^#smrgSAHAF Simple Relaxation: The Mitchell Method of Physiological Relaxation for Easing Tension -

This is an excellent book! I have read many books on relaxation over the years, but this woman really knows what she is talking about. Her method can be used unobtrusively in the stress of everyday life, which is when we need it! I really think this book should be reprinted as a public service. Unfortunately, the first three theory chapters are a little on the dry, academic side, but you can skip right to the good stuff starting in chapter four. Another negative is that the print is unnecessarily small and tight, even in this revised edition, and not exactly easy on the eyes, but it's worth it to mine the gold! By the way, the edition with this ISBN is the *paperback* version, not hardcover as it says in the product details.

One more plus: in chapter seven Mitchell discusses Disassociation, a specific relaxation method I have never come across anywhere else, which is about learning to tense only the muscles you need for a certain activity while relaxing the rest. As an amateur cellist who has often had trouble with muscle strain (playing almost *any* instrument is surprisingly hard on the body!) this method looks very interesting (though I must admit I haven't tried it yet myself). I remember the cellist Pablo Casals in his memoirs talking about the need for exactly this kind of relaxation.

All in all, if you come across this book second-hand, snap it up!