First Time Users
If you’ve purchased the CD’s or received them as a gift, start with the one called The Guide for Everyone and listen first to Track 1: The Intentions (only 11 mins). Then, when you have 20 minutes of free time, lie down on the floor with a book about 1/2 inch thick under your head, place your feet flat, knees up and listen to Track 2 or Track 3, depending on whether you want a male or female voice to guide you. Take a look at the Constructive Rest Demo page for visual guidance.
Organize Your Constructive Rest Audio Guide Library
Create a special playlist for each Constructive Rest audio track so that when the track is finished playing you won’t be surprised by something else in your music library.
Where are the CD liner notes?
A note on the physical CD’s . . . the packaging was the smallest carbon footprint option available: recycled cardboard sleeve w/shrink wrap. The back of each CD lists the tracks and copyright information. This website is the “liner notes.”
Who can benefit from doing Constructive Rest?
Anyone! But especially anyone looking for:
- Relief from back or neck ache
- Relief from headaches
- Psoas muscle release
- A time to practice their Alexander Technique thinking
- A time work on their body map
- Muscular freedom now
- Better, more integrated breathing
- More open awareness
- A constructive pause in the day
- World harmony, beginning with themselves . . .
My legs keep falling out to the side, or in toward each other. Do I really have to keep my legs parallel?
We’re looking for optimal balance of the legs in relation to the pelvis and back. If your legs tend to fall inward or outward, try moving your feet around to find the position that allows the best release without collapsing. In time, as you experience more overall freedom in your back and pelvis, your legs will balance more easily. Try some of the variations: legs up over a ball or chair, or even over a big stack of pillows.
How or where do I find an Alexander Technique teacher?
First, try doing an internet search for the words: Alexander Technique <your home city>
Or try the teacher listings of:
Are books really necessary under my head? Why not a pillow?
Books provide support for the neck if there is chronic downward pull (neck tension). The goal is to encourage a gentle traction on the muscles of the neck. Some days when experiencing lots of stress, you may need a high stack of books. While on other days, you may already be very free and need only a small one or even none. Books offer more actual support than a pillow, and in finer increments. Pillows are also a stimulus for a different kind of rest, called sleep.
Can I do Constructive Rest in bed?
Except when practicing CR with the Sleep Constellations, CR is best done on a firm surface like a floor with a carpet, rug, or exercise mat. Our bed is a powerful stimulus. We might likely just go to sleep. Which is not a bad thing, but when we need a pick-me-up during the day the floor is better. Remember that CR is an opportunity to tune in, not zone out!
How often should I practice Constructive Rest?
Try working it into your daily routine: once in the morning, again after coming home from work, and once more before bed. The key is to get in the habit of practicing CR. So, rather than cramming in more than time allows, find increments of 5 or 10 minutes a couple times a day and work from there.