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Getting into The Zone with The Alexander Technique
Have you ever attempted to perform a simple act and completely failed? From completely mistiming a shot to losing balance at a crucial moment, the outcome may have fallen short of our intention and expectation. In contrast there are times when everything goes just right, every act is carried out to perfection with little perceived effort. Why should this be the case? If we are capable of achieving feats of brilliance one moment, why do we fail so comprehensively the next? What condition is present one moment and gone the next? Athletes refer to the later as 'The Zone ' and spend their lives trying to reach this subliminal level. The elusiveness of the zone gives us a clue into its nature. Athletes experiencing these moments cannot explain how they came to be there, and report that the state is lost as soon as they become aware of being in it. From their observations it appears that 'being in the zone' involves integration of the conscious and unconscious aspects of movement, that is the voluntary decision to act and the reflex that facilitates the action. Becoming conscious of the moment seems to destroy it. A comparable situation is the act of falling asleep, as soon as we become aware we are about to fall asleep we interrupt the process. We cannot do anything to directly make ourselves fall asleep. All we can do is to stop doing what may be preventing the process. At an early age I learnt you do not fall asleep any quicker on Christmas Eve by closing you eyes tighter. The zone is described in a paper titled: The Achievement Zone as: - ... a special place where performance is exceptional and consistent, automatic and flowing. An athlete is able to ignore all the pressures and let his or her body deliver the performance that has been learned so well. Competition is fun and exciting. (Murphy, 1996) Sport Psychologist, Kenneth Ravizza, conducted one of the first studies into the zone in 1977 called: 'A subjective study of the athlete's greatest moment in sport'. He studied the experiences of twenty top athletes during their moments of glory and found that the experience was: - temporary and of relatively short duration; non-voluntary and not induced at will; and unique. He found that it required many years of practice before they could enter the zone. He defines the common characteristics of the experience as: - ? focusing on the present moment, effortless merging of action and awareness, loss of personal ego, sense of control, clear feedback, and an intrinsic reward system." A study conducted at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, questioned athletes from a number of sports about their experience in the zone. In a paper titled: 'The Zone : Evidence of A Universal Phenomenon for Athletes Across Sports', by Young and Pain (1999), the conclusion drawn was that regardless of the sport, athletes appear to experience the same 'heightened state of consciousness'. The participants used words such as "peak", "perfect moments", "mindfulness" and "flow" to describe their time in the zone. The words "let", "flow" and "mindfulness" are not generally associated with effort and pushing to the limit. Could being in 'the zone' involve a state of non-interference with movement? A balanced state that promotes optimum integration of the postural reflexes, consciousness and appropriate use of learnt patterns. This could explain why it requires years of practice before the zone is experienced. Unfortunately because we are unaware of how we interfere with the natural mechanisms, time spent in the zone is rare and brief. If we learn to first identify what it is we do to interfere, and then how to prevent it, we may increase our chances of making the zone. One of the best methods to experience 'being in the moment' is The Alexander Technique, a much undervalued thought and movement system. Using these technique sports people regardless of ability can learn to develop awareness skills that can help identify performance-limiting habits. It is only once we have become conscious of these habits can we then start to change them. Athletes who have trained using The Alexander Technique include Matthew Pincent and his gold medal UK rowing crew at the Athens Olympice 2004. For further information see www.artofperformance.co.uk Roy Palmer is a teacher of The Alexander Technique and specialises working with sports people to help improve performance whilst reducing the risk of injury. He writes for many internet forums and magazines and is the author of 'The Performance Paradox':Challenging the conventional methods of Sports Training and Exercise. For further information visit the website at http://www.artofperformance.co.uk
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Alternative Medicine A Natural Body Detox Can Dramatically Improve Your Health Detoxification therapy is a completely natural and necessary process to get you healthy and feeling your best! If you've never done an official detox program, you are long overdue for a cleansing experience that will renew your energy, reduce food cravings, improve your metabolism, give you radiant skin, better your sleep, and strengthen your immune system. All Natural Shampoo - 5 Tips All Natural Shampoo - 5 Tips Here are 5 tips to ensure you are buying a true all natural shampoo product, even though the label may say all natural. All natural shampoo will not contain as an ingredient SLS, or sodium lauryl sulfate. This additive is only added to ensure the shampoo bubbles, and forms a thick lather, neither of which ensure your hair is actually clean. This is the same additive added to oven cleaners. SLS is a known, and much publicized skin irritant. No SLES is listed in the ingredients. This is a sister chemical to the SLS. While SLES is not quite as much of a skin irritant, it definitely causes drying of the skin. You should avoid SLS and SLES at all costs. No PEG is added. This ingredient is normally listed as PEG-with a number behind it. Also a strong skin irritant. One of the main ingredients if brake fluid. No term fragrance will be listed in the ingredients. Fragrance is just an artificially derived chemical, which is cheap to use and makes the shampoo have an aroma to it. This is also a know skin irritant. All natural shampoos will be fragrance and enhanced with pure essential oils. No artificial colors, preservatives, or ingredients added. Just a quick check of the label will ensure you are truly buying an All Natural Shampoo product. Five Simple Steps For Treating Heel Pain If you experience a sharp pain in your heel at the first step in the morning, chances are you have plantar fasciitis (plan * tar fash* ee * I * tis). "Plantar" means the bottom of the foot. The "fascia" is a long ligament type structure. "Itis" means inflammation. Plantar fasciitis is a tearing of the ligament on the bottom of the foot. The tearing causes inflammation and the inflammation causes pain. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. Many individuals with plantar fasciitis find that they hobble to the bathroom every morning because of the pain. They must grab onto the dresser or the wall to balance themselves. After fifteen minutes or so, the pain works itself out, only to come back with a vengeance at the end of the day. Not all individuals with plantar fasciitis experience pain in the morning. Many find that they only experience heel pain at the end of the day or during certain types of activity. Some Alternative Health Strategies CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) therapies are generally classified into 5 seperate categories or domains. Some of these domains have sub-domains but we will broadly go into them here. Keeping Well When Monsoon Dwells First showers of monsoon are heartily welcomed by everyone after experiencing the scorching heat of summer. But monsoons reduce the immunity of our body and make us susceptible to many diseases which are commonly associated with this season. It is time for us to keep our body resistant against diseases by boosting our immunity and taking precautions against these diseases. Healing Heartburn Holistically Everyone at some point in time has experienced some form of heartburn. Often, what we notice is a bitter, sour or acid taste in our mouths. At times, we may feel as if partially digested foods or liquids are moving from our stomach back towards our mouth. Sometimes we may also experience chest pain that increases when we lay down. Each of these is an indication of heartburn. Sheepskin Underlays, For a Better Sleep Sheepskin a better sleep Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental and emotional condition that has its origins in a physical and/or mentally traumatic event that occurred anywhere from a few days to several years in the past. PTSD can develop by one overwhelming trauma as in 9/11 or by a series of smaller traumas or abuses occurring over several years such as living in an alcoholic home. It can be recognized from symptoms such as recurrent and persistent recollections of the traumatic event and recurring dreams of the event. Snoring: A Common Sleep Disorder Sleep consumes as much as one-third or more of the average human's life. Even if people hope for restful sleep, many types of sleep disorder reduce the quality and quantity of sleep. Snoring is the most common cause of sleep disorder that affects people. How To Rid Your Home Of The Nations #1 Health Menace With today's new building procedures, our homes are more dangerous than ever before! Hypnosis: Benefits You Can't Live Without Hypnosis In The Real World My All Natural Oasis About 7 years ago, I decided that my budget could stretch, just enough, to fulfill my lifelong dream of owning my own hot tub. Like most perspective spa owners, my biggest concern was whether the hassle of adding and mixing all those toxic chemicals that (I used to believe) are necessary for clean spa water was really worth the pleasure of after-work escapes into my personal "oasis". Hypnosis - What Exactly is it? Hypnosis is probably not what you think it is. Hypnosis is a technique that allows you to utilise your own inner strengths and hidden abilities. It can bring out those talents and skills you perhaps don't even believe you possess. Hypnosis could be the key that unlocks the door to an experience of life that is, at the very least, a little easier; and at the very best free from phobias or anxieties that have been with you so long you believe that that is how you were made. Why Most People Dont Really Want to Heal (Part 2) The story so far... Natural Aromatherapy, Essence of Health Bringing Home Nature's Forest Correctly and Safely The Healing Effect of Scented Candles In June 2002, I was a bridesmaid at my cousin's wedding when I had my first panic attack (or "episode" as I called it at the time). I managed to get through the wedding without anyone knowing I was having a problem, but in two months I was going to be a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding. What if I this "episode" happened to me again at my sister's wedding? Well, it did happen again, well before my sister's wedding. Homeopathy Five Things to Know before You Go There? With natural health care so popular, an area that has shown incredible growth is that of homeopathic medicine. But, although you can find homeopathic remedies on health food store shelves, are you really clear on what a homeopathic specialist is and what these medicines can do? This article will address five things to know before you choose a homeopathic specialist or buy those homeopathic medicines off the shelf. Spring Cleaning with Nontoxic Cleaners Spring cleaning goes beyond normal everyday cleaning. It's a major project of home revitalization: to make everything new by removing dust and dirt, to make sure everything is in good repair, and to put things in order, so that you will have everything in your household in working condition for the coming year. Manipulate The Body And Mind With A Portable Massage Table A portable massage table can be very essential tool. Massage therapy is a hands-on manipulation of the soft tissue and joints of the body and using a portable massage table can make giving and receiving a massage that much easier. A massage offers many diverse physiological effects, which are primarily due to the therapist's hands moving over the body in a manner that affects all its systems - in particular, the muscular by decreasing muscle tension and feelings of stress; the circulatory by reducing heart rate and blood pressure; the lymphatic by improving the flow of blood and lymph fluids in the body; and the nervous by inducing the relaxation response. Most important, massage therapy helps meet the human need for the caring and affirmative touch. No wonder so many people find massage therapy so helpful in so many ways! After all, even the great Hippocrates who learnt this art from Herodicus way back in the 4th Century B.C., had advised thus in so many words when he said - "The physician must be acquainted with many things and assuredly with rubbing" (the ancient Greek and Roman term for massage). What is Tea Tree Oil? Benefits? Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) has a proven history of over sixty years of safe usage. Some call it the medecine cabinet in a bottle!
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