Course XVIII - Teaching 7: Somewhat Difficult Exercises I and II

Somewhat Difficult Exercises I

1. At attention position. Feet entirely together, arms horizontally stretched forward. Rotate trunk to right, and later to left with elastic insistence, while you breathe out at the same time. Do not move legs and buttocks; even hips must not move. Also in lateral position (Figure number 78).
   Chest breath. Respiratory exercise number 1.
2. Lateral position. Arms high up. Move arms backward with elastic insistence; your trunk must not yield and has to remain fixed. This exercise stretches chest and shoulder muscles. Six times more or less (Figure number 79).
   Full breath. Respiratory exercise number 3.
   Arms and shoulders relaxed through drive drive. Relaxation exercise number 10.
3. Lying down face upwards. Raise legs stretched and together in such a way that you form an acute angle with the ground. Continuously and alternately, bring one knee to the chest while you bend it and again you bring it back to its acute angle position. Keep a normal breath. Tap your muscles, on their entire extension, with your knuckles. Breath for heart recovery, lying down face upward.
   Relaxed muscles through hip drive. Relaxation exercise number 13.

4. Natural or (at attention) position. Raise one knee to the chest, but while you offer resistance with the related hand and press with it against movement. Later, lower the knee through pressure of your hand. This exercise strengthens hip and abdomen muscles, and flexors. Later, through quick drive bring the knee to the chest. This exercise gives speed (Figure number 80).
   Leg relaxed through knee drive. Relaxation exercise number 17.
5. Sitting on the ground. Legs remain stretched, together or apart. Arms horizontally stretched at both sides, or forward, and breathe in. Intense rotation of trunk to right and later to left from the hip joint while you keep arms fixed and breathe out slowly at the same time. Your arms must not move from their position through drive; bend knees, incline the trunk backwards and form an arch with your back. Breathe in while you lower arms. Six times each. The same in lateral position. For greater difficulty in lateral position, with legs quite apart (Figure number 81).
   Breath for heart recovery with full breathing out.
   Hips relaxed through lateral launching of the trunk and knee drive. Relaxation exercise number 20.
   5 a) Lateral position. Arms stretched horizontally at both sides. Quiet rotation of trunk to left, and later to right while you keep your arms fixed as much as possible in their respective space in the beginning of the movement. This exercise stretches chest and back, and strengthens hip. Three times each (Figure number 82).
6. At attention position: Bend knees while at the same time you raise heels and arms forward. Separate knees. First slowly and later intensely. Shake legs. Six times (Figure number 83).
   Great breath with full breathing out. Relaxed leg through fall. Relaxation exercise number 15.

7. Knelt on the ground. Trunk leaned on hands in the ground. Right arms and high remain vertical (Crawling position). Rotation of back upward while bringing buttocks near heels. Later separate knees, and lower substantially the trunk with flexion of arms. In this position, push the trunk forward, with the chest as near ground as possible. Get up slowly, closing up your knees to come back to crawling position. This exercise stretches quite efficiently the whole front area of the trunk and favors greatest respiratory depth (Figures numbers 84 and 85).

8. Natural (or at attention) position. Leaned on a wall or a cupboard, oscillate one leg forward and backward while you rise on the point of the foot leaned on the ground when this leg at the top, as much behind as ahead. You can practice a more difficult exercise by keeping both legs straight. Great breath with full breathing out.
9. Natural (or at attention position). Arms below. Raise one thigh to the horizontal line, and later straighten the knee while at the same time you raise the leg to the horizontal line, in such a way that it forms one line with the thigh. This is an extraordinary exercise that strengthens your legs. Tap hip muscles with your knuckles. From three to four times each.
   Leg relaxed through knee drive. Relaxation exercise 17.
10. Lateral position. Arms horizontally stretched to both sides, and clasped fists with knuckles looking upwards. It is quite important that the area of the circle bringing backwards is wide. Later, trace great circles forward and later backward. Meanwhile, breathe quietly. Shake arms.
    Breathing out. Respiratory exercise 5. Relaxed forearms through knee drive (Relaxation exercise 7).
11. Knelt on the ground. Feet fixed on the ground, with heels beneath a cupboard, at the edge of a bed, or supported by another. Hands on the back of the neck, or leaned on hip. Incline the trunk forward while you keep it very erect. Thighs must form a straight angle with legs. Breathe out during the movement (Figure number 86).
    Full breathing out. Respiratory exercise number 3.
    Back relaxed through fall of trunk Relaxation exercise number 24.
12. Lateral position. Arms hanging freely. Slow rotation of the whole body in such a way that the front looks backwards while you keep your feet –which also have rotated– in the same position. Later, move your arms forward and sit down on the ground and cross your legs. Get up again and rotate your body to its early position. Do the same to the other side. 2-3 times each. Shake legs. Figure number 87.

Somewhat Difficult Exercises II
13) Lateral position. Bend laterally your head to the left side without rotation. Later, straighten it and bend it to the right side, against the pressure of the right hand leaned on the temple. Practice this to one side and another while you breathe out during this effort. Four times each. Later, head rotation over shoulders in such a way that it traces circles (Figure number 88).
14) Natural (or at attention) position. Arms horizontally stretched to both sides. Bend laterally the trunk to the right side with drive, in such a way that your left arm receives a drive upwards, and your right arm an drive downwards, without rotation or flexion of trunk forward. While you practice this in fast succession, breathe calmly and deeply (Figure number 89).
Breathing out. Respiratory exercise number 5.
15) Natural or at attention position. Raise left thigh, attract left leg and hold the heel in front of the body with your right hand, in such a way that the leg remains almost horizontal before the body. Tighten the left knee with your left hand downwards while the right hand pulls the heel upwards. Repeat several times with certain insistence (Figure number 90). Thigh and leg relaxed though knee drive (Relaxation exercise 19).
16) Lying down face downward. Arms alongside body with palms of your hands on the ground. Separate trunk from the ground while you breathe out. Heels must be beneath a cupboard or bed, or can be held against the ground by another. The same, but join your hands at the back with entwined fingers and at the same time separating your arms from the body while you raise the trunk. Breathe for heart recovery, lying down face upwards, with full breath. Relaxed back through fall of the trunk (Relaxation exercise 25).
17) Sitting down on the ground. Stretched and quite separate legs: arms horizontally stretched forward. Bend the trunk on right leg, leaned on right foot with hands, and insist elastically several times, while you keep your leg as straight as possible. Breathe out while you bend the trunk. Two times each. Sit down on the ground and get up several times quite fast without the help of your hands (Figure number 91). Breath for heart recovery, lying down face upwards.

18. Lateral position. Arms horizontally stretched to both sides with palms of the hands looking upwards, and with clasped fists. Every muscle of one arm must be in tension, and you must bend it by extremely stressing muscles and by leaning also on your wrist. Sight, will and attention directed to flexor (biceps). You can breathe in before flexion, but also you can breathe in during the movement with no harm. Practice this alternately with right or left arm. Shake hands, and tap lightly flexors with your knuckles. Eight times each (Figure number 92).
    Chest breath. Respiratory exercise number 1.
    Both relaxed arms through fall. Relaxation exercise number 3.
19. Natural position. Arms stretched horizontally forward. Lower vertically the trunk while you bend one knee and the other leg is stretched forward. Also you can practice this standing, with one leg on a bench, or by leaning on something. If possible, straighten again the leg. Three times each. Shake each leg, and tap your thighs with knuckles (Figure number 93).
    Leg relaxed through knee drive. Relaxation exercise number 17.
    Lying down face downwards. Raise slowly both legs straight to the vertical line, and later lower them again. Later, keep legs separate from the ground a the distance of the width of a hand, and then raise to times in such a way that they form an acute angle with the ground, and the third time to the vertical line in such away that meanwhile you do not lean your legs on the ground. Three times each. Later straighten the trunk, and attract at the same time your legs and embrace them. Several times slowly and quickly (Figure number 94).
    Abdominal breath. Respiratory exercise number 4.

21. Lateral position. Arms stretched horizontally at both sides. Incline the trunk while you keep the spine straight and forward. In this position, intense rotation of the trunk to right and left. Emphasize vigorous drive of the arm that rotates upwards, while you move with vigor your forearm to the chest. Meanwhile breathe out slowly. Straighten the trunk to breathe out. Later you can breathe out quietly during the entire exercise. This exercise stretches shortened tissues in the front area of the trunk, in muscles through which the trunk rotates, and straightens the spine. Four times more or less (Figure number 95).
    Breathing out. Respiratory exercise number 5.
22. Knelt on the ground. Stretched arms high up; incline the trunk forwards in such a way that your arms lean on the ground. Thighs must form straight angle with legs lying down on the ground, and the trunk must form a line with the stretched arms, whose hands also lean against the ground. With elastic insistence, now try to approach the chest as much as possible to the ground, while you breathe out. An assistant can press softly shoulder plates. Excellent exercise to stretch the whole front area of the trunk, and to straighten the upper area of the spine. This position does not permit the spine to bend inwards in the kidney area (Figure number 96). Compare with Preparatory Exercise number 46. Great breath with full breathing out.
    Back relaxed through inclination drive. Relaxation exercise number 22.
    22 a) Lying down face upwards. Arms at body sides, or hands on the back of neck. Feet, with legs lightly bent, beneath a cupboard or another support. Breathe in and bend slowly the trunk upward forward, rolling it up. Begin with the head and roll up the trunk, vertebra after vertebra upwards, while you breathe out at the same time. Later, straighten the trunk, breathe in, bend it again and unroll it in the same form in such a way that it remains lying down on the ground. This is one of the best exercises to strengthen abdominal muscles. Later you can practice the same, but you should not lean your feet on anything.
23. Lying down face downwards. Palms of the hands leaned against the ground at each side of the respective shoulder. Straighten arms while this way you raise the entire body that, in one line, remains leaned on vertical arms and points of the feet. In this position, bend and straighten arms; this approaches the body to the ground and moves the body away of it. Hands must be in the direction forward (parallel), or lightly inwards. While you straighten the arms you should not raise your buttocks; but you must raise just your shoulders. Your body should be always entirely erect. Straighten your arms as fast as possible. Breathe in with flexion; breathe out while you straighten your arms. Shake the arms.
    Breath for heart recovery, with full breathing out.
    The whole arm relaxed along with forearm, through knee drive. Relaxation exercise number 7.
24. Lateral position. Stretched arms upwards, clasp fists and join them. Incline the trunk a little backwards, while you yield in the waist area, and at once launch the trunk forward (movement practiced by woodcutters), with great drive. Let the trunk continue downwards, and bring elastically your hands backwards while you breathe out at the same time. This exercise is for rapid-force of abdominal muscles, and at the same time stretches dorsal muscles. Four times more or less (Figures numbers 97 and 98).
    Breathing out. Respiratory exercise number 5.