Are you suffering from neck, shoulder, back tension, headache, or insomnia? Then you need to try this exercise.
Category: exercise
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Back tension? part 1- where to start
So if your back is tight, what can you do to loosen up? Before I give you the answer, I want to explain what’s going on with your back.
The spine is designed to move – bending forward, backward, side bending and twisting. But most of us don’t move it so much. Instead, our back is always held static in an upright position, sometimes for an extended period. As a result, all the joints get stiff and eventually lose mobility and cause pain. This can happen to people who are active and goes to the gym and take a walk regularly because you see, you don’t make so much movement with your back with many of these activities.
During my massage session, I often sense the back feels very stiff, and the spines are right. Then I explain to them that their bodies are like vacation homes. When you go to your vacation home after an extended period, the door squeaks, and the windows won’t even move when you try to open. So you need to oil the hinges, rock the window back and forth to loosen up. Your back is the same. You need to start exercising your spine so it can move smoothly.
I have a proven system that I guided my clients to release tension in their backs. Many of my clients have made quite amazing improvements with this, but the thing is, you need to follow my instructions, and I hope that you try at least 3 weeks to see the result. There are 3 steps, and the exercises I show here only take 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your schedule. If you are ready to know those 3 steps, go to the next post.
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Open Chest Exercise for your Lungs & Heart
Different environments outside of our body make us sick – change of seasons, pollens, dryness, dampness, temperature, and stuff like viruses. We often try to deal with all the problems by changing the external environment – adjusting the temperature, disinfecting, etc. Or deal with the symptoms after you are officially sick by taking medicine.
According to Eastern medicine, there is no sickness. You see it as all imbalance of your energy. The human body has 12 meridian channels where your qi (energy) flows, and each channel supplies energy to each internal organ. With the change of the external environment, it can obstruct your energy flow, and the function goes down, and the immunity weakens.
Meridian Exercise can help you open up the blockages so your organ can function better. Another shield to protect your body!
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Plate Balancing Exercise
If you are feeling a lot of stiffness, but don’t want to go outside, here’s the simple exercise you can do for a few minutes. It can release all major joints in your body, and make better circulation. Also, it is very relaxing and meditative. You can do this exercise without any object, but it is more effective, especially in the beginning, to practice with some plate. If you happened to have a cork pot mat like what I use in this video, it’s the best. If you don’t, you can use any plates that won’t break when you drop it.
- Stand with the right foot forwards, have a plate on the right hand, left hand on the small of your back. Make a figure 8 with your hand. 10 reps
- Do the same with your left hand. 10 reps.
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Qigong Exercise – 4th day
Torso, spine, and hip Exercise
Today is the 4th day of Qigong Exercise and also the end of this series. Among all the exercises I shared, this session is the most important and most challenging. I’ll list why it’s important below.
- It’s most important because the torso has major internal organs. You can still live without arms and legs but you won’t be alive if you lose your torso.
- Most of us spend too much time sitting and sitting is the most constricted position. The structure of the spine is flexible, but if you are not moving, or staying in one position all the time, your spine starts to stiffen. And if you have bad posture, it’ll get stuck in a wired way – kyphosis, lordosis, and scoliosis
- If your torso becomes stiff, it constricts your organs and the function of organs goes down – premature aging
Torso, spine, and hip exercise - Lie down on your belly and shake your hip side to side 30 reps
- Place your hands & knees on the floor, shake your hips & stretch your back
- Rotate your torso clockwise 10 reps
- Rotate your hips making small circles clockwise 10 reps
- Rotate your hips making big circles clockwise 10 reps
- Repeat with counterclockwise 10 reps x 3 (torso, small & small circle)
- Turn your upper body to the left and repeat the whole process in 3
- Turn your upper body to the right and repeat the whole process in 4
- Back to the center and move your spine in a wave motion 30 reps
- Turn your upper body to the left and repeat 30 reps
- Turn your upper body to the right and repeat 30 reps
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Qigong Exercise – 3rd day
I finally published the 3rd video after the 2nd try because I deleted the first one by mistake! It’s not perfect but I’m learning something new every day, so be patient with me.
Neck, shoulders, torso, and hip stretch Shoulders & Neck Exercise
- Move your shoulders up & down alternately 30 reps
- Stretch your arms up and move your arms up & down alternately 30 reps
- Side-lying: move your arm front & back 10 reps
- Move your arm up & down 10 reps
- Rotate your arm clockwise & counter-clockwise 10 reps/each
- Repeat on the other side
- Back to lying on your back: Rotate your neck side to side 20 reps
- Stretch your arms & legs and hold 20 sec. x 2
- Twist your body with a right leg across to the right, and hold 20 sec.
- Twist your body with a left leg across to the left, and hold 20 sec.
- Repeat
- Roll your body side to side 20 reps
- Rock your body like a baby in the crib 30 reps both side
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Before you start your Qigong Exercise…
My Story
I’ve been practicing Qigong for ten years. Before I started, I wasn’t interested in Qigong at all. How I got involved was unintentional, and because of that, I also believe it was a blessing from heaven. I just wanted to do something with my teenage daughter during one summer to keep her away from troubles, and she said she wanted to try Yoga. Interestingly, the Yoga Center I picked wasn’t teaching Yoga but Qigong. I think they presented themselves as a yoga center because Qigong wasn’t so popular.
I thought I was pretty healthy until then, but I realized I wasn’t as healthy as I thought. After I started to practice, I was hit by fatigue that lasted a few months. Many years of accumulated tension up to that point came out of my body with the form of fatigue.
I went to the Yoga Center every day, even after I was left alone because my daughter went back to school. I found Qigong practice very fascinating and went for more and more intense training for about two years. By the end of 1-year training, I was teaching classes every morning, and I was planning to open my own Yoga Center. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I decided to become a massage therapist instead, but I’m so glad that I dedicated a few years to receive this training.
What is Qigong?
Qigong started before 2400 BC in China. I think people with a long history like China and India seem to have incredible patience to learn, systematize, and practice their studies. It’s too much for me, as a Japanese, I don’t have that much patience, but I’m glad they did. I don’t go into in-depth and detail information here, but if you are interested, “Simple Qigong Exercises for health” and “Qigong – the secret of youth” by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming are good books to study.
So, back to my simple explanation, Qigong is the training of Qi (energy). Once Chinese people learn about Qi, they developed Daoism, Buddhism, Eastern science, Eastern medicine, martial art, etc. They are not separate things but intertwined together. The sickness doesn’t just come from the physical body. It starts with your mind. When you have excessive thinking and emotions, it causes blockage in your meridian channels (energy paths) in your body and makes you sick. Qigong exercise is not only working on your physical body but also your mind and emotions to release that blockage.
Seven benefits of Qigong Exercise
- Improve & maintain your health, and slow down the aging
- Loosen up & recondition your torso (spine & hips)
- Energize your body
- Strengthen internal organs
- Improve joint problems
- Improve digestive system
- Prevent breast & prostate cancer
Five tips for effective exercise
- Time of Practice – the best time: right after waking up, the 2nd best time: before bedtime
- Do not practice with a full stomach – You need to be comfortable.
- Drink water – have a glass of water as soon as you wake up.
- Breathe naturally – breathing is a crucial key to eliminate waste in the body.
- The adequate number of repetitions – the right amount of exercise is essential to achieve a good result.
If you don’t remember anything I said above, relax, be happy, and pay attention to your body. How far you can stretch is not important. The more important thing is how much you are paying attention to your body and have a sincere attitude towards your goal.
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Qigong Exercise 2nd day
So I finally created the 2nd video today! My plan was to post a new video every day but I’m challenged with technology! Taking video was a little bit easier this time but it took 3 days to edit. It was pretty painful and I need a massage! Anyway, I hope this video can help you get going with your exercise. I do this exercise every morning because I feel energized and it helps release stiffness. Enjoy!
- Shake arms & legs – preparation for next exercise
- Walking – loosen up the elbow & knee joints
- Lifting higher – loosen up shoulder & hip joints. Shoulders & hips are the two most essential qi junctions that connect the limbs and torso.
- Open & close chest & hips – Release chest tension & lower back tension
- Open & close chest & hips one side
- Twisting torso – swing arms and legs in the opposite direction
- Rolling side to side holding knees – loosen up torso and lower back
- Rolling side to side holding ankles
- Hip joint stretch & rotation
- Shake your hip side to side – loosening up your waist
- Lift your waist & down – conditioning lower back structure
- Rotate your waist – conditioning lower back. adjust the reputation accordingly
- Tighten & Loosen hips/ Perineum – conditioning the muscles & tendons between hips and anus. In Chinese Medicine, the perineum is the important acupoint that controls Qi circulation. It acts as the piston of the pump for your main energy center, known as the lower dan tian (energy center).
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Our debut to Youtube Channel!
All my clients and visitors,
I miss you all! I received some text messages and encouragement from my regular clients. It is so good to know that we are not alone. I’ve been thinking of making a Youtube channel since I opened my store. I bought a tripod with lighting and a microphone that fitness instructors use, but never had the chance to use them.
But you know, change never be easy, whether good or bad, and we tend to sit in our comfort zone. To me, this social-distancing thing came as a blessing in disguise. And this morning, I went to my office and made my first exercise video! Of course, it took me several hours to take a video, edit, and put on youtube and other social media. Now I’m feeling neck and shoulder pain!
Before you start watching this video, read “Before you start your Qigong Exercise…”
- Lie on your back. Be calm & peaceful (entire exercise)
- Breathe naturally
- Pay attention to your body and the body sensation (feeling)
- Open & close your hands & toes – all 12 Qi channels are connected to 12 internal organs. And 12 Qi channels either starts or ends with toes or fingers. Moving toes and fingers are like opening the faucet.
- Flex your wrists & ankles – Your wrists & ankles are the two most important joints. When your wrists & ankle joints are opened and relaxed, the qi can reach the fingers and toes smoothly.
- Stretch your wrists & ankles
- Stretch right wrist & open feet
- Stretch left wrist & close feet
- Rotate wrists outwards & inwards
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Those who spend all day sitting….
Are you experiencing lower back, upper back, or neck & shoulder pain? Then you are in the same situation as most of my clients. You may feel it’s not going to go away since you have it so long and nobody was able to help you. Well, don’t be too sure about it. Before you are giving up your hope, let me explain something about your body.
Our bodies are not designed to stay in one position over some time. So any postures – sitting, standing, walking, running, or even lying down is not good to keep a long time. Unfortunately, we have to spend many hours standing or sitting, or sometimes walking around all day depending on your job. But you can improve the quality of your life with a little tweak. I will list a few things and see what you can take in and adapt. The first one is the easiest and the most difficult one at the same time.
Love yourself and start to care for your body Sounds easy, right? But often time I hear from some people saying, ” It’s easy to take care of other people but I just can’t spend time for myself.” I understand but if you don’t take care of yourself, who will? You can take care of others as long as you are in good health. Think about your body as your baby. If you don’t take care of your baby, she will get sick. I think setting the right mindset is the most important thing and the rest gets easier.
Take 3 minutes break every hour Are you going to get yelled at by your boss if you do this? I’m not talking about the long break. I’m talking about 3 minutes and you don’t even have to leave your seat. Have you watched a dog or a cat stretching themselves? Nobody tells them to do but they stretch whenever they feel they need to do. Sometimes they are smarter than us. And I’m going to share a few easy exercises you can do anytime during your work.
- Neck Stretch: You know this, right? bend your neck side to side, front and back, rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. Most important with stretch is not how deep you stretch but feel your body and feel your stretch. And do slowly.
- Shoulder Exercise: Raise your shoulders to your ears, squeeze your shoulders up for a few seconds and drop. Do this a few times. Then again, lift your shoulders as you breathe in and rotate your shoulders back and down as your breath out. Do this slowly a few times.
- Intestinal Exercise: This is the most amazing exercise ever. You can do this while nobody notices it! I will tell you just a few benefits. This exercise will enhance circulation, digestion, and strengthen your abdominal muscle so it helps you release lower back pain. Here’s how you do it: Pull your belly in and push back. Repeat this at a fast pace rhythmically. This is not breathing exercise, so breathe naturally. Do this 3-5 minutes, a few times a day.
- Hip rotation: Three exercises above are good while you are sitting so you don’t even need to get up your chair. But finally, when you get up for the restroom, do this exercise. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on your waist. Move your hip front and back a few times, then side to side a few times. Then rotate your hip clockwise and counterclockwise a few times. Do it slowly. Your hip joints get stiff if you sit all the time.