During this time when we are all isolating ourselves physically and at the same time dealing with both mental and physical stress, in the interest of not falling apart both physically and mentally and to strengthen our immune system I thought that practicing some mind body exercises would be a great opportunity for both fun and health.
When you sit around for hours and days your soft tissues (muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and skin) start to shrink on top of your skeleton (your bones). I like to describe this as our skeleton being a prisoner of our soft tissues which starts a negative chain reaction. When you stop exercising your joints become restricted and your muscles get short and stiff. If you do not use it you lose it. Physical tension usually turns into mental tension. Mentally you think you are “relaxing” on the sofa but actually, physically, you are collapsing. Over time you find yourself sore and stiff and not relaxed at all. Tight muscles pull on the bones which restrict the movement of your skeleton and over time cause physical discomfort and pain.
If you do not do anything about it before you know it you start to develop lower back problems, headaches from tight shoulders, pain in the knees and other joints: a negative chain reaction. Eastern philosophies do not distinguish between physical well being and the mental well being which may explain why after “relaxing” around the house for a while you start to feel agitated. You may become annoyed by everything around you as well as being annoying to others.
The way out of this negative chain reaction of mental and physical decline is a regular mind body routine which includes gentle stretching with deep breathing and a meditative mind, boosting your energetic system and evoking the spirit.
For a short introduction to the 5 building blocks of our being: Body, Breath, Mind, Energy and Spirit; watch my lecture at Dana Farber.
For this blog I put together a few stretches to help with the most common problems we face under stress. At the same time I have transitioned all of my private lessons to virtual ones through WhatsApp, Zoom and FaceTime. If you are interested please email me and we can set up a day and time. Or try one of my online courses at udemy.com
Strengthen Your Immune System with Tai Chi & Qi Gong
Tai Chi & Chi Kung: Sitting, Standing & Moving Meditation
15 Minute Mind-Body Workout for Recharging & Reducing Stress
I also have Sunrise Tai Chi available for rent on Amazon Prime Video
Meanwhile, try these stretches and see if they make a difference during physical isolation. Notice if you feel any difference in your mental outlook and how you feel physically. When you first start stretching you might feel more physically tight than before. This is normal. It can take time for the stretching to have an effect on you. Give it a couple of days and rest afterwards to reap the results. Hold the stretches for at least one minute (longer for seasoned practitioners), breathe and make sure you use the rule of 80 percent effort !
A MIND-BODY WORKOUT FOR SHELTERING IN PLACE
1. Start with Iron on the Wall for 3 minutes.
IRON ON THE WALL
Stretch your arms on the wall and lean your forehead, gently, on the wall.
Relax your shoulders and neck muscles. Spine, bones and arms move up while the soft tissue moves down.
Breath deep through the nose and empty your mind from any thoughts.
Empty your mind by focusing on the breath or on the lower energy visualization.
I also have two videos on my Youtube channel for Iron on the Wall:
2. Second, practice the Flamingo Stretch or Hip Extension for 2 to 3 minutes with deep breathing and an empty mind.
Flamingo
Close your eyes and visualize that you are a Flamingo: this way you are evoking the spirit for a complete mind body approach.
3. Next, release the neck muscles. You can practice this sitting on a chair or standing. Hold the stretch for 1 minute on each side. Repeat 2 - 3 times. Also helps relieve headaches.
Release Neck Tension
Inhale when turning the head to the sides and exhale as the head turns to the center.
Do both sides.
4. Practice Elbows over your Head and Elbows Behind your Back.
Focus on deep breathing through the nose.
5. Practice Chair Twist for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
Breathe deep and empty your mind.
6. Now practice Turn and Twist with deep breathing. You can do it standing or sitting.
This exercise helps relieve stress in the shoulder girdle and neck.
7. Finish with Counting the Breath Meditation or Candle Watching Meditation.
Sit for 8 minutes if you are a beginner and 45 minutes if you are an advanced meditator.
You can sit on a chair or on the floor.
Counting Breath Meditation
Real Candle Watching Meditation
Digital Candle Watching Meditation
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.
Do not resist them.
That only causes sorrow.-Lao Tzu
Happy stretching, deep breathing, empty your mind, strengthen your energetic system and evoke your spirit!
Ramel (Rami) Rones