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8 exercises to improve body perception

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8 exercises to improve body perception
Relaxing the body and feeling its energy, we will undertake an inner journey into an unsuspected universe. These exercises are the first stop. Off!
8 exercises to improve body perception

Every day we open and close body spaces. We open our mouths to feed ourselves and close it to taste and chew food; we open and close our eyes in the blink of an eye to moisten them; we open our hand to take the doorknob and close it to open and push the door; We open our arms to embrace and close them wrapping the loved one…

In general, we open to let in or out air, sounds, music, tastes, bodily waste, sweat, tears, but also laughter, joy, sadness, pain and other emotions. And we err to focus, feel, digest, filter, rest, protect ourselves, or experience our inner world.

They are two contiguous forms of movement, which go hand in hand and manifest physically, mentally and spiritually. Both need space and are positive if done in due time. How can we open ourselves and close ourselves to the outside according to what suits us?

We can refine and clean the body perception, so that the reception of what moves and moves us finds a cozy or permeable mattress as we require, through body techniques, physical exercise and meditative arts.

  • Body techniques. They unlock, which is essential to open correctly and make contact with the body. Yoga, tai chi, Feldenkrais method, Alexander technique and eutony are recommended.
  • Physical exercise. From the body techniques, cardiovascular exercises (walking, jumping rope, running, swimming), strength (with weights) and flexibility (stretching) begin.
  • Meditative arts. They work on the body-mind relationship and give it a spiritual dimension, basic to realize the others. They remain as a deposit to undertake any daily activity or scenic art

3 DOORS THAT OPEN TO THE OUTSIDE

The opening of any new and unknown space begins by searching for its doors. When we find them, we must learn to open them. Once opened, new physical, mental and spiritual spaces will appear.

To find the doors of the body we do not need accessories or attachments. It is enough to observe it with love, understanding that love as a desire to learn, perseverance, effort, responsibility, acceptance of mistakes to understand better, and generosity. Then the body unfolds showing us its qualities and new horizons.

The body has its own memory, which allows us to learn to walk, dance, find the light switch in the dark, paint, talk, etc. To increase that body memory we must work harder than to cultivate the mental one.

But what the body learns is forever recorded as a tattoo, and the doors we open, even if we later stop using them, do not close. Whoever learns to whistle with two fingers on each side of the mouth, remembers it for life.

1. OBSERVATION OF BREATHING

The first door of the body is located in the chest, where a simple, important and easy to perceive movement is performed: breathing.

If we pay attention to inspiration, expiration and pause we will notice the energy they produce. And so, the breath will open, become calm, quiet and long.

Depending on the action we perform, we will observe changes in breathing: speed, depth and intensity. It will be serene when we sit down to contemplate the sea, a landscape or the sky, and it will be altered if we climb a ladder, we are afraid or we have suffered a nightmare.

Thoughts influence it, to the point of making it extremely pleasant and silent, or distressing and short. In this way we understand our fragility, with which we acquire strength.

2. BY BODY POSITION

Then we open the second door: the manifestation of gravity in the body, weight. It opens through contact with the ground and the position of the pelvis with respect to it.

There are three basic positions: standing, sitting or lying.

The more points of the body are in contact with the ground, the more we can vary the position, feel and open up. We can come into contact with muscles and bones, hear the beating of veins and arteries, feel unknown parts and others that we do not usually take into account, such as the feet.

3. FOCUSING ON THE FIVE SENSES

The third door is formed by the sense organs: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

  • You start by appreciating the light, registering the images and colors, looking at the sides of the room, the floor, the ceiling, the earth and the sky.
  • Then the sounds of the environment are heard. Pure silence exists only as an idea. If we tune the ear on a silent night under the stars, we will distinguish some sound, which cleans this sense to capture frequencies at which we are deaf by habit, because we cannot close it.
  • Then we will capture the smells of the space in which we are. We will record the best-known aromas, purifying the smell.
  • We will continue to taste the taste of the mouth, be it the tea we drink or the fruit we ate. We will discover how the body’s most digestive fluid, saliva, is produced and how it changes flavor.
  • When the clothes come into contact with the skin, we will notice their touch, texture and body temperature. We will start with the feet, until we reach the head.

HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Once the five senses are activated, a sixth will appear that will arrive on its own, enveloping the other five. It is the one that provides us with an invisible space, greater than the sum of the organs, a connection with the outside.

There are three ways that help us, when the doors are open: perception, relaxation and visualization.

REFINE PERCEPTION

The path of perception needs our attention, to accompany the body with thought through the breath and the sense organs.

Taking the first step on this path is already an opening, a change of attitude that works from affirmation and life. This initiates a communication with the body through a two-way path.

It is a gift that we give ourselves generously. This is how what is around us and ourselves flows, and produces spaces, experiences and life.

The perceived path remains in the body memory, as a silent support that acts and supports us when we perform any physical action.

INDUCING RELAXATION

After discovering ourselves as changing beings, we will walk the path of relaxation, to which gravity and expiration lead.

The easiest thing is to relax lying on your back on the floor. Following the expiration, the weight is dropped from head to toe, passing through all parts of the body and trying to be as precise as possible, refining the perception.

If we are sitting in a chair, we will relax the parts of the body that belong to the earth: feet and legs. And the arms, hands and shoulder blades, which rest on the sides of the body.

For standing relaxation, we will place the weight of the body on the heels when inhaling and on the toes when exhaling. The breath will become deep and from there you will enter a long, free and spacious breathing rhythm.

When the body is in motion, we will feel moments of relaxation and strength. If we look for the first and observe them, relaxation will be more effective throughout the body and will cause a graceful, harmonious and free movement.

COSMIC VISUALIZATION

The third path of the body gives unsuspected dimensions: visualization. For this, memory and imagination are used.

We must remember that the body lives on a planet on which gravity acts, the force that attracts to the center of the Earth. Our weight and the possibilities of movement are therefore decided at a distance of thousands of kilometers.

You have to try to see, from the pelvis to the center of the Earth, an imaginary path of sand of any color, metal, precious stones, water, fire, oil …

On the other hand, we are not only related to the Earth, but being related to the Solar System, we project ourselves towards infinity from the pelvis to the sky. Let’s try to think of a path from the hip to the blue of the sky, planets and galaxies.

We will continue to see the body projected forward, backward and sideways circling the Earth, with which we will give it unsuspected dimensions, which will be made its own, until we automate them. Thus, we open body and mind to an infinite space.

The body will react to these images and free itself by opening up to its real dimensions. We will feel lighter and, at the same time, protected. The movements will be balanced, and body and mind will form a unity that will increase our magnetism and charisma.

Space will be cleared in our being and we will know, knowing that knowing is an act of love and that love creates more love.

You will experience vital changes, the possibilities of renewal inherent in each cell of the body and you will notice that the energy follows the attention we pay to it.

It is an energy that those around us will not see, but will notice. These exercises must be performed accompanying training or during daily life.

AN EXERCISE SESSION TO OPEN SPACES IN THE BODY

1. COCCYX, SACRUM, LUMBAR

  1. Squatting, with the feet separated about three spans, we push with our arms to separate the knees a little more and try to make the trunk and head look ahead.
  2. We breathe, listening to how the air opens the lower back and pelvic bowl. We try to make the back as straight as possible from the ischiums.

2. OPEN COCCYX AND SACRUM

  1. Lying down, we take the legs bent below the thighs, letting the diaphragm expand when inspiring.
  2. When exhaling we attract the thighs towards the belly, while we stretch the spine and push with the belly towards the floor.
  3. We repeated it three times and, on the fourth, we tried to bring our feet and calves in the direction of the head.

3. OPEN YOUR BACK

  1. Sitting on the floor, with our feet joined by the soles, we relax the trunk and let it fall forward.
  2. We stay in the position and then tilt the trunk alternately once towards each thigh.
  3. Finally, holding the tibias, we force back with our arms to push the spine stretching it towards the sky from the ischia.

4. DIAPHRAGM

  1. With your knees bent, take a step forward. Feel a spiral that goes up the trunk towards the sky.
  2. Rotate the trunk without turning the pelvis. Place your arms stretched out at your sides.
  3. When inhaling, gently draw your arms and hands towards the trunk and move them away when exhaling. Visualize the air coming in and out through the palm of your hands.

5. OPEN ENGLISH AND LUMBAR

  1. Lying on the floor face down, we take one foot and remain lying down, without separating the inner part of the thighs. Bend the elbow a little so that the leg does not pull the arm and we can relax the back. We try to get the groins to go towards the ground.
  2. We hold the position for about 15 seconds. We repeat it with the other leg and finally with both at the same time.

The head can rest with the forehead on the ground or on its side. If at any time you feel discomfort in your back, put strength on your belly by bringing your belly inward.

6. ABDUCTORS AND PELVIS

  1. In the position of exercise 3 “Open the back”, we make a slight back and forth movement with the legs towards the floor to warm the joints of the pelvis.
  2. We separate the legs, bend the knees and support the heels, trying to keep the pelvis perpendicular to the ground.
  3. Then we continue stretching the legs without the pelvis tilting backwards.

This exercise can also be performed with your back on the floor, your coccyx stuck to the wall and your legs resting on it; From there we open our legs.

7. LEGS AND FEET

  1. Stand with one leg kneeling on the floor and the other at a 90-degree angle with it and the sole of your foot resting on the floor.
  2. Push with the hip and coccyx shifting the weight of the body to the forward foot. To improve balance, it is important that the knees maintain hip separation.
  3. The exercise can be completed by bringing the hip all the way back, until you sit on your foot. From that position, tilt the trunk over the forward leg in order to stretch the back of the thigh and calf.
  4. Repeat the series with the other side.

8. OPEN THE CERVICALS

  1. Lie on the ground. With the hands on the occipital or on the temples, it inspires and, when it takes out the air, rolls the head with the chin towards the sternum, trying to bring the abdominal force in the direction of the back.
  2. Breathe in by leaving your head back on the ground, trying to push the air from the diaphragm to the belly.
  3. Perform the exercise three times. At the fourth roll the cervical, dorsal, lumbar and finally incorporate the trunk to lean on the legs. Then, holding the occipital with your elbows towards the navel, lie down again and relax.

7 tips to integrate more physical exercise into everyday life

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7 tips to integrate more physical exercise into everyday life
According to a new study, doing a little sport for several days a week isn’t enough to stay healthy for long. We spend too much time sitting and move too little in everyday life. This is the conclusion the researchers have reached. The solution is to incorporate many small movements daily. We explain how to do it.
7 tips to integrate more physical exercise into everyday life

We have known for a long time that a sedentary lifestyle is not healthy. Sitting for long hours and lack of exercise bring many health problems such as back pain, obesity, dangerous abdominal fat and cardiovascular disease.

All these alterations and many more are associated with a sedentary lifestyle. We often think that the solution is to spend time exercising, running or going to the gym, at least two or three times a week. And it is true that training sessions are beneficial, but as much or more important is to move more daily.

HOW TO ELIMINATE SEDENTARY HABITS

Many people spend most of their day lying down or sitting. On average, Spaniards sit more than four hours a day, to which we must add those we spend in bed. There is not much daily active time left.

In one study, Finnish researchers identified and characterized sedentary and active time movement profiles, and associated the relationship between the respective activity profiles with markers of cardiometabolic risk.

They concluded that people who, in addition to performing any sporting activity, moved more in everyday life and incorporated light physical activities into their daily routines were significantly healthier.

So, exercise alone doesn’t seem to be enough to offset the potential harm of an extremely sedentary lifestyle. But how can more exercise be integrated into everyday life? Here are some tips on how to do it.

1. CLIMBING STAIRS

You get that little extra slice of exercise with every step you climb. In fact, you burn about 0.11 calories per step. That doesn’t sound like much, but it can add up to a few hundred calories over the course of a day if you constantly climb the stairs. Whether on the subway, at work or in the underground parking lot, there are stairs everywhere, use them!

2. CYCLING

The easiest way to exercise more during the day is to use the bicycle when you can’t cover the distance by walking. Just hop on the bike for any distance of less than 6 kilometers. City dwellers in particular have few excuses not to hop on their bikes. In cities, it is usually reached earlier by bicycle than by car or public transport.

3. GET OFF ONE STATION EARLIER

If cycling is not your thing and you use public transport regularly, do not get off at the usual stop but one before or after. It’s a simple way to force yourself to walk. You’ll add a few hundred steps to your routine.

4. STAND ON THE BUS AND TRAIN

Speaking of public transport, you’re better off not sitting on your way to work by bus or train. Stand up and take advantage of the travel time to train the small stabilizing muscles of the feet, legs and back. When you’re standing, especially when the bus and train are swaying, you’re actually on the move.

5. MOVEMENT WHEN BRUSHING YOUR TEETH

Everyone should brush their teeth at least twice a day. Dentists recommend about three minutes per dental cleaning session. Spending that precious time sitting on the edge of the bathtub or toilet is a shame. Take advantage of it for walking while brushing your teeth. If you have stairs at home, you can go up and down them.

6. TAKE MANY SMALL PATHS

Whether you’re in the office or at home, don’t sit for more than 20 minutes straight. Make visits to the kitchen to fill a glass of water or to the bathroom to cool off. You can simply move a few seconds closer to a window. And every two or three hours you can do stretching exercises.

If you need to discuss something with a colleague, don’t text or email. Get up and go to his table. If you have to make phone calls, you can also make them standing or walking.

7. ACTIVELY WATCH TV

Is that possible? Yes, it is. We don’t want to dissuade you from watching TV. For many people, watching television at night is a ritual that allows them to rest physically, disconnect from worries, entertain themselves and share with other family members. All you have to do is take advantage of the breaks to prepare an infusion or do a quick yoga pose.

6 yoga poses to feel younger

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6 yoga poses to feel younger
Some yoga poses help you feel younger and more vital. You can multiply the benefits of the session by cultivating the intention to reach a better version of yourself and practicing in nature.
6 yoga poses to feel younger

One of the great teachings of yoga is that in reality we are always young and vital, because for the soul we dance in an infinite cycle of evolution, samsara: birth, life, death and rebirth. By understanding this, all fear dissolves and we feel joyful and jovial inside, even when the image in the mirror ages, because it does so with wisdom and radiant health.

Yoga, combined with proper nutrition, enhances the vitality of the body. For example, postures that stretch the spine help fight fatigue and increase feelings of energy. Torsions stimulate the kidneys, where energy is generated and accumulated, according to Chinese medicine, while relieving stress. And leg stretches awaken the vital energy that resides at the base of the spine, which promotes longevity and fertility.

In our Cuerpo Mente School you will find a complete online course of initiation to yoga directed by Eva Roca.

THE SEQUENCE OF YOGA EXERCISES THAT REJUVENATES

The objective of the gentle sequence that we propose is to increase energy, rejuvenate the body and prevent chronic diseases. To create a good energy flow during the sequence:

  • Practice the first two postures with your left leg.
  • Continue with the posture adho mukha svanasana (3).
  • Repeat the first two positions, but with your right leg.
  • Return to adho mukha svanasana and continue with postures 4,5 and 6.

1. ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA

This posture increases resistance. How to do it:

  • Virabhadrasana I. To practice the warrior’s first position, take a big step back with your right foot, keeping your heel on the ground and your hips parallel facing forward. Bend your left leg by aligning your knee with your ankle, inhale and raise your arms towards the sky. So, take five breaths.
  • Virabhadrasana II. From the previous position, lower your arms to put them in a cross with the palms of your hands towards the floor. The hip opens slightly back, maintaining the position of the legs and the alignment of the knee. Lengthen your torso, stretch your arms and look forward. Breathe five times.

2. TRIKONASANA STANDING

This posture strengthens the torso. How to do it:

  • From virabhadrasana II, extend your leg and inhale.
  • Exhale and flex laterally towards your left foot with your legs straight, your right hip back and lengthening your spine forward.
  • Bring your left hand to the outside of your foot, inhale and extend your right arm towards the sky. Look at your right hand and breathe five times.

3. ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA

This pose is actually a complete stretch. How to do it:

  • To reach the pose, get on all fours, leaning on your hands and knees (with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees at the hip vertical).
  • Separate your fingers from your hands and press against the floor, take a step back with your knees and inhale when lifting your hips. The legs are not yet fully stretched, and the feet rest only on the toes.
  • Take the ischia to the sky, push your hands against the ground and forward while bringing your heart to your knees and stretching your spine. Exhale and fully stretch your legs until your heels touch the ground. Breathe five times.

4. ARDHA MATSYENDRASANA

This pose stimulates your energy. How to do it:

  • In the meditation pose, cross your left leg over your right, with your knee facing up and the sole of your left foot rooted in the ground.
  • Surround the left leg with your right arm, inhale and lengthen the torso.
  • Exhale and turn it to the left, bringing the left hand back and expanding the heart.
  • This twisting stimulates the energy of the kidneys. Breathe five times and repeat with the other side.

5. NAVASANA

This posture tones the abdomen. How to do it:

  • To practice the boat pose, sit on your ischia with your legs bent. Next, grab your thumbs (use a tape if you see that you do not arrive or find it very difficult), exhale and tilt your torso back.
  • Then, inhale and stretch your legs, forming a V with your torso and lower extremities. Find balance on the ischia and pull the navel towards the spine. Relax your jaw and shoulders and breathe five times.

6. UPAVISTHA KONASANA

This stance releases tensions. How to do it:

  • Sit on the floor with your legs open, as stretched as you can, and your ischia perfectly seated.
  • Place your hands on your legs, inhale and lengthen your torso. Exhale and, keeping your back straight, bend progressively forward from your hips, with your arms flat on the floor. Slowly bring your head to the ground as much as you can.
  • When you reach your limit, hold the position and breathe 5 times. To get out of the position, slowly bring your legs together.

6 stretches to release tensions and gain vitality

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6 stretches to release tensions and gain vitality
Stretching the muscles is an excellent exercise to improve physical fitness, release tension, increase vitality and clear the mind. It has the same relaxing power as a gentle massage and is an infallible antidote to stress.
6 stretches to release tensions and gain vitality

Possibly today you have not done your exercise routine, however, surely stretching has been the first thing you have done when you wake up. And it is that this simple action, is not only involuntary and pleasant, but also allows you to move lightly, oxygenates the brain, prevents muscle pain after exercise and improves sports performance.

STRESS IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF PHYSICAL TENSIONS

In stressful moments, do your shoulders and neck tense? Do you have discomfort in your lower back? Well, you are a very normal person, since when we stress the body is flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, hormones that increase muscle tone and give us more oxygen to face the dangerous situation.

The problem arises when that tension is not released and stays in the body contracting the muscles and wearing down the nervous system. Then muscle tension and other problems appear: insomnia, migraines, fatigue …

In this context, the body appreciates that every day we spend time stretching to improve physical fitness, calm the mind and rebalance energy.

THE BENEFITS OF STRETCHING

Stretching translates into pure well-being. Always reserve a few minutes to do them before and after exercising, as they improve the effect of body activity.

• Relaxation and well-being. Stretching is so rewarding, among other reasons, because in doing so we secrete endorphins, hormones that produce feelings of happiness and have a natural analgesic effect. These chemicals are released when eating, having sex, exercising, dancing or doing any activity that relaxes and pleasurably us.

• Improve circulation. The body increases blood flow to the area we stretch. Then, the heart bombards more blood, the muscles receive more oxygen and the elimination of toxins is favored.

• Prevent injuries. Stretching is one of the best antidotes to injury, since it is a practice that stretches the muscles and increases the flexibility and range of motion of the joints.

• More energy. There is no better remedy for fatigue than good stretching, as they promote blood circulation in all organs of the body and also in the brain.

The stretches that I propose are simple, they will not steal too much time and will bring you a good number of physical and mental benefits. To get the most out of this sequence, remember to breathe slowly and consciously, always through your nose. Do not hold back the air and use the exhalations to free yourself from stiffness and discomfort.

6 STRETCHES TO IMPROVE YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STATE

GROW SIDEWAYS

  • Open your legs a little wider than the width of your hips, lengthen your spine, release your arms to the sides of the trunk and take a couple of breaths.
  • Inhale slowly as you raise your arms above your head and interlace your fingers.
  • Stretch yourself by connecting with the feeling of rooting through your feet in contact with the earth.
  • Lean to the right with your arms stretched out as you exhale. Relaxes the neck and jaws.
  • Inhale and return to the center.

Do the same to the other side with another exhalation, and repeat as many times as you need to stretch your body and oxygenate it.

MORE FLEXIBLE COLUMN

  • Stand in front of an object that serves as a support (ideal if it is the trunk of a tree).
  • Next, inhale as you stretch your arms above your head and step back with your right leg keeping your heels aligned.
  • Exhale and bring your hands to your support, leaving them at shoulder height and stretching your arms well. If necessary, adjust the distance of your legs and keep them straight.
  • Relax your neck, bring your gaze to the floor, and stretch your spine for three or four slow, deep, conscious breaths. Now repeat the exercise with the other leg.

NO TENSION OR STIFFNESS

  • With your feet together in front of the support you use, take a big step back with your left leg while exhaling.
  • Inhale and rest your hands on the stand.
  • Then lower your hips as you exhale and increase the separation of your legs until the stretch is enough for you.
  • Keep your back leg knee straight and your back straight while you take four or five conscious breaths, releasing tension and stiffness in each of them.
  • Undo the pose by bringing your legs together with a new inhalation.
  • Do the same with the opposite leg.

RELAX YOUR LEGS

  • Stand up, spread your legs wide, lengthen your spine, relax your arms, and take a full, deep breath. Next, open your right foot outwards.
  • Exhale by shifting all your weight to your left leg and flex it as you lower your hips. Your hands, place them in front of you and bring them to the floor for support.
  • Stretch your back and activate your right leg with your toes pointing upwards.
  • Hold the pose for about five or six slow, deep breaths.
  • Inhale as you return to the center and switch sides to repeat the exercise.

BALANCE AND ATTENTION

  • Transfer the weight of the body to the right leg while standing. In one inhalation, bring your left knee bent toward your chest and bring your right hand to your waist.
  • Hold with the index and middle finger of the left hand the thumb of the foot on the same side.
  • Keep your right leg strong and as straight as you can.
  • Inhale, stretch your right leg, keep your trunk straight and look forward.
  • Take five or six breaths in the pose and undo when exhaling. Do the same to the other side.

FIRMNESS AND RELAXATION

  • Stand upright, your spine upright, your shoulders relaxed, and your chin tilted slightly toward your chest.
  • Open your toes wide and feel the rooting that connects you to the earth through them.
  • Inhale, open your arms to the sides and, when exhaling, bring your palms together in the center of your chest in a prayer position.
  • Find the balance to stay firm, but relaxed.
  • Breathe consciously and connect with the sensations in your body. Get out after six or eight breaths.

6 exercises to activate and fill yourself with energy

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6 exercises to activate and fill yourself with energy
Many times, it is lazy to start, but how good you feel after moving your body is well worth the effort. With this practice you will feel how your body is activated and helps you to face the day to day better.
6 exercises to activate and fill yourself with energy

A movement as simple as walking causes a rapid exchange of cellular information and its renewal, something that not only involves the body but also our mind. We notice it especially when we are already at rest, because the two pillars of the body, breathing and circulation, do their job optimally and we feel better mentally.

BOOST YOUR ENERGY WITH THE RIGHT EXERCISES

And how can we activate body and mind in a healthy way? The answer lies in these exercises that we can do at home and how to perform them. The first step to obtain more effectiveness is to start small, focusing attention to be able to distinguish the three points that participate in all movement: the parts of the body that enhance it, those that move under the influence of these and the points of support that we use to move.

This conscious onset allows the brain to assimilate the exercise and then repeat it without thinking when we increase the speed, helping us avoid injuries.

FIND THE PERFECT PLACE TO DO THE EXERCISES

Before starting the exercises, we will look for a bright, well-ventilated and spacious space. We need air so that our lungs can breathe freely and space so that movements are not diminished.

Remember that to start moving and moving, the best starting position is always with the legs slightly flexed, with the pelvis a little lower than when we are standing. This position gives flexibility and speed to movement.

ENJOY THE EXERCISES MORE

Our body is made for movement and this is indicated by its proportions and shapes, with a small base for the height we have. And with the following tips we will do it even more.

  • Let’s move with rhythm. Why not move to the beat of the music? There is no better activator of well-being and joy than that provided by dancing.
  • Let’s choose the best time. The exercises, which should last two minutes, can be done at any time of the day, except right after eating or before sleeping. In the first case it would impede digestion, because the stomach needs irrigation to digest, and in the second it would hinder sleep, because serenity and relaxation are key to sleep.
  • Let’s hydrate well. A person of 1.70 meters tall and about 70 kg has about 45 kg of liquid, mostly water. Blood is 75% water. A great inland sea furrows our body from the pumping of the heart and nutrition in the form of air from the lungs. When performing the activation exercises, our body loses fluid through sweating. That is why it is recommended to drink 470 to 700 milliliters for every half kilo loss of our body weight.

6 SIMPLE EXERCISES TO ACTIVATE CIRCULATION AND ENERGY

1. EARTH AND SKY

  • Standing, with legs open a little beyond the hips.
  • Bend your legs, stretch your spine and keep the soles of your feet on the floor.
  • Ascend at the same time that you stretch your legs, stand on tiptoe and stretch your arms upwards without raising your shoulder blades.
  • From the third movement, do it gradually faster, you can even take it to the jump.

2. GENTLE JOGGING

  • Step forward with your legs slightly bent and shift your weight to the more advanced foot. Try to start with the tip of the foot, following with the heel and finally bending the knee.
  • Do the same backwards, shifting the weight to the leg and back foot.
  • Tilt the weight back and forth so that the delayed leg propels you forward and the front leg back.
  • The arms are throughout the exercise bent at the elbows, supporting the movement. It’s a position quite similar to boxing trotting.
  • Start the movement little by little and gradually increase the speed.

3. LIGHT RIDE

It is about walking, but very fast, with the arms bent in front of the body.

  • Start by mobilizing your legs and feet, and then the whole body will be repositioned to coordinate with the movement and follow the rhythm you are setting.
  • If you have trouble finding that the body is rhythmic, make the steps longer and take more speed when walking, so that the trunk is coupled.
  • Remember that when you step forward with your left foot and leg, you also move the right part of the torso and right arm in this direction, and vice versa.

4. BALANCE AND MOVE

  • Swing your arms from one side of the body to the other, letting your weight carry that of your body.
  • Push yourself more and more until your arms pass over your head and draw a complete circle (4a).
  • When they do, let your feet take two steps to the side where your arms are leading. That is, if the circle is to the right, the body weight will be on the right foot (4b).

5. ACTIVE TORSION

  • With your legs bent slightly, your arms bent at your elbows and your hands relaxed, bring your left knee to your right elbow, while twisting your hips around your waist to the right.
  • Then place your left foot and leg simultaneously on the floor to bring your right knee to your left elbow. The sides alternate.
  • Make sure you always have one foot in the air and one foot on the ground. If you accelerate, it’s easier.

6. BEAR WALKING

  • With your knees bent facing forward, drop your head and trunk forward until you are in the position of the four supports.
  • Advance the weight slightly and advance your right-hand walking forward. Then, walk with your left foot forward, then with your left hand and then with your right foot. Repeat the whole process.
  • It mimics the walk of a bear (or other animals). After doing 4-5 steps like this, do it backwards.

4 tips to avoid knee pain when practicing yoga

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4 tips to avoid knee pain when practicing yoga
People who suffer from knee discomfort do not have to give up practicing yoga. In this article we tell you what protective gestures the body performs when the knees are holding more than they can and how to use supports and activate the appropriate body gestures so as not to put them at risk.
4 tips to avoid knee pain when practicing yoga

Do your knees hurt when practicing yoga? Pain is the warning sign that you have to attend to immediately, but it is important that you do not wait for it to appear to do something.

In the practice of Organic Yoga and Experiential Anatomy we take the sensation of bodily pleasure as an indicator that we are going in the direction that does us good. And not only that, it is also the feeling that will lead to your practice being constant and lasting over time. Today we focus on the care of our knees in Sukh asana and how certain discomforts can indicate that we should adopt certain strategies to protect them.

If you want to start practicing yoga, you may be interested in the online yoga course for beginners of Escuela Cuerpomente.

4 SIGNS THAT INDICATE YOUR KNEES ARE BEING STRAINED

Careful observation during your practice will allow you to detect other sensations that will indicate that something is not going as well as would be desirable. This way you will advance in your self-knowledge and you will be in time to reorganize your asana and movement to avoid damage.

There are four aspects you need to pay attention to to preserve the health of your knees in Sukh asana:

  1. Tension.
  2. Instability.
  3. Limitation of pelvic mobility.
  4. Numbness of the legs.

What you can always do when detecting these signs is to reorganize your posture looking for the opposite sensation, the supports are great allies. Here are 4 tips to put into practice when you detect them and thus be able to practice yoga without forcing your knees.

With the observations and adjustments that I propose, you may not get to build Sukh asana in the way that is supposed to be correct.
However, every aspect you have contemplated will have led you to know something more about your body, about you, and about your possibilities. It will have led you to greater self-knowledge, the most precious thing that from my point of view yoga can offer us.

1. AVOID TENSION WHEN CROSSING YOUR LEGS

When the whole body is involved in a position or movement there is a feeling of strength or activation in certain areas, but there is no feeling of tension.

In cross-legged postures, tension often appears on the inside of the knees or in the anterior area. This happens because the distribution of tension in the body is not homogeneous.

And sometimes, in certain positions, we will not make it so. They are simply postures that do not fit with our body structure and reorganizing it to achieve this is not a priority for the body. What can I do?

  • Try activating your pelvic floor and abdomen. If in doing so the tension in the knees decreases it is a sign that they are holding the load that the pelvic and abdominal areas do not support.
  • Remove or put cushions under your buttocks. If by varying the height at which your pelvis is the tension in knees is reduced, this indicates that the thigh area needs to be reorganized so as not to overload your knees.
  • If neither option makes much or not enough improvement, put cushions under your knees. With this, you will directly remove demand from your knees: they are no longer the ones who assume the overload, the supports that you have placed under them assume it. Or move your feet away from your body if the tension is in the anterior area.
  • In your daily routines include the work of the pelvic, abdominal or leg area depending on what you have detected.

2. SEEK STABILITY IN POSTURE SO AS NOT TO OVERLOAD

Meditation postures aim to provide physical stability. It is this condition that leads us to stability in the observation of mental processes.

If the knees do not have a foothold, the floor or a support, the posture itself does not offer stability. And to achieve it, the body generates tension, holds on to itself and does it as it can. As we mentioned above, if the whole body is not involved in it homogeneously, it is very likely that some area will lose. And knees are good candidates. What can I do?

  • Do not force the posture so that the knees reach the floor. Bring the floor to your knees! Remember that the posture is at your service and not vice versa. If your back is curved forward, elevate your pelvis, with a cushion or blanket folded under your buttocks, until you feel your lower back take its natural curve.
  • If you have a tendency to hyper lordosis, sit on a lower cushion or on the floor. Next, put supports under your knees. In this resting posture, in addition to achieving the stability that the asana seeks, you favor the redistribution of tensions in the body and thus protect your knees.

3. PAY ATTENTION TO PELVIC MOBILITY

Every time you feel cross-legged, even if you feel stable and don’t feel tension, check your pelvis. If you can move it in swing everything is fine. Notice that it is the pelvis that moves and not your lower back.

If your pelvis is immobilized in the posture, it means that there is tension in the hips, groin or buttocks and, sooner or later, it will also affect your knees. What can I do?

  • While you are sitting adjust the height of the pelvis, go removing or putting thickness to the cushion on which you sit, as we explained in the previous section.
  • In your daily routines include the rotation of the femurs in the hip joint: with legs extended, move your feet as if they were windshield wipers, letting the movement move to the femur.

4. ACT ON ANY KIND OF TINGLING

Having your legs fall asleep is not normal, not even at first. Numbness of the legs occurs when the nerves are pressed for a long time, preventing oxygen and nutrients from reaching the peripheral nerves.

If tingling appears, it is because excessive pressure has been generated in the English area or in the knees themselves. Naturally, insisting on maintaining that pressure thinking that we will get used to it is not an optimal strategy. Leaving tissues without oxygen and nutrients never is.

It is essential to avoid that excessive pressure and offer the body a friendly posture that allows hydration that gives flexibility and health to the tissues. What can I do?

  • To take pressure off the tissues you need to open the angles that produce it. By moving your feet away from the body, your knees and hips will no longer be so demanding and the circulation of body fluids will not be interrupted.
  • In your daily routines include dynamic asanas, the movement pumps fluids in the body keeping the tissues well hydrated, nourished and oxygenated.

3 exercises to recover the energy that you can do anywhere

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3 exercises to recover the energy that you can do anywhere
Exercises based on conscious movement are more effective and healthier than coffee to get extra doses of energy.
3 exercises to recover the energy that you can do anywhere

It is usual that in front of a downturn in the middle of the day we run out to get a coffee. But did you know that conscious movement can give you back energy in a few minutes?

There is no doubt that coffee stimulates us. The problem is that it does this by increasing the level of cortisol, the stress hormone. We could say that it is bread for today and hunger for tomorrow. An option that can save us at certain times, there is no doubt. But there are other solutions and with positive side effects!

Through conscious movement, which is usually slow and pleasant, increases oxygenation in the body, stimulates the internal organs favoring the production of serotonin and regulates the activity of the vagus nerve.

That is, with conscious movement we increase the sensations of comfort and well-being and access the energy available in our tissues. An excellent tool for long-distance running!

WHAT IS CONSCIOUS MOVEMENT?

While automatic movement is a movement that is developed to optimize our actions and we perform it effectively without paying attention, conscious movement aims to generate self-knowledge about our body, movement and functionality.

Paying attention to the gestures that make up a complete movement is what characterizes conscious movement. Practice allows observation to be more and more detailed and knowledge to emerge deeper and deeper. This observation allows the body and the gesture to change spontaneously to fit the purpose of the movement, favoring the participation of the whole body in it.

CONSCIOUS MOVEMENT ROUTINE TO RECOVER ENERGY IN 5 MINUTES

In Organic Yoga we find a huge variety of conscious movement series that help us revitalize ourselves. Today I tell you a basic routine that contains three key elements:

  • Relaxation of external tissues
  • Deep tissue relaxation
  • Activation of force.

EXERCISE TO RELAX EXTERNAL TISSUES

  • To relax the external tissues, put one of your hands on the belly, covering the navel, and the other on top of the first.
  • With the hand that is up you make a gentle pressure and the hand that is in contact with the belly begins to draw circles without moving from place. Observe how with this gesture you mobilize all the abdominal tissue.
  • Keep watching to realize that little by little you can loosen the lumbar tissue, buttocks and the rest of the body so that the movement you generate with your hand on the navel spreads.

EXERCISE TO RELAX DEEP TISSUES

Then, to relax the deep tissues, you will be ready to observe your breathing gesture.

  • What does the body do when you take in air and when you take it out? Imagine a large sponge inside your belly that expands from its center when you take in air and picks up when you expel it. As if when inhaling it was filling with water from the center and when exhaling it drained gently.

EXERCISE TO ACTIVATE STRENGTH

And now, once your outer and deep tissues are free of tension and available to movement, you will connect with your strength and feel how it runs through you.

  • Sitting in a chair, push with your feet against the floor, as if you were going to get up, but without doing so, and you will observe the response force that runs upwards.
  • If that rebound force slows down at any point, rearrange your posture to make way for it. You may need to loosen your thighs; you may be able to change the position of your lower back or modify the gesture of your jaw.
  • After this observation you will loosen the thrust of your feet and observe how the response force is withdrawn from the body.
  • Repeat two more times and with the third repetition you will complete the movement to stand up.

HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW?

Write a note with the time you have invested in performing these exercises and the degree of well-being and vitality you have achieved. Leave it in a visible place to remember how much conscious movement can do for you.

3 benefits of online yoga and when to practice it

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3 benefits of online yoga and when to practice it
Online yoga practice is not a substitute for face-to-face practice. It is a different experience, with its own purposes and effects. We explain when it is especially advisable to practice this discipline at home.
3 benefits of online yoga and when to practice it

The coronavirus pandemic brought with it the rise of online yoga classes. Despite this, many people still wonder if learning and practicing yoga through the screen is as warm and useful as doing it in person. After a year and a half teaching yoga online – and 30 years doing it in person – I can guarantee that it is.

Even, on some occasions, opting for an online practice may be a better option. In this article I explain the advantages of opting for this type of online learning and in which three cases it can be optimal to opt for it.

If you want to practice yoga at home, find out about the yoga initiation course with Eva Roca from Escuela Cuerpomente.

1. IF YOUR GOAL IS INTERNALIZATION

Although yoga is a practice that invites us to internalize, we know, from experience, that attending yoga classes in person has an important social dimension, also a source of learning.

However, we all – even when one defines oneself as social or extroverted – go through stages in which we value and tend to silence, solitude or intimacy. This is only harmful, as would the need for activity or company, if they become immovable. What keeps us in a healthy and vital state is the possibility of going from one state to another, walking between inside and outside, exploring ourselves in our different facets and possibilities.

The importance of enjoying the social experience or, on the contrary, the experience of intimacy, will determine that we feel more attracted to the practice of yoga face-to-face or online.

To walk the paths that lead us inward, we need to feel safe. Therefore, in practices that are oriented to self-knowledge, the possibility of being in an intimate environment is key.

These internal journeys sometimes involve crying, laughing, lethargy or venting of all kinds. And being sheltered from the familiar helps.

Of course, there can be an intimate atmosphere in person, but it requires a degree of trust with the group that sometimes takes time to build. And that, sometimes, is altered by the incorporation of new people to the group.

In the online experience it will be enough to close microphone and camera to access a greater degree of privacy when you need it.

When going inward is a priority need, online practice will offer you the possibility of graduating your interaction with the group without the feeling of being socially inadequate. And if the situation at home allows it, you can prolong your state of internalization as much as you want.

2. IN TIMES OF GREAT FATIGUE

Have you noticed the wear and tear of going at a pace that is not yours, whether faster or slower? Have you ever been tired or after a day with little activity or have you felt splendid after a busy day? This happens because what really exhausts us is going against what we really need.

The source of rest par excellence is in the moments in which we feel completely free to attend to our own needs.

Being at home, present and at the same time invisible, can make it easier for us to discover the path that the body proposes to us, our most urgent needs, and follow it.

In person it also happens, but for some people it can take a while. How many times would you have continued to enjoy a posture and changed to go at the marked pace? And how many others have you gone beyond your strength to follow the instructions?

This is because we inevitably respond to the social norms, we have associated with group bodily activities. And these rules are usually governed by certain times and rhythms, which do not necessarily coincide with ours.

The group gives us many advantages, but if you need a deep rest, discovering what your rhythm is to follow it is a priority. And online makes it easy for you.

3. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR “SOCIAL SELF”

We know that it is not the same to practice alone as to practice in a group. And neither is it to practice in a face-to-face group than in an online group. The face-to-face group makes it easy for us to observe how we change when we are in the society we know and have integrated.

Instead, the online experience offers us an opportunity to discover how we are in a different type of interaction than usual. As if we were traveling to another culture. But in this case, we can graduate much more easily our degree of exposure and observe ourselves in depth. Do I show myself or not? Does showing me do me good or not? What do I keep private when I have the possibility to do so? What do I dare to do when I don’t have to worry about maintaining the degree of intimacy I need?

FIND OUT MORE…

If you are interested in going deep into the reflection on virtuality and presence in online educational practices, I recommend:

  • The chapter “Le virtuel n’est pas’ que digital” from the book La sagesse des larmes, by Ginette Paris
  • Study “The sense of presence in virtual education and the social representation of online teaching” by Cinthya Gabriela Castro Larroulet, published in the e-cognitas Magazine, December 2018, number 1.

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