson, the feeling of lightness may last for days, and we can eventually learn how to release tension for ourselves.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health

“We only have this one body, so the way in which we use it is of the utmost importance. We tend to look after our houses and cars better than we look after ourselves, but both house and car can be replaced - our bodies cannot.”
― Richard Brennan, Alexander Technique: Natural Poise for Health