WCVB-5 (ABC) Boston Covering Ramel Rones at Tufts!

“Chronic pain may be easier to manage with tai chi than aerobic exercise, study says”

“Tufts Medical Center research shows patients find relief with low-impact workout, meditation”

Welcome back mind-body students!

After 10 years of research at Tufts Medical Center on Fibromyalgia, using a Tai Chi intervention which I designed, and after our study was published in one of the top and most prestigious medical journals, the BMJ, our results are really beginning to attract media attention!

Not only was our research covered by Time magazine, but Tufts Medical Center also created a short video about the research. And finally, Channel 5 (WCVB-5, ABC Boston) and anchor Emily Riemer did a short report about our research in the medical section of the news!

It is nice to have some fame (even if it is only a few seconds) after so many years of hard work!

You can also read about the journey up to the publication, as well find other research links, videos, and testimonials in more depth in the blog I did two weeks ago.

And as always, happy stretching, deep breathing, empty your mind, strengthen your energetic system, and evoke your spirit!

Freeing the Skeleton with the Body Markers: Complete Series

Happy Holidays mind-body students! This will be the final blog of 2017 (can you believe it?) and then we will take our winter break until late January. I hope everyone has learned a lot and benefited from all the content on the blog this year. We always do our best to pick exercises and blog topics that are as relevant as possible to the needs my students have.

Also, a big 'thank you' to all of our new blog readers! December saw a big increase in new subscribers, so I'd like to welcome all our new mind-body students!

This week, we are completing and compiling the blog series on Freeing the Skeleton with the Body Markers. To refresh everyone's memory, here is the introduction I wrote to the first installment of this series:

“The 12 Body Markers are a system that I have used for years to help teach my students both online and in my classes. They are designed to measure a person’s range of motion through all of their joints, using a scale of 1 (least flexible) to 10 (most flexible). In western health an wellness traditions, everyone seems to be able to measure strength, but very few people have a good grasp of flexibility. Even professional athletes often don’t know what the proper range of motion for each of their joints are. Many people are even unsure about what their personal level of flexibility is: usually under or over estimating it until they test it out.

To help address these issues, my wife (Ilana Rosenberg) and I are putting a book together that will feature an extensive guide to the 12 Body Markers to help everyone from average Joe to professional athletes avoid injury, recover from injury more effectively, and recuperate from training faster.

We’ve covered some of these Body Markers in the past on varies blog posts and our mini Office Exercise series. For this blog series, we will be focusing on the 9 Body Markers that measure a person’s flexibility, starting this week from the ground and moving up!”

— Rami's Blog, November 10th, 2017

From there, we covered the 9 Body Markers, moving from the ground up. First we did stationary stretches, and then we did moving exercises. Today, we will do a quick review of all of these steps, so you can easily move from one to the next.

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Freeing the Skeleton with the Body Markers: Complete Series

Part 1: Starting from the Ground

We began the first week's post with an ankle stretch. This is a key stretch for improving your walking posture, your balance, and your ability to recover from foot pain. If you don't have the special foot rollers that I do, you can simply use the first step at the bottom of a set of stairs to do the stretch.

We moved on to the quad stretches, either the heron or the "seiza" sitting position. This stretch can release a lot of tension you might not know you have, especially those of us who stand all day for our job.

Lastly, we covered the hamstring stretches. Hamstrings are notoriously the tightest muscle in the modern body, not least of all because we spend much of our day sitting, and very few people do forward folds as much as they should. But not to worry! Now is your chance to start! Loosen up the soft tissue in your hamstrings!

Part 2: Abdomen and Back

In week two we were moving on up to the body with more stationary stretches for the abdomen and back. We did the groin stretch, both using a chair and using a machine. This stretch is key for athletes and "weekend warriors" to avoid injury during their athletic activities. How many times do you sports fans hear about a professional athlete being benched due to a groin injury? They are not fun to have, and they can take a while to heal because the area is where a lot of soft tissue and bone structure connect. Don't hurt your groin, do this stretch!

Next was freeing the hips with the classic hip extension posture against the wall, or free-standing if you want to work on your balance at the same time. Remember: your skeleton is designed for your knees to get right up beneath your collar bone in this position. If you can't get your leg that far up, you have soft tissue tension that needs to be worked on!

To close out week two, I showed you guys the chair twist (which you can easily do in the office), and the "five musketeers" for releasing the stress in your lower back. As the weather gets colder and more snow begins to fall (for my New England readers), keeping your lower back free and healthy is even more important. One wrong move with the snow shovel when your back is tight and you could be in bed for the next three days. Nobody wants that, so be sure to pay attention to your lower back and work toward that 10/10 flexibility.

Part 3: Arms and Shoulder Girdle

In week three, we reached the top of our body with static stretches, starting with the shoulders. The shoulders are a very complex joint, able to move in a huge number of different directions. To free all the tension that occurs because of that complexity, i showed you a set of four stretching postures, using a belt or rope if necessary, to release shoulder stress from every direction.

Next was a new technique I call "Three Postures for the Neck" that helps target one of the most tight areas in the upper body: the neck. With so many people looking down and computers and phones all day, it's no wonder our neck gets tight. Tight necks leads to headaches, walking issues, bad sleep, and a million other potential problems. Definitely do not forget to stretch the neck.

Finally, we did an oldy but a goody: the wrist stretch using the wall. This helps relieve tension in the firearms and hands, and is particularly good for relieving carpal tunnel symptoms, or avoiding them completely.

Part 4: Back to the Ground, in Motion

In week four, we returned to the lower body to learn several moving techniques that can be even better than static stretches at relieving certain tension. First up was leg rotations, which focuses on the knee and ankle joints. Use a chair for this exercise if there is any worry of losing your balance.

Then, we did another new exercise I call "kick backs" which help to release tension in the quads. First we start with small kick backs, bringing the heel up about halfway, and eventually we move on to kicking all the way back and touching the heel to the butt.

Lastly, we did a very advanced movement called the "windmill" to release hamstring stress. This one is not for the feint of heart! If you are not up to the task, don't worry! In the next installment, we showed a movement that can accomplish the same thing with much less effort.

Part 5: Moving the Core

We kicked this week of movements off with a new technique called "Swinging Leg." The side-to-side variation helps you get the best groin stretch, but the forward and backward technique can also release tension in the hamstrings (particularly the forward part of the swing). Don't forget to use a stick or wall to stabilize yourself while doing this. Being stable actually helps you get a better stretch while doing this movement.

Next was a fan-favorite: the Tai Chi Walk! This is a great whole-body movement, and even works the core and the back. But for our purposes in this series, the goal is to gently move the hips to release that soft tissue in the hips. Notice how you do a modified hip extension stretch at the top of every step!

To finish up week five, we did the Tai Chi move "grind." Grind looks like an arm movement, but experienced Tai Chi students will tell you it is all in the core, particularly the lower back. Make sure your belly button moves from side to side while you do the motion. If the naval stays in the same spot the whole time, you are doing an arm movement, not a back movement!

Part 6: Moving the Upper Body

Finally, we completed the series in week six with three upper body movements. We targeted the shoulders first, with my new "Swinging Arms" exercise, which you can do sitting or standing.

Then we moved our head like a pigeon does to gently massage the neck. Throw in some deep breathing here and relax the face too! A tight neck and face feed off of each other. If you can relax both at the same time, you will get the best results.

And to end our exercise routine, we revisited the "40% effort movements" I created for people suffering with arthritis in the arms and hands. These motions are a great way to release all kinds of tension in the elbows, forearms, hands, and even fingers.

And that is it! Talk about freeing the skeleton! I don't think there is a single bone we didn't touch by the end of our techniques.

It's been another great year, and I hope you all keep an eye out for the first blog post of 2018 next month. I'm excited to see what mind-body adventures the new year will bring!

Happy stretching, deep breathing, empty your mind, strengthen your energetic system, and evoke your spirit!

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Still searching for a last minute gift for a friend or family member? Do they like exercise, meditation, health and wellness, or stress reduction? My online courses over at Udemy offer all of those things and more, and they are currently on sale! It is the perfect time to pick one up. Remember, setting up a Udemy account is totally free, so anyone can do it.

Is the person you are shopping for more old school? No problem. I have books and DVDs available on Amazon and YMAA. Some of these are also on sale, so hurry and pick them up before you miss out on the savings!

Happy Holidays!

Want to Get More Work Done? Take a Break.

Welcome back mind-body students! I hope you enjoyed the Greatest Hits Workout last week. This week, we have more of a mind lesson.

If you are like me, you like to get things done. You are very industrious. More likely than not you are zipping around every day with all kinds of plans on your to-do list. Many times, you catch yourself thinking about how you could be doing more stuff in the same amount of time.

People like this are often very successful, but they live in danger of burning out.

"Burnout" is when your mind is still trying to accomplish the tasks at hand, but your body is not rested enough to do so. From a medical standpoint, pushing yourself to the point of burnout can be dangerous. It might include high levels of stress hormones than increase your risk of heart attack, or very low blood sugar that could send your body into shock.

Working yourself to that extent may sound crazy, but people have done it.

Most people will just find that they feel "off their game" or really tired for several days, even a month or two. This isn't medically dangerous unless you begin abusing stimulants like caffeine to make up for the low energy. The worst result will probably be that your quality of work declines, perhaps for a significant amount of time.

So how do people who have busy schedules and high-stress careers avoid burnout, and even accomplish more than before?

Take regular breaks.

In Judaism, we have the ancient idea of the "shabbat" which is a practice of rest one day a week. One day each week may not be enough for a high-profile worker, however. Some people work up more stress than a single day can get rid of, so they need less frequent, but longer breaks. Maybe a 4-day weekend every month (assuming you work most weekends).

This resting phase allows your body and mind to heal and incorporate everything you have learned and exercised since your last break. By relaxing down to a healthy baseline regularly, your metabolic systems can reset and prepare for more work later.

And that's how you can do more work by working slight fewer days each month. Instead of working at 70% productivity every day for a month, you come back to work at 100% productivity (after your mini vacation) and that productivity slowly decreases until you take your next break. Each day that you are working at more than 70% productivity makes up for (and eventually more than compensates for) the few days you took off.

I know, for high-functioning professionals, taking four days off seems like a crazy move. But if you can get more work done, and have a nice vacation each month, and enjoy your life more, and spend more time with your family, the only crazy choice here would be not to try.

Happy Stretching!

Can't Meditate? Clean Your Room!

People ask me some variation of this question all the time: "Are there any tips you have for how to meditate? I just can't get my mind to sit still no matter what I try."

And the answer is "Of course I have tips for how to meditate!" I've written about them on the blog before. I've written about them so much, in fact, that I have a whole category of posts dedicated to meditation tips.

But all those tips are about how you meditate, or what you should do while meditating. What if I told you that you could do something before meditating that could improve your meditation practice? It might seem strange, but this really works.

Clean your room. Or even better, clean your whole house.

You might be thinking, "What? I close my eyes when I meditate. I can't even see if my house is messy or not." But that's not completely true. Your mind internalizes the area that you live in. Even if you aren't paying attention to the mess, when you are in a messy house your mind functions differently (and not in a good way).

In fact, there are several studies now showing that a cleaner home can lower your risk of heart disease, reduce stress hormone levels, and improve sleep. How interesting that all of these benefits are also benefits of regular meditation.

The reality is that your mind worries about the mess in your home. That mess makes you stressed and scatter-brained, which leads to an even messier house. It is a vicious cycle.

Luckily, most people find cleaning their living space to be very easy. A chore, yes, but an easy one. It isn't like meditation, which takes a while to become proficient in. Nearly everyone knows how to clean a space up.

As soon as your local landscape is more organized and orderly, you will find that your mind is more focused and relaxed. And one of the secrets to meditation is that relaxed and focused minds are better at it than messy and scattered ones. That's why many people find meditation so difficult at first. It's a lot like exercise in that way: it's difficult at first because you haven't done any, but the only way to improve is to keep practicing.

But hey, if you can get a boost just by cleaning up your house, that's good too.

Happy Stretching!

Surgery-Specific Exercise Routine: Complete Series

Welcome back, mind-body students! This week we synthesize the entire surgery-specific exercise routine into one blog post. Doing these exercises diligently before and after upper-body surgery will prepare your body for minimal down-time and the most complete recovery.

So here it is! Enjoy.

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Surgery-Specific Exercise Routine

Part 1: Four Stretches for Surgery & Xena Stretches the Spring

These first two exercises open up the shoulder girdle, preparing the body for more activity and oxygenating the important areas. Go nice and slow on these techniques. Hold the stretches for 2-3 minutes each if possible. Also, if you have frozen shoulder or other stiffness, stretch VERY gently. Better to slowly release the tension rather than hurt yourself before (or after) surgery.

Part 2: Xena Pushes the Tablets & The 'M' and the 'T' Stretches

These stretches extend the arms out straight at the elbows, putting a little more weight on the shoulder and increasing the stretch. It also incorporates some turning of the trunk, which stretches the muscles of the abdomen and lower back.

Part 3: The 'T' and the 'Y' Stretches & Turn and Twist

These exercises get the body into its most extended stretches, with the arms straight up and straight out, and the torso turned repeatedly to each side.

Part 4: White Ape Picks the Peach & Training the Yang Circle

Lastly, we complete the set of exercises with circular motions with really exercise the shoulder joint and all of the muscles of the upper body. These motions incorporate each and every movement from before into very graceful techniques.

And that's it! Come back next week for exciting news from the Mind-body world.

Happy Stretching!

Surgery-Specific Exercise Routine: Part 4

Hey mind-body students! Good to have you back.

This week is the final new installment in our surgery-specific routine, where we introduce the two final exercises for you to do. Next week, we will combine all these exercises into a single post for you to bookmark for future reference.

Preparing for surgery, even just surgery on the upper body, is a whole-body task. Our exercises so far have been relatively isolated to upper body movements, but to fully prepare for the operation, your whole body should be as healthy as possible. So without further to do, here are the two most full-body movements you'll be doing as preparation (and recovery).

White-ape Picks Up the Peach: This beautiful movement from Qi Gong is a great technique to do outside in the (hopefully soon to be) spring weather. Take special note of the "energy ball rotation" movement in between each part of the technique. This part of the movement massages the internal organs, which should be in peak health before you get surgery.

Also, take note of how to breath in this technique, because oxygenating the body is key to surgery prep as well.

Training the Yang Circle: The motion involved with this technique is similar to that of the last technique, with the swooping arm circles and forearm rotation. Having a partner isn't completely necessary (you can do this technique solo against a wall like I show in the video), but there is a lot to be said for having a companion with you while you prepare and recover. Emotional support is also important when it comes to overall health!

Next week we synthesize all the exercises into one post. See you then!

And Happy Stretching!