Course XVIII - Teaching 1: Introduction

Motives

Cafh gives to its Sons not only tools for their spiritual health, but also what they need to keep and increase their physical strength by themselves and by their own efforts. So, in order to reach the same goal, the Sons should not disperse their energies in sports, institutions of physical education, et cetera, which generally do not give an especial guide in this sense, and waste a lot of energy to beat records or win certain game. Knowledge shall enable the Sons to practice the revitalizing Cafh’s Gymnastics anywhere and anytime. A knowledge bestowing independence from others is the trait of the sixth sub-race.

Utility

Increase of physical strength and sense of full health experienced through gymnastics shall be useful to the Sons to increase, upon its basis, their moral and spiritual powers. Cafh’s Gymnasts shall build soon a pure, harmonious and worthy Temple with their bodies, where the Divine Mother can dwell. The weak shall re-construct their sickly bodies by means of knowledge, personal efforts and, especially, their gaze set on the Highest Ideal.
The Cafh’s Sons shall learn with no age limit how to counteract harmful effects of the way of life they are forced to live, through a compensatory gymnastics that later they shall be able to select and condition to their particular cases.
The Cafh’s Gymnastics shall not detach its Sons from their spiritual goals because it shall not be a body cult. The fact that these exercises are usually practiced out the sight of others, and the cancellation of any sense of competition and acrobatic show –since they are simple and look for an inner effect, not for an outer form– shall prevent from undesirable secondary results.

Cafh’s Gymnastics

It shall include the following names:

Anatomical-functional gymnastics;
Rhythmic gymnastics;
Weight gymnastics, shot (iron ball), medicine ball, et cetera;
Respiratory gymnastics;
Self-massage and skin care.

Anatomical-functional gymnastics: It includes relaxation, stretching, invigoration, speed and agility, all they self-sufficient to increase substantially energies and good health. These exercises must be practiced as preparation for rhythmic gymnastics and weight gymnastics, shot (iron ball), medicine ball, et cetera.

Rhythmic gymnastics: Through it, you get a fine muscle sensibility, perfect movement co-ordination and its rhythmic operation; this is possible only after the control of different bodily parts.

Weight gymnastics, shot (iron ball), medicine ball, et cetera: This means the gymnastic crown giving rise to agility, courage, strength and stamina; this gradually prepares men and women to fight difficulties, since its constant demand implies to overcome resistances and measure one’s strength with the iron.

Respiratory gymnastics: It includes exercises to strengthen respiratory muscle groups to bring into motion the respiratory system, increase the thoracic capacity and teach how to breathe properly during exercises, efforts and after efforts so that neither heart nor inner organs may be harmed.

Self-massage and skin care: Massage is one of the oldest tools for physical healing. It includes a series of practices that, externally applied, impel remarkably the blood circulation, removes toxins from tissues, dehydrates the latter, and softens and gives muscle flexibility by reducing their inner stress; positively refreshes inner organs and improves the metabolism. A curative massage demands substantial knowledge, great practice and, over all, vocation. On the other hand, a self-applied massage on a relatively healthy body, but knowing certain principles and practices, gives significant results, in addition to the good exercise for the self-masseur’s arms, hands and thorax. Here are the main practices: Rubbing, brushing, massaging (there are several forms: with thumbs, the rest of fingers, protuberances of the palms of the hand, knuckles, et cetera), tapping (with knuckles outer edge of one’s hand), rotation, et cetera,

All these practices influence from superficial tissues to deep tissues, and you can learn them somewhat easily. As a secondary self-massage influence, it improves especially the skin. Several practices and the use of vegetal oil as lubricant give smoothness, softness and elasticity to any healthy skin. A healthy skin is a very important barrier against diseases, and its care demands precise cleaning along with a relatively vigorous treatment on its surface.

Analysis

Cafh’s Gymnastics is vast and full, and meets the demands of the present age in any sense.
So, even though Cafh’s Gymnastics has an ancient inspiration, it is modern and contains eleven types of different influences that give a healthy form to the body when are applied to tissues (muscles, sinews, et cetera) and to joints.
According to the last experiences in the matter, the above mentioned influences are as follows:

Passive Relaxation
Tissues are stretched or shortened by certain tensional muscle excitations. These excitations or stimulations can only stretch a shortened tissue when the former finds an entirely relaxed (passive) tissue. On the other hand, if the tissue is stressed during the stretching, the result shall be a worsening of the condition.
So, before the beginning of a work to strengthen muscles, the shortened tissue should be placed in a naturally ductility state; this can be obtained only by tensional influences on the passive and relaxed muscle. So, a voluntary muscle relaxation and tension must be learnt. Many persons are unable to detect tension or relaxation in a muscle. This defect is due to nervous hindrances, and the purpose of passive relaxation exercises is to remove those hindrances.

Active Relaxation
This relaxation differs from the former by virtue of an active individual participation, with no help from others. You get this relaxation with exercises shaking your muscles, and with exercises where your members fall and oscillate as if they were pendulums. These exercises remove cramps, decrease inner tension, and favor blood circulation. An active relaxation of joints puts a stop to stiff members or joints.

Stretching
Exercises of stretching lengthen usual shortened muscles that are responsible for anti-natural postures, positions and movements, increase the useful length of a muscle, and also substantially decrease the inner tension.
In any case of cramp, shortening or stiffness of the body, first we should practice exercises of stretching, and later, exercises of strengthening.

Invigoration
Once you fulfill the previous requirement to certain extent, you can begin your strengthening. You produce the latter through movements against an eventual resistance, whether a resistance from your own body, or from parts of it, or from other person, or from certain devices.
In these exercises take into account a development of certain muscle groups –as much in synergistic muscles and in antagonistic muscles– in order to get a balanced strengthening.

Strength:
Now, new development forms are added to the first strengthening through slow stimuli. The physical development rests on relaxation, stretching and strengthening. Here are the forms of the following development: Strength, speed, speedy-strength, agility, endurance, speed-endurance-strength, and rhythm.
Strength exercises increase substantially the strengthening, and a greatest development demands the use of certain gymnastic devices.

Speed
Also, the muscle speed demands special exercises that in the beginning are studied slowly, and eventually practiced quite quickly.

Speedy-strength
Speed and strength should go side by side in order to increase the muscle performance to the utmost. Slow strength alone is not enough for profession, job and movements of daily life, or for the development of inner organs.

Agility
Agility (co-ordination) exercises are quite important. They are based on fine muscle sensibility. Relaxation exercises promote agility, which demands harmonious muscle interaction.

Endurance
Endurance exercises can involve portions of the body or the whole body. They are necessary for the development of the heart and lungs, and also for stout persons. Basically, they differ from other forms of muscle work, since here it is desirable to certain extent the mechanization and automation of exercises. These exercises consume the tissue, and that is why are so recommendable for stout people.

Quick-endurance-strength
Through combined exercises of quick strength and endurance, your endurance exercises stop consuming tissue, and you get excellent physical fitness and extraordinary nervous invigoration.
In this sense, special exercises with punching-ball are excellent; this device can be easily used at home.

Rhythmic movement
Movements of this kind are practiced with no force or will, that is, should be made rhythmically. Even for men, this is a very important dynamic gymnastics. Characteristically, these movements make you recognize your natural movements.

No physical education, no sport, no manual and professional work can dispose of these forms of basic development that can be made anytime at home.
These movements are as much necessary in sports like ski, rowing, swimming, wrestling, weight-lifting, et cetera, as in workers of any kind.
Everybody needs free movements in shoulders, thorax, hips, knees and foot joints. All these areas need relaxation, stretching, speedy strength, endurance and indefatigability.

General Plan:

Cafh’s Gymnasts shall assemble once a week at certain time and place. During about one hour, the instructor shall teach them those exercises (generally, 12) that they must daily practice at home during the rest of the week. They shall receive, at the end of the class, a leaflet containing those exercises that the instructor has taught.
Persistently, the instructor shall demonstrate that the true value of Cafh’s gymnastics lies on a daily practice at home, and those who attend to these classes shall pledge their allegiance to this. Cafh’s Sons shall attend voluntarily to these classes, but those who want to take part must compulsorily attend weekly and practice daily their exercises until the end of the cycle, which shall last one year at most. Exercises can be abandoned for especial motives, but always with previous permission. Also you need this permission when you do not attend to class or when you cannot fulfill your daily practice.
Once the first cycle ends up, two groups of gymnasts must be formed: the beginners and the advanced. Beginners shall be those who study and practice anatomical-functional gymnastics, and the advanced shall be those who have ended up this study and wish to know rhythmic gymnastics and also gymnastics with weights, shot (iron ball), medicine-ball, et cetera. From the beginning, special exercises shall be added or remarked to the student, which counteract harmful movements or postures in his profession; he shall know respiratory exercises and shall receive instructions to take care of his skin.