In This Chapter
■The diverse types and similar goals of
movement therapies
■The forms and benefits of movement
therapies
■Therapeutic movements to try at home20 Movement-Oriented Therapies.
20 Movement-Oriented Therapies.
A number of therapies focus on movement, body awareness, and
breathing, and their purpose is to maintain health as well as to correct
specific problems. This chapter presents two Eastern movement-
oriented therapies: Qigong and T’ai Chi; and three Western movement-
oriented therapies: the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method,
and the Trager Approach. A major principle of these therapies is that
awareness has to be experienced rather than taught, which then may
lead to a more effective use of one’s whole self.
The goal of all movement therapies is the retraining of one’s body to
improve coordination and balance, to release and change postural
faults, and to relieve structural and functional stress.