Building on the foundation laid by Moshe Feldenkrais, Thomas Hanna's groundbreaking work completely redefines the body's potential for withstanding decline. His gentle program for the mind and body proves once and for all that so many problems we accept as inevitable over time—chronic stiffness, bad back, chronic pain, fatigue, and, at times, even high blood pressure—need never occur if we maintain conscious control of nerve and muscle, replacing Sensory-Motor Amnesia with Sensory-Motor Awareness. The good news of Somatic Exercise is that most people simply do not have to become captives of age or injury. Once learned, this lifelong program can help almost anyone maintain the pleasures of a supple, healthy body indefinitely, with only a five-minute routine once a day.

You may never have heard of somatics before, or simple have an interest in what the subject is all about. If this is the case then this is the book for you! Somatics is a relatively young field of research, dating from the latter part of the twentieth century. Although there are traces of the techniques and practices as far back as ancient Greece, it is only within the last thirty years that it has started to become recognised as a mainstream alternative. In essence somatic exercises are designed to retrain your mind. It is believed that the mind can be reprogrammed to move away from responses formed by habit and return to a state where you can control your own muscles and prevent them from becoming contracted for an extended period of time. This theory leads to the belief and confirmation that performing these exercises regularly will help you to relieve persistent pain, whether joint, muscle or even tendon pain. All of these pains are caused by the pressure being placed onto the injured part from a muscle that has remained contracted. Simple exercises can re-teach the brain to relax and contract the muscle at will. This can enable you to live a pain free life and even develop a better flexibility; mobility and posture. The book looks at the history of this new therapy method and the main ways this can be applied to pain relief. Inside you will find example exercises as well as a guide on how to get started and the main advantages and risks of adopting this theory. You may not have heard or understood the power of somatics before you read this book, but you are certain to want to try it for yourself by the time you finish it!