A lot has been written about breathing in connection with the Alexander technique; of course, the reason Mr Alexander began his scientific quest was because of his own breathing issues. Investigating the mechanics involved led him to gradually discover fundamental facts about human balance and movement. In a nutshell, if we habitually clench our neck muscles, the vast weight of our head compresses our spine, our ribs, which hinge in the spine, can hardly move and breathing is

I once knew a Spanish guy who was knocked off his bike and dragged along beneath a car at about 70mph. Astonishingly he survived but went into a coma which, on and off, lasted for 18 months. During the coma there were several incidents which nearly finished him off, infections and so forth, but he clung on, and before waking remembers making a conscious choice to do so. He had severe brain damage which affected his movement, memory, speech, ability to swallow food etc, and he