HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas

 

TO ALL OF YOU

 

from

 

ALL OF US AT HEALING T’AI CHI

 

Have a wonderful and fit holiday.  We’ll be back the first week of the new year.

Exercise #90 – Energizing Your Internal Organs, Part 4

 

Welcome to

Healing T’ai Chi

…the award-winning blog of seated Qigong and T’ai Chi exercises to  balance mind, body and spirit for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

(sponsored by the Exercise Equipment Super Store)

~~~~~~~~~

“Heaven and Earth are everlasting
The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
Is that they do not exist for themselves
Thus they can last forever.”

Tao Te Ching #7, translated by Derek Lin

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These energizing exercises are intended to improve the health of your internal organs but, because of the twisting motion of each of them, they are also beneficial for trimming the waist.  At this time of the year with all the celebrations that involve delicious food and rich desserts, that benefit is equally important.

Open the bow:

1. Sit as usual with your back supported by the back of the chair, feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
2. Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your diaghram to expand.  Bend your elbows and bring your fisted hands to the front of your chest with the backs of your hands touching each other.
3. Still breathing in, pull your right fist toward your right shoulder, forearm parallel to the floor.
4. As you breath out through your mouth and tighten your diaphragm, extend your left arm to the left side with the palm facing outward.  You will be twisted slightly to the left.
5. When your arm is fully extended (do not lock your elbow) pause for a moment in both your breathing cycle and arm movements.  Breathe in again as you return your left hand to your chest and in front of your left shoulder.
6. Continue alternating sides for a total of 12 repetitions.

 Reflexology for the stomach:

 

(click on the illustration above for an enlarged view)

• This point is toward the outside of the foot at the top of the larger gold area on the chart above.  It is the only black dot in that area.
• Massage that spot in a circular motion for a few seconds, then press firmly and hold for about 30 seconds.  You may alternate feet.  Repeat as often as necessary.  This spot is beneficial for stomach aches and indigestion and to regulate the functions of that organ. 

Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician.

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This week’s featured blog/site:  The books recommended in this site sound as though they are worth reading…

http://wellnessbusiness.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/best-books-physical-activity-exercise-fitness/

Featured video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kImPKVrIfKk

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

http://mybodysite.com/Publish/index.php

http://www.reikibyrockie.com

http://robertscottbell.blogspot.com/

http://thepeopleschemist.com/blog/

~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~

Exercise #87 – Energizing Your Internal Organs, Part 1

Welcome to

Healing T’ai Chi

…the award-winning blog of seated T’ai Chi and Qigong exercises to balance mind, body and spirit for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

(brought to you by the Exercise Equipment Super Store)

~~~~~~~~~~

“Cut open doors and windows to create a room
In its emptiness, there is the function of a room

Therefore, that which exists is used to create benefit
That which is empty is used to create functionality.”

Tao Te Ching #11, translation by Derek Lin

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 This exercise will massage and re-vitalize all your internal organs, stimulating their resistance to disease and strengthening your immune system.  

 Your posture should be the same as in previous sessions,  When you’re facing forward, breathe in through your nose as you expand your diaphragm.  Then breathe out slowly through your mouth until you have completed the twist.

 Torso twists:

1.  Hold your hands in front of your shoulders, palms facing away from you.  Take a deep breath through your nose expanding your diaphragm.
2. Twist from the waist to the left as you breathe out slowly, pushing your arms out until they are fully extended but without locking your elbows.  Pause in your breathing for a second and then begin breathing in again as you twist back to face forward.
3. Immediately begin breathing out as you twist to the right and extend your arms.  Remember to visualize the movement of your ch’i as it travels from your lower dan tien (3 finger-widths below your belly button in the center of your body).  Direct your ch’i upward through your chest to the shoulders and down your arms to your hands. 
4. Release the used-up energy through your palms.  Pause for a moment in your breath cycle before your begin breathing in again and return to face forward.
5. Continue alternating from side to side with special attention to the “gathering” of your breath and ch’i  and the “releasing” of the stale breath and used-up energy.  I would suggest no less than 12 repetitions or 6 on each side.

Reflexology exercise:

Whether you have problems with your liver or are just interested in keeping this very important organ healthy and strong, the technique below can be of great benefit.

• Cross one leg over the thigh of your other leg so that you can easily reach the bottom of your foot.  You may lie down to do this or sit in a chair. Pick the position that  is the most comfortable for you.
• Beginning at the back of the heel and using both thumbs, slide your thumbs alternately ( i.e. the right one than the left one)back and forth  in  a sawing motion across the your heel working your way up to just below your toes.
• Reverse the direction from toes to the end of your heel.  Change feet and repeat.

Benefits:  Use this massage technique daily to strengthen your liver.  It is also beneficial to relax sore, tired feet.

 

Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician.

~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured blog/site:

 http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/11/10/antibiotic-use-threatens-healthcare/

Featured video:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOIxRYc9GnQ

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

http://mybodysite.com/Publish/index.php

http://www.reikibyrockie.com

http://robertscottbell.blogspot.com/

http://thepeopleschemist.com/blog/

~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~

Exercise #86 – Energizing the Gateway Between Mind and Body 4

 

Welcome to

Healing T’ai Chi

…the award-winning blog of seated exercises to balance mind, body and spirit for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

~~~~~~~~~

“The greatest virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone.
The Tao is elusive and intangible
Oh, it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is image.
Oh, it is elusive and intangible, and yet within is form.
Oh, it is dim and dark, and yet within is essence.
This essense is very real, and therein lies faith.
From the very beginning until now its name has never been forgotten.
Thus I perceive the creation.
How do I know the ways of creation?
Because of this.”

Tao Te Ching #21, translated by Gia Fu Feng and Jane English

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In this exercise we will be loosening and relaxing our shoulders.  Don’t try to breathe in time with the movements just breathe normally.  However, it is always a good idea to take 3 to 6 slow diaphragmatic breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth before beginning each exercise. 

 Shoulder shrugs and circles:

1. Begin seated as usual with your feet flat on the floor shoulder-width apart, hips tucked under.
2. Lift your shoulders toward your ears and then let them drop, remaining completely relaxed so that they drop of their own accord.
3. Repeat the shoulder “shrugs” 6 to 12 times then circle both shoulders backward for the same number of times you “shrugged” them.
4. Reverse and repeat the same number of circles forward staying relaxed throughout.
5. Complete the exercise with 3 repetitions of Centering Ch’i as described below.

 Centering ch’i:

1. Breathe in through your nose tightening your abdomen as you do so.  (Note that this is  the opposite of the way we breathe during the other exercises.)
2. Lift your arms out to the side, slowly twisting them so that your palms will be facing the ceiling when over your head (toward the back of your head so that your hands are directly over the 3 major pressure points).
3. Your arms are twisted so that the ch’i is “locked”.  Look  upward as though you can see your hands through your head.
4. Breathe out through your mouth and release the ch’i quickly by turning your  hands so that the palms are now facing downward.
5. Lower your arms slowly as you breathe out and release just your lower abdomen, returning your arms to the position in front of the lower dan tien.  Remember – this lower ch’i storage area is about 3 finger-widths below your belly button in the center of the body. 

 Acupressure point:

  

 (illustration from Michael Reed Gach’s Acupressure’s Potent Points)

•  Gates of Consciousness (GB20) is located at the back of the head below the base of the skull.  You can find this point in the hollow between the 2 large vertical neck muscles.
• Press firmly on one point or on both points at the same time for no less than a fulll minute as often as necessary.

Benefits:  This effective pressure point will relieve a stiff neck, a headache or arthritis of the shoulders and neck.

Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician.

  ~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured site/blog:

 http://freedomoftruth.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/h1n1-vaccine-dangers-in-canada-and-the-u-s/

Featured video:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kImPKVrIfKk

Find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

http://www.joansweightloss.com

http://discoverandrecover.wordpress.com

http://mybodysite.com/Publish/index.php

http://www.reikibyrockie.com

http://rsbell.com/radio/

http://thepeopleschemist.com/blog/

Download your free e-book here:

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~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~