Ease and Skill: A User's Guide to the Self

Discover ease and skilfulness through principles from embodied psychology and the Alexander Technique

This book explores how we can encourage our mind, body and emotions to work harmoniously together to enable freedom and ease in ourselves and the things that we do - whether in our simple everyday activities or in more complex pastimes such as music, sports and the arts.

Drawing on principles from the Alexander Technique and embodied psychology, the author describes how our bodies and nervous systems respond to social and environmental pressures and to our own actions, beliefs and habits. He explains how social expectations and the demands of modern living can produce tangles of discomfort, dysfunction and stress, and how, with curiosity, patience and understanding, these tangles can be gently loosened and undone. He suggests that real transformation comes not through following methods or procedures but from understanding ourselves and our situation as deeply and widely as possible, and invites the reader into a profound experiential process of reflection, learning and change.

Whether you're new to F.M. Alexander's ideas or a seasoned practitioner, this book offers a fresh, clear and comprehensive approach which integrates contemporary understandings of mind and body while remaining true to the essence of his work.

About the Author

Marcus James has been an Alexander Technique teacher for over twenty years, having trained in the Carrington tradition with Maggie Rakusen in Leeds, UK.

He is also a psychotherapist, working with both talk-based and embodied modalities. His therapeutic work incorporates contemporary person-centred, neo-Reichian and somati- cally informed trauma work. He teaches a therapeutic group dance practice called Dance of Awareness.

Marcus worked for many years as a craftsperson, producing bespoke handmade furniture in a contemporary Arts and Crafts style. He writes poetry and owns a small poetry press.