Course XVIII - Teaching 6: Preparatory Exercises V and VI
Preparatory exercises V
49) Lateral position. Join hands on your back. Trace circles with your head, to left and right, while you keep a normal breath (Figure number 61).
50) Knelt on the ground. Hands leaned on the ground (Crawling position). Bend your spine upward while you curve your back, and later lower it to the utmost. This movement raises and lowers at the same time as much your head as your hip. Four times (Figure number 62).
Chest breath. Respiratory exercise number 1.
51) Lying down face downwards. Lean hands, with bent arms, at both sides of your head on the ground: later, hands leaned on the ground at the level of shoulders. Straighten arms while at the same time you raise the trunk, but do not move your hip from the ground. Do the same with legs apart. Three times (Figure number 63). Relaxed forearm through overturn. Relaxation exercise number 4.
- Natural position: Parallel feet with arms on the back of the neck, or hanging freely. Raise and lower heels, first slowly, and later, several times in a row very fast. Shake legs. Do not practice this exercise with your feet at attention position.
- Sitting one a chair. Bend the trunk backwards, in such a way that your body forms an arc. Start with vertebras of your neck, and later with those of the trunk, vertebra after vertebra (Figure number 64).
Breathing out. Respiratory exercise number 5. - Diverse knee flections. In natural position, raise the body on tiptoe to the utmost. Bend slowly your knees that have to be directed forward, while at the same time you lower the trunk, which must be kept strictly vertical and eventually with your knees bent to the utmost. Arms in every position as much steadily as naturally (Figures numbers 65, 66, 67 and 68).
Do the same exercise in lateral position, and in step position, with the weight of the body leaned as much on the front leg as on the rear leg. After you practice this exercise slowly, which strengthens your body, also practice with intensity (stretching, quick-strength), shake your legs, or tap thighs with your knuckles, on their entire extension. Keep your breath natural.
Breath for heart recovery.
Leg relaxed though knee drive. Relaxation exercise number 17. - Lying down face upwards. Hands on the back of the neck, or stretched arms at both sides. Bring both thighs to tour chest with your legs bent, lay them down at the right side of the body, and later at the left side, on the ground. Head and trunk are substantially contacting the ground. Three times each. Lie down and get up from the ground several times with the highest speed.
Breath for heart recovery, lying down face upwards.
- Lateral position. Parallel feet and arms in boxing position. Forearms leaned and forming straight angle with your arms and clasped fits. Rotate calmly and widely your right shoulder backwards (this exercise strengthens muscles of the back). Later, move fast the right shoulder forward (this exercise gives speed to chest muscles). Legs remain straight and arms leaned, and do not take active part in movement. Breathe in while you rotate calmly backwards. 6-10 times each (Figure number 69). Arms and shoulders relaxed through knee drive. Relaxation exercise 10.
- Lateral position. Join right arm on the back, intertwine fingers, and tighten up one palm of the hand with another. Raise backwards elastically your arms united this way while you keep the body in its better position. 4-6 times (Figures numbers 70 and 71).
Chest breath. Respiratory exercise number 1.
Thigh relaxed through hip drive. Relaxation exercise 13. - Lying down face downwards. Abdomen on a chair, the rest of the body suspended on the air, entirely erect. Raise and lower an stretched leg while you keep the right position of the body (Figure number 72).
58 a) Lateral position. Practice the exercise number 18, legs apart, at attention position and at passage position. Also, by rotating the body to right and left. Straight legs.
- Lying down face upwards. Keep the right leg at the approximate level of the width of a hand from the ground during the entire exercise. Bring calmly one thigh to the chest while bending the leg at the same time and helping with the arms that are supporting it below the knee. Four times each (Figure number 73).
- Knelt on the ground (not sitting down on heels): Incline the trunk backwards, and hold heels with hands. In this position, move your hip outwards while you form an arc with your body. Also, move your hips to sides and trace circles with it (Figure number 39).
Preparatory Exercises VI
61) Lateral position. Loose body and arms hanging freely, bend trunk backwards, starting with head and later vertebra after vertebra; hip forward. This exercise gives flexibility to the spine, which is generally stiff on the chest area. This exercise stretches substantially the abdominal muscles. Breathe out at the same time. Do the same being knelt on the ground and keeping thighs vertical.
61 a) Lateral position. Arms high up. Bend trunk backwards while you bend especially the kidney area and also yield with the rest of the body. Three times (Figure number 74).
Full breath. Respiratory exercise number 3.
62) Natural position. Raise one half of the hip in such a way that you move the related leg from two to three centimeters from the ground, which must be kept straight and vertical. Do not raise shoulders. Three times each.
63) Knelt on the ground. Vertical thighs and arms stretched at both sides. Straighten one leg backward and move it forward, and straighten it again. Two times each. Relaxed thigh through hip drive. Relaxation exercise number 13.
64) Lateral position. Before a wall at the distance of one step. Incline forward the body, which must form one line, and lean your body on the wall with your hands and with bent arms. Repel repeatedly your body from the wall while you straighten fast and elastically the arms. Great breath in with full breathing out. Relaxed arms and shoulders through knee drive. Relaxation exercise 10.
65) Lying down face upwards. Legs stretched and quite apart. Rotate trunk with drive while you lean left shoulder to left and, lean right shoulder to right. Both legs must substantially contact the ground. Four times each.
Chest breath. Respiratory exercise number 1.
Both arms relaxed through fall. Relaxation exercise number 3.
- Natural (or at attention) position). Raise right leg backwards while you raise at the same time the other leg on tiptoe, and raise arms forward and upward. In the greatest drive position, your body must form an arc. This exercise stretches hip muscles and gives quick-strength to buttocks. Four times each. Breathe for heart recovery.
- Natural (or at attention position). Move to squatting position and lean both hands on the ground; later move legs and body forward and form one line. Your body leans (face upwards) on your heels, and your arms vertical and straight. In this position, raise and lower your hip and later bend while you bring it to the chest: stretch again each leg. This exercise ends up with lying down position face upwards, and later you get up (Figure number 75).
- Lateral position. Stretch both arms forward and later lower them at about 45 grades, and cross them to form an “X” with arms quite stretched and stiff. Give to arms a strong backwards-upwards drive. Once you give this drive to your stiff arms, in such a way that you launch them backwards-upwards, immediately relax to get to the movement climax entirely loose. This is the best exercise to stretch chest muscles and to relax shoulders if you can keep chest and shoulders entirely loose during this exercise. Breathe out at the same time.
Later, once your tissue is loosened, do the same but with arms at attention position, and following the movement with your body that must raise on tiptoe. 4-6 six times. Breathing out. Respiratory exercise number 5.
Both arms relaxed through shoulder drive. Relaxation exercise number 2. - Natural position. From squatting position, one turn of the back while you incline the trunk forward and shrink your head; then, get up immediately.
- Lying down face upwards. Through efforts made by abdominal muscles, press the area of your kidneys with your back against the ground.
- Knelt on the ground. Hands leaned on the ground (Crawling position). Arms and thighs remain vertical, and trunk horizontal. Bend the spine upwards and form an arc; later lower it to the utmost and form an inverted arc. While you bend the spine downwards, stretch one leg backwards upwards, and while you bend the spine upwards, bend the leg and bring the thigh to your chest. Four times each (Figure number 76).
Full breath. Respiratory exercise number 3. - Lying down face upwards. Raise both legs and bring them backward in such a way that the point of your feet touches the ground over your head. the point of your feet must come several times into contact with the ground, while also you bring arms backwards or leave them lying down at each side of the body. Keep your legs straight as much as possible (Figure number 77).
Breath for heart recovery, lying down face upwards.
