Somatics
Author: Thomas Hanna
In the revolutionary Somatics, Thomas Hanna demonstrates that so many problems we accept as inevitable over time-chronic stiffness, bad back, chronic pain, fatigue, and even high blood pressure -need never occur if we maintain conscious control of nerve and muscle, a state which Hanna calls sensory-motor awareness. This gentle, lifelong program can help almost anyone maintain the pleasures of a supple, healthy body indefinitely, with only a five-minute routine once a day.
Table of Contents:
| Introduction: The Myth of Aging | xi | |
| Part 1 | The Stories of Sensory-Motor Amnesia | 1 |
| Chapter 1 | Barney (42 Years): The Tower of Pisa | 3 |
| Interlude: Moving and Feeling--Two Sides of the Same Coin | 5 | |
| Chapter 2 | James (32 Years): The Nightmare Back | 9 |
| Interlude: Chronic Muscular Tension | 13 | |
| Chapter 3 | Louise (56 Years): The Frozen Shoulder | 17 |
| Interlude: What "Somatic" Means | 19 | |
| Chapter 4 | Harley (60 Years): The Retracted Landing Gear | 23 |
| Interlude: The Unconscious Levels of the Brain | 26 | |
| Chapter 5 | Alexander (81 Years): Los Viejitos | 29 |
| Summary: What These Five Case Histories Teach Us | 32 | |
| Part 2 | How Sensory-Motor Amnesia Occurs | 37 |
| Chapter 6 | Atrophy: The Role of Gradual Surrender | 39 |
| Chapter 7 | The Muscular Reflexes of Stress | 45 |
| Chapter 8 | The Red Light Reflex | 49 |
| Chapter 9 | The Green Light Reflex | 61 |
| Chapter 10 | The Sum of Neuromuscular Stress: The Senile Posture and the "Dark Vise" | 67 |
| Interlude: The Archer's Bow and Danger of a "Tight Gut" | 75 | |
| Chapter 11 | Trauma: The Role of Injury | 79 |
| Interlude: Staying Sexy and Smart | 82 | |
| Chapter 12 | Expectation: The Role of Mental Attitude | 85 |
| Interlude: Learning to Drink from the Well | 88 | |
| Part 3 | The Somatic Exercise Program | 93 |
| Chapter 13 | How to Give Yourself the Maximum Benefit of Somatic Exercises | 95 |
| Interlude: The Daily "Cat Stretch" | 98 | |
| Chapter 14 | The Somatic Exercises | 101 |
| Lesson 1 | Controlling the Extensor Muscles of the Back | 101 |
| Lesson 2 | Controlling the Flexor Muscles of the Stomach | 106 |
| Lesson 3 | Controlling the Muscles of the Waist | 112 |
| Lesson 4 | Controlling the Muscles Involving Trunk Rotation | 116 |
| Lesson 5 | Controlling the Muscles of the Hip Joints and Legs | 123 |
| Lesson 6 | Controlling the Muscles of the Neck and Shoulders | 129 |
| Lesson 7 | Improving Breathing | 137 |
| Lesson 8 | Improving Walking | 145 |
| References | 155 | |
| Index | 159 |
Somatics
Author: Thomas Hanna
In the revolutionary Somatics, Thomas Hanna demonstrates that so many problems we accept as inevitable over time-chronic stiffness, bad back, chronic pain, fatigue, and even high blood pressure -need never occur if we maintain conscious control of nerve and muscle, a state which Hanna calls sensory-motor awareness. This gentle, lifelong program can help almost anyone maintain the pleasures of a supple, healthy body indefinitely, with only a five-minute routine once a day.
No comments:
Post a Comment