Library's review
Here at last, in the pages of this book, is a thirty-step program of exercises for men and women of any age that can literally change your life. In only two hours a week, the Nickolaus Technique wil flatten your stomach, put the spring back in your feet, trim your thighs, strengthen your back, and
Developed by dancer-choreographer Richard Nickolaus in consultation with leading orthopedists, the Nickolaus Techniique is not an arbitrary collection of movements, but a carefully choreographed sequence in which each step builds on the one before it. There are no morning-after aches and pains because proper breathing patterns-an integral part of the Technique-carry off the residue that cause muscle soreness. The whole system is based on a thorough understanding of how your body works-and the result is a new vitality, a new tautness, a new radiance, a new awareness. Go through the thirty steps once or twice, and you'll really know what it means to feel and look your best.
For this is not an ordinary body book. Each exercise-beginning with a lesson in how to breathe (yes, really!), and going on from foot flexion to double leg stretches to roll-ups and leg lifts-is fully illustrated, with a photograph illuminating each step. What's more, both photographs and type are large and clear enough to permit you to see them as you exercise. Detailed descriptions tell you what each exercise is for and how it works your body; and there are precise notes on what each should feel like, as well as what it should not feel like. That way you know when you're on the right track, and when your're doing something incorrectly or ineffectively.
In addition, there are chapters on how the body is put together and how it functions, special exercises for special problems and problem areas, a whole chapter on breathing and its relation to fitness and weight control, and a morning or pre-exercise warm-up that is as good for runners and skiers as it is for dancers and tennis players. If you're tired of waking up exhausted in the morning, if you just can't seem to take off those last few inches no matter how many 'spot' exercises you do, if your back aches after a day in the office or your legs and feet give out after a weekend of active sports, find out how little it takes to feel good. Open this book and change your life.
Richard Nickolaus, a former dancer and choreographer, began to develop the Nickolaus Technique after he was injured in dance class and was told he would never dance again,or even walk without a brace. With the help of intensive exercise therapy, he not only walked and danced again but went on to found an direct the Nickolaus Dance Company; then, with the help of orthopedists at Duke University and New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, he devised the Nickolaus Technique and began teaching it in Nickolaus Exercise Centers throughout New York City. Today there are studios in New York, Long Island, Philadelphia, and Beverly Hills, and the Nickolaus Technique has become a way of life for thousands of people.
Jay Kobler, a former Fulbright Scholar, is a free-lance editor and writer; Benno Issacs's work has appeared in New York magazine, the National Star, and elsewhere. Both men are students of the Nickolaus Technique and worked closely with Richard Nickolaus in preparing this book.
Where does the Nickolaus Technique go to work?
The foot-All your weight rests on it. If it isn't strong and properly positioned, your whole body is out of alignment.
The knee-So much hinges on it. Proper exercise strengthens the muscles around it, promotes flexibility.
The thigh-The circumference of a muscle is determined by the tasks it is asked to perform. The right balance of contracting and stretching develops a long, lean muscle.
The hip-Lack of flexibility and poor posture lead to spread in the hip area. But the right exercises give you back your trimness and mobility.
The back-Stronger abdominal muscles support your spine and keep it supple-they put the snap back in Nature's girdle.
The neck and shoulder-Relieve tension the natural way by releasing the muscle tightness caused by emotional stress and poor posture.
'The combination of breathing and muscle exercise that is fundamental to the Nickolaus Technique helps me to stay fit and provides support for my voice. No other technique has given me this same help.'-Liv Ullmann
What people are saying about the Nickolaus Technique:
Harper's Bazaar: 'The Niclolaus Technique can really help to relieve tension, eliminate pressure, and give you a buoyant sense of well-being.'
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner: 'Sure to come in handy on the tennis court.'
Playgirl: 'A fabulous series of exercises to condition your body and create a physical awareness of yourself that will bring your mind and body into focus.'
Mademoiselle: 'The total thirty exercises will take you about an hour and-repeated in sequence two or three times a week-will last you a lifetime.'
Who uses the Nickolaus Teechnique?
Dancers, mothers-to-be, skiers, runners, children, buisness peopole.
The casts of A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Grease, Annie, and Chicago.
Thousands of men and women from New York to Beverly Hills and in between.
Contents
Foreword by Leon Root, M.D.
Acknowledgments
Introduction by Richar=d Nickolaus
Feeling good
A beautiful, well-balanced machine
The breath of life
Foot to knee to hip
The spine
How to use this book
The Nickolaus technique: The exercises
Natural living
Show More
take the tension out of your neck and shoulders-without pills, without gadgets, with only the marvelous machinery of your own body.Developed by dancer-choreographer Richard Nickolaus in consultation with leading orthopedists, the Nickolaus Techniique is not an arbitrary collection of movements, but a carefully choreographed sequence in which each step builds on the one before it. There are no morning-after aches and pains because proper breathing patterns-an integral part of the Technique-carry off the residue that cause muscle soreness. The whole system is based on a thorough understanding of how your body works-and the result is a new vitality, a new tautness, a new radiance, a new awareness. Go through the thirty steps once or twice, and you'll really know what it means to feel and look your best.
For this is not an ordinary body book. Each exercise-beginning with a lesson in how to breathe (yes, really!), and going on from foot flexion to double leg stretches to roll-ups and leg lifts-is fully illustrated, with a photograph illuminating each step. What's more, both photographs and type are large and clear enough to permit you to see them as you exercise. Detailed descriptions tell you what each exercise is for and how it works your body; and there are precise notes on what each should feel like, as well as what it should not feel like. That way you know when you're on the right track, and when your're doing something incorrectly or ineffectively.
In addition, there are chapters on how the body is put together and how it functions, special exercises for special problems and problem areas, a whole chapter on breathing and its relation to fitness and weight control, and a morning or pre-exercise warm-up that is as good for runners and skiers as it is for dancers and tennis players. If you're tired of waking up exhausted in the morning, if you just can't seem to take off those last few inches no matter how many 'spot' exercises you do, if your back aches after a day in the office or your legs and feet give out after a weekend of active sports, find out how little it takes to feel good. Open this book and change your life.
Richard Nickolaus, a former dancer and choreographer, began to develop the Nickolaus Technique after he was injured in dance class and was told he would never dance again,or even walk without a brace. With the help of intensive exercise therapy, he not only walked and danced again but went on to found an direct the Nickolaus Dance Company; then, with the help of orthopedists at Duke University and New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, he devised the Nickolaus Technique and began teaching it in Nickolaus Exercise Centers throughout New York City. Today there are studios in New York, Long Island, Philadelphia, and Beverly Hills, and the Nickolaus Technique has become a way of life for thousands of people.
Jay Kobler, a former Fulbright Scholar, is a free-lance editor and writer; Benno Issacs's work has appeared in New York magazine, the National Star, and elsewhere. Both men are students of the Nickolaus Technique and worked closely with Richard Nickolaus in preparing this book.
Where does the Nickolaus Technique go to work?
The foot-All your weight rests on it. If it isn't strong and properly positioned, your whole body is out of alignment.
The knee-So much hinges on it. Proper exercise strengthens the muscles around it, promotes flexibility.
The thigh-The circumference of a muscle is determined by the tasks it is asked to perform. The right balance of contracting and stretching develops a long, lean muscle.
The hip-Lack of flexibility and poor posture lead to spread in the hip area. But the right exercises give you back your trimness and mobility.
The back-Stronger abdominal muscles support your spine and keep it supple-they put the snap back in Nature's girdle.
The neck and shoulder-Relieve tension the natural way by releasing the muscle tightness caused by emotional stress and poor posture.
'The combination of breathing and muscle exercise that is fundamental to the Nickolaus Technique helps me to stay fit and provides support for my voice. No other technique has given me this same help.'-Liv Ullmann
What people are saying about the Nickolaus Technique:
Harper's Bazaar: 'The Niclolaus Technique can really help to relieve tension, eliminate pressure, and give you a buoyant sense of well-being.'
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner: 'Sure to come in handy on the tennis court.'
Playgirl: 'A fabulous series of exercises to condition your body and create a physical awareness of yourself that will bring your mind and body into focus.'
Mademoiselle: 'The total thirty exercises will take you about an hour and-repeated in sequence two or three times a week-will last you a lifetime.'
Who uses the Nickolaus Teechnique?
Dancers, mothers-to-be, skiers, runners, children, buisness peopole.
The casts of A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Grease, Annie, and Chicago.
Thousands of men and women from New York to Beverly Hills and in between.
Contents
Foreword by Leon Root, M.D.
Acknowledgments
Introduction by Richar=d Nickolaus
Feeling good
A beautiful, well-balanced machine
The breath of life
Foot to knee to hip
The spine
How to use this book
The Nickolaus technique: The exercises
Natural living
Show Less
ISBN
670758248
Publication
Viking Press 625 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022