I was first shown how to do Active Rest (also known as Constructive Rest) in about 1986 when I lived in Adelaide, Australia. I had gone to a little workshop in the Alexander Technique and came away with an efficient, simple and beautiful way to chill out and give an opportunity for my spine to rest in its natural shape/alignment.
My memory is this: the bloke (Australian for guy) said, lie down in the same way as if you were going to look at the stars or gaze into the blue sky. It worked for me and I did it often. It was so natural and I loved doing it in parks. In Adelaide there were are lots of parks full of eucalyptus trees and plentiful blue sky days. I remember it relaxed me. It was a magical and simple tool I used to help deal with my crazy life. After all, I was 21.
Thirty years on I’ve created this video and I hope you get inspired to get down on the floor, the grass or on the beach and give yourself a 5, 10, 15 or 20 minute time for Alexander meditation. It can function even better than a 2-hour nap. And you never know what you’ll discover.
