Somatics Reawakening The Mind's Control Of Movement, Flexibility, And Health

by Hanna, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780738209579
• ISBN10: 0738209570
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-04
• Publisher: Da Capo Press

Summary

When our bodies start to feel stiff, sore, or tired, we often say that we're "getting old." But is that really the problem? In this groundbreaking book, Thomas Hanna shows that much of the physical decline associated with aging is not inevitable but avoidable. Building on the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, Hanna's practical program for the mind and body proves once and for all that problems you've always thought of as the symptoms of age -- stiffness, bad back, chronic pain, fatigue, and, at times, even high blood pressure -- need never occur if you maintain conscious control of your nerves and muscles. He shows how the body can turn a habitual action into an involuntary, destructive pattern called sensory-motor amnesia, and demonstrates a simple but effective method for conquering these habits with sensory-motor awareness. With only a five-minute routine once a day, you can maintain the pleasures of a limber, healthy body indefinitely and escape the confines of age or injury. Practical and easy to use, Somatics is the essential guide to reversing the physical effects of aging -- or staving them off before they even begin. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Thomas Hanna, Ph.D. , founder of the field of Somatics, is director of the Novato Institute for Somatic Research and Training in Novato, California. He is also editor of Somatics Magazine-Journal of the Mind/Body Arts and Sciences.

Table of Contents

Introduction The Myth of Aging	xi
PART 1 The Stories of Sensory-Motor Amnesia	1	(36)
Barney (42 Years): The Tower of Pisa	3	(6)
Moving and Feeling---Two Sides of the Same Coin	5	(4)
James (32 Years): The Nightmare Back	9	(8)
Chronic Muscular Tension	13	(4)
Louise (56 Years): The Frozen Shoulder	17	(6)
What ``Somatic'' Means	19	(4)
Harley (60 Years): The Retracted Landing Gear	23	(6)
The Unconscious Levels of the Brain	26	(3)
Alexander (81 Years): Los Viejitos	29	(8)
Summary: What These Five Case Histories Teach Us	32	(5)
PART 2 How Sensory-Motor Amnesia Occurs	37	(56)
Atrophy: The Role of Gradual Surrender	39	(6)
The Muscular Reflexes of Stress	45	(4)
The Red Light Reflex	49	(12)
The Green Light Reflex	61	(6)
The Sum of Neuromuscular Stress: The Senile Posture and the ``Dark Vise''	67	(12)
The Archer's Bow and Danger of a ``Tight Gut''	75	(4)
Trauma: The Role of Injury	79	(6)
Staying Sexy and Smart	82	(3)
Expectation: The Role of Mental Attitude	85	(8)
Learning to Drink from the Well	88	(5)
PART 3 The Somatic Exercise Program	93	(62)
How to Give Yourself the Maximum Benefit of Somatic Exercises	95	(6)
The Daily ``Cat Stretch''	98	(3)
The Somatic Exercises	101	(54)
Controlling the Extensor Muscles of the Back	101	(5)
Controlling the Flexor Muscles of the Stomach	106	(6)
Controlling the Muscles of the Waist	112	(4)
Controlling the Muscles Involving Trunk Rotation	116	(7)
Controlling the Muscles of the Hip Joints and Legs	123	(6)
Controlling the Muscles of the Neck and Shoulders	129	(8)
Improving Breathing	137	(8)
Improving Walking	145	(10)
References	155	(4)
Index	159