Reviews (2)

The quest is yours - if you have an open mind...
This is a thought provoking, generous and reasoned work - but not an easy book to read.McGowan candidly warns, in the introduction, that scintillating statements and flowing lines are not his forte. However, the problem for all those who choose to write about the Alexander Technique (or Contructive Awareness - as McGowan prefers to call it ) is that of conveying the significance in words of something that is only fundamentally understood when experienced - through hands on work with a competent teacher. Where's the quest?
Nice idea, Alexander Technique complements many spiritual systems by helping one become conscious of the body and its use.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Health & Fitness    3. Health/Fitness    4. New Age (Self Help)    5. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    6. Spiritualism - General    7. Exercise & workout books    8. Religion / Spirituality   

Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction to Alexander Technique!
Not having had a course of Alexander Technique lessons myself, I still managed to gain a considerable amount of physical and mental self-awareness through reading this book, helped by a partner of mine who was having regular Alexander sessions at the time. A course of lessons from a qualified practitioner is no doubt necessaryto gain the full benefits of the Technique, but many of the ideas and suggestions from this book still remain with me several years after first coming across them. They have helped me considerably with my posture as a singer and guitarist.Read more

Subjects:  1. Alexander technique    2. Allied Health Services - Physical Therapy    3. Alternative Therapies    4. General    5. Health/Fitness    6. New Age / Parapsychology    7. Exercise & workout books   

Reviews (10)

read it again and again
The measure of a good book is that you can read it more than once and find new things each time - and that's how it's been for me. I am still reeling as I take in the enormity of the idea that it is more how we think in relation to activity than what we think that determines the quality of our performance. And the book describes so many constructive ways for changing our thinking in relation to performance. Of course it won't be for everyone, as there are no quick-fixes offered. Instead it's a day at a time, step by step, leave your old-self behind approach.

really helpful
This book has really helped me understand what the Alexander Technique is all about. I now feel able to read books by the great man himself and actually understand what he is going on about. Before, they made little sense at all, and I was fumbling around in the dark.
brilliant book
A brilliant book! The narrative is innovative and encouraging, bringing Alexander's work into the present day. As a teacher of the Alexander Technique, I found this book a very helpful and enjoyable read and would thoroughly recommend it ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Inspirational    3. Motivational & Inspirational    4. Personal Growth - General    5. Self-Help    6. Fitness & diet    7. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    8. Popular psychology    9. Self-Help / General   

Subjects:  1. Alexander technique    2. Alternative Therapies    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. General    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health/Fitness    7. Physical Fitness    8. Exercise & workout books   

Subjects:  1. (George Alexander),    2. 1960-    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Art / Printmaking    6. Fine Arts    7. Graphic Arts - General    8. Techniques - Printmaking    9. Themes, motives    10. Walker, George A.    11. ART / Canadian    12. Engraving    13. Printmaking    14. Walker, George A   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Health Care Delivery    2. Health Policy    3. Medical / Nursing    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Public Affairs & Administration    7. Public Policy - Social Policy    8. Census data    9. Hospital administration & management    10. Social welfare & social services   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Individual Artist    4. Life Sciences - Botany    5. Techniques - Drawing - Specific Subjects    6. Drawing & drawings    7. India    8. Nature in art, still life, landscapes & seascapes   

Reviews (6)

Democracy is Possible, Here's How
Many Americans may feel pessimistic about the possibility for effective democracy, How People presents an essential formula for citizen empowerment based in the logic of democratic decision-making. One may well ask, "In a complex situation, how is it possible for a diverse group to come to a democratic decision?" Even when it comes to making a decision as individuals, we rarely apply consistent rules of logic. Christakis ("Aleco") and Bausch lay out the logical formula for arriving at a decision, perhaps for the first time. More than 30 years ago, Aleco, a physicist, began his quest to apply the laws of logic to democratic decision-making. His system, the Structured Design Process (SDP), makes possible effective participatory democracy. Without a logical process, and a `transparent' process, without tools to manage complexity, Democracy is not possible. I hope this article will convince you, as I am convinced, that SDP is the best model for Democratic dialogue, that nothing less will do.
Participatory democracy and collective wisdom
Dr. Aleco Christakis has been an emiment spokesperson for authentic Dialogue over the duration of a distinguished career, and has advocated the need for structure in dialogue that level the playing field for all participants to have a voice at the table. At long last, we have a book on SDP - Structured Design Process - for the people.
Science for social issues, social issues for science
Science never had easy relationships with social issues. So-called hard sciences may deal with social issues by reducing the complexity of human beings taking in count particular aspects only, such as rational behavior "or" economical "or" biological "or" cognitive "or" psychological issues. So-called soft-sciences use qualitative approaches dealing with, for instance, political "or" sociological "or" religious "or" ethical issues. Dr. Christakis is a systemist and he knows how to replace "or" with "and". He knows how to use soft issues in a hard way (for instance by introducing methodologies based on cognitive science) and hard issues in a soft way ("...democratization of knowledge generation..." p. 135, to be coupled with "...nothing anymore about us without us..." p. 142). The approach proposed by Dr. Christakis should be considered in the framework of Constructivism.This view completely changed the way to consider the observer, from a generator of relativism to a cognitive reality-builder. Structuring problems is for Dr. Christakis a way to allow openness and not to build out a precise, true closeness. In the same way the imprecise lines of impressionistic paintings are not to be intended as lack of precision, but as a way to make the observer to invent "his/her" induced painting."...It is in understanding each other in a jointly constructed consensual linguistic domain that we open the door for new evolutionary construction..." pp. 134-135. It reminds the enormous complexity of the discussion started by the Shapir-Whorf hypothesis, in short that it is the language creating thinking and not vice versa (strong version).This book is really about Emergence in social systems.The book is important because it has theoretical relevance. It is why it may be very practical and useful. Otherwise it was only empirical. The book is to be recommended for dealing with social issues in a rigorous way and for dealing with scientific issues in a humanistic way.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Interactive management    5. Leadership    6. Management - General    7. Public administration    8. Management & management techniques    9. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Reviews (1)

Just like the title said, meditation From Thought to Action
I found this book to be great. It has the basic information from Yoga, Buddhism and other eastern faiths. This book contains exercises.. so you literally read.. then practice. I really loved this book. Try it, you shouldn't be disapointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Meditation    3. Psychology    4. Self-Help    5. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    6. Popular psychology   

Reviews (1)

Learn to paint with this book
This was my first book on watercolor and with it I was able to create my first paintings. Projects are step-by-step guides with interesting themes. Some paintings are a bit more demanding, so as a beginner, I have done them several times to master the technique (a lot of wet-on-wet work). I found this to be a wonderful book that can teach you how to paint landscapes, figures, cities, water...It is great for beginners, but even someone advanced would enjoy it because of the techniques shown. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Technique    4. Watercolor    5. Watercolor Painting   

Reviews (1)

Accessible guide for applying meditation in your life.
Living Meditation not only teaches people how to meditate, but also shows them how to apply it in areas where we can all use some assistance! Topics covered are enhancing intelligence and learning, improving habits, getting more out of work, better sports performance, stress reduction and better health. Easy to use and engaging! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Devotional    2. Meditation    3. Meditations    4. Pragmatism    5. Religion    6. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    7. Religion - Prayer & Spirituality    8. Self-Help    9. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    10. Popular psychology   

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - Inspirational    4. Business/Economics    5. Executives    6. Management    7. Success in business    8. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (7)

Wow! Finally, an easy to read "self-help" Book!
I highly recommend this book for men and women wanting to get a better understanding of the "little voice" inside. I gave several copies as Christmas Presents this past year, and my friends loved it. Clear, concise and to the point.

Read it, then reread it
I have to confess to being a bit of a self-help (books, tapes, systems, seminars, etc.) junkie. Over the years, this trait has (hopefully) given me some perspective on the genre and some ability to separate the same tired old cliches from the fresh and original. Reality Works falls soundly in the latter category. At a compact 119 pages, every page is packed with sharp insights expressed in a clear and concise manner. I would especially recommend this book to anyone in the middle of, or on the verge of a significant life transformation (e.g. changing careers, starting/ending a relationship, relocating...). Chandra Alexander is a strong advocate of listening to your inner voice and having the courage to follow it, especially at times when you may be tempted to remain in a comfortable rut rather than venture into uncharted regions. Of course, in an important sense every day is a kind of transformation, so the advice given here is always relevant. The title of one chapter is a good example of the book's wisdom -- "The space between the old way not working and the new way not yet found is where consciousness expands --stay in the gap!" (yes, all this is really the chapter title). In other words, don't be afraid of being in a place where you aren't certain of everything. Reality Works is filled with such gems. I've read it once and am already looking forward to going through it again.

Clear insights
This is a book for people who want clear, gem-like insights into the art of personal transformation. I enjoyed the concise writing style and the direct appeal to the reader's innate sense of wholeness.Read more

Subjects:  1. Inspirational    2. Inspirational - General    3. Personal Growth - General    4. Personal Growth - Happiness    5. Self-Help    6. Spiritual    7. Spiritual life    8. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques    9. Popular psychology    10. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Reviews (2)

How to Draw & Paint: Secrets to the Magic of Oil Painting by
This is an exact reproduction of an older version by William Alexander,titled:Secrets to the Magic of Oil Painting II. Excellent beginner's bookfor those interested in his wet-on-wet technique.This famous techniqueshould be taken advantage of as it can enable you to produce the basicpainting in very little time, after which you can elaborate as it suits you- more details, etc.

A good tutor of oil painting
The book, Secrets to the magic of oil painting is one of the books to be followed by students of oil painting. This book mainly deals with painting a variety of landscapes, with emphasis on mountains and a wide variety oftrees. The author thoroughly explains the kind of brushes and other toolsto be used to bring out the real-life effects and also the kind of colorsto be used that are not quite obvious to a novice in oil painting.Theonly drawback about the book is that it could have included more number ofpaintings and a variety of other landscapes, in particular. However, itprovides very good starting tips to any novice in oil painting.A sequelto this book, Secrets to the magic of oil painting - 1 written by the sameauthor is one of the books that can be used by students wishing to masterlandscape paintings. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Techniques - General    4. Techniques - Oil Painting    5. Art techniques & materials    6. Art techniques, equipment & materials    7. Oils   

Reviews (1)

Informative, with good examples
Lawson's goal is to categorize different printing types ("fonts" in the computer world) "... in a logical system based first upon their structure and seondly upon their historical derivation." The kind of font makes a real difference in the feel and sense of the work written in it, so this isn't just a mouse-milking exercise in taxnomic detail for its own sake.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Techniques - Printmaking    3. Type and type-founding    4. Typography   

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Clinical Psychology (General)    3. Psychoanalysis    4. Psychotherapy    5. methods   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Psychology   

Subjects:  1. Group Psychotherapy    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Psychology    4. Psychotherapy - General    5. Psychotherapy, Group    6. Reference   

Subjects:  1. Alexander technique