Those of you that know a little bit about yoga will have recognised some of the static exercises as standard yoga positions. Of all the systems of static exercise, yoga is perhaps the most balanced and well-coordinated – it is certainly the oldest, with a history stretching back thousands of years.

T'ai chi is not quite as old as yoga. It consists of a mixture of static and dynamic exercises, blended together into graceful movements that look almost like a form of ballet.

The emphasis in both yoga and T'ai chi is not only on a healthy and supple body but also on inner peace and tranquillity.

They both look at the person as a whole being.

Yoga

The origins of yoga are unknown but from archaeological excavations it is recognised as being at least 6,000 years old and to have been widely practised from India to Egypt. The earliest traces of yoga are those found in the ruins of ancient cities in the Indus valley, known to have seen civilisations flourishing around the year 4,000 BC.

At some of these sites little figures seated in the lotus posture were found, indicating that yoga was being practised at that time.
The word yoga in fact means union and is used to describe various systems for developing physical, mental and spiritual health and uniting each individual with their true potentials.

Various forms of yoga are practised, including karma yoga, raja yoga, mantra yoga, gnana yoga and bhakti yoga, but all of them have the same aim – inner peace and happiness.

Hatha yoga

The yoga most widely practised in the Western world is hatha yoga. This consists of a collection of traditional exercises, postures and positions that lead to mastery of the body.

Ha in fact means sun and tha means moon; hence hatha means the joining of the sun and the moon or the development of both the masculine and feminine aspects of the human being and their union in a well-balanced and healthy individual.

The actual formulation of this system is credited to Patanjali who lived about 300 BC. He was not the creator of the techniques of hatha yoga, but he did write down descriptions of the positions and exercises that had been shown to be beneficial over centuries of experience.

Hatha yoga includes what are called the eight limbs of yoga progress– restraint, observance, postures, breath, withdrawal, concentration, meditation and illumination.

Of these eight, those most practised are postures, breath and meditation.

The postures

The postures are known as asanas.

They are a series of positions that are skilfully directed towards the development of suppleness and flexibility, through stretching, and strength, developed by remaining in positions for progressive lengths of time.

Certain asanas also develop balance and coordination others relate to specific organs and glands, increasing or reducing their blood circulation and nervous stimulation, influencing and improving their function.

The postures or asanas are practised without haste and are considered perfected when they can be performed effortlessly.

Pranayama

Breathing exercises are given great significance in hatha yoga, both for cleansing and healing and for reducing the tension of the mind and body.

You are probably well aware that your respiration fluctuates quite widely, depending on the circumstances. For example, anger and anxiety agitate the respiration, with fear it initially ceases and then becomes fast and shallow while concentration slows the respiration rate and makes it more rhythmic.

Pranayama is a technique that uses this relationship but, rather than letting the state of mind influence the rhythm of respiration, uses the rhythms of respiration to influence the state of mind.

The immediate goal of pranayama is to make respiration first rhythmical and then effortless and unconscious.
It is claimed by those who practise this technique that external pressures no longer disorganise their thinking and that the technique produces an inexpressible sensation of harmony.

Meditation

Mental exercises are also given great importance as an aid to concentration and understanding. These exercises are called meditations— sustained contemplation or concentration of the mind.

Through the continual practice of meditation a current of unified thought arises, but this is only possible when you have sufficient control of the body (through the practice of asanas) and have learnt how to calm any mental agitation.

The unity of thought is brought about by focusing attention on a given area within the body or on a sound or an object.

The given sound for meditation is known as a mantra and consists of a syllable, a word or a group of words, while a given object is known as a yantra and consists of an image of divinity, a complex design or a given diagram.

Going further

There are many different kinds of breathing and meditation techniques and there are numerous yoga institutions and foundations where they are taught and practised.

Most of these foundations are named after the individuals that established them and traditionally these individuals are afforded deep reverence by those who Iive and work in the foundations.

A reputable foundation will give the guidance necessary for taking your knowledge of yoga further.

T’ai chi chuan

The history of the Eastern martial arts is obscure, as most of the ancient techniques were developed through years of dedication and passed on only by word of mouth to a worthy few.

However the Shaolin monastery figures largely in this history, as many martial art forms are said to have originated from Shaolin Ch'uan-fa or Shaolin temple boxing, the martial art that evolved from the Shaolin temple in Wei, China.

Bodhidharma, an Indian Buddhist monk who resided at this monastery in the early sixth century, taught exercises, meditation and breathing techniques on which Shaolin temple boxing is thought to have been based. The teachings of Bodhidharma are also thought to form the basis of Zen meditation and he is widely regarded as the patron saint of many martial arts.

Although fighting arts existed before the arrival of Bodhidharma, he instilled the idea of practising to improve health, fitness and inner harmony and his exercises and breathing techniques, probably based on yoga, caused a re-evaluation of the fighting arts and the way in which they were being practised.

Generally the martial arts are classified as hard and soft, although facets of each are included in both. Put simply, the hard martial arts meet force with force and develop a very fast series of blows as an instantaneous response to an attack, one which leads to the immediate destruction of the attacker.

You may have seen examples of these lightning-quick responses in the many martial-arts movies that were popular not so long ago.

In contrast, the soft arts place emphasis on the necessity for outwitting an opponent, on making use of the incoming force by side-stepping the attack and then turning the force against the attacker, and sometimes adding to it to increase the effect.

The soft arts are said to have evolved from Taoist monks, recluses who embraced Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy first formalised and recorded in the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu about 300 BC. T'ai Chi Ch'uan is of this origin and of all the martial arts this is said to be the most popular.

According to the teaching of Lao Tzu, 'one who excels as a warrior does not appear formidable'.

In the practice of T'ai chi the evidence of the kicks, blocks, throws, pushes and strikes are concealed in a series of very slow rhythmic movements coupled with a calmness of the mind.

By continually repeating these movements at a very slow speed, relaxation can be maintained while the body is fully acquainted with every sequence. If necessary these movements or sequences can then be re-enacted very quickly while maintaining a high degree of relaxation in action.

Chi

In the practice of T'ai chi the body is kept slightly rounded, and moves in circles. Emphasis is placed on low abdominal breathing, as the careful control of respiration is thought to cultivate the chi.

Chi is the term given to the life force that flows through the human body along pathways known as meridians. The main purpose of cultivating the chi is to strengthen it and gain the ability to visualise its position as it flows through the body.

Once this becomes possible it can be conserved and in the event of illness it can be directed to any part of the body or, in the event of an external attack, it can be released with an explosive effect.

The existence of the chi meridians and vital pressure points is significant both in T'ai chi and in various forms of ancient Chinese medicine like acupuncture and acupressure. Like T'ai chi, these systems of medicine are used to evoke the free flow of chi throughout the body and to inhibit or improve the flow of chi from vital pressure points, according to the desired effect.

Knowledge of these pressure points is used as a means of improving the body's health and also, if necessary, to neutralise an assailant.

Flexibility and strength

To be adept in any form of martial art, stamina, strength and flexibility are crucial. These attributes can be developed by the use both of static exercise, and of one or more forms of dynamic exercise, like swimming, that promote all-round strength and endurance.

Harmonised through the practice of a martial art like T'ai chi, health and fitness are greatly improved and the body is well equipped to deal with any internal or external disruptions.

Indian, Chinese and Japanese masters have practised these arts for generations in order to develop and protect themselves both from within and without. Because of this, the ancient martial art systems are just as closely bound to self-healing and a harmonious life as they are to self-defence.

The following exercise routine is a relatively easy yet effective way to bring suppleness and flexibility to any or all of your body's major muscles and joints. If you are particularly stiff in any particular area you will soon become aware of it. Given time to deal with this inflexibility, the exercises will soon restore ease of movement to the joint or joints and strengthen your body's symmetry.

The fitness of your body's joints can be rated according to their degree of flexibility. If underlying stiffness restricts their range of movement, then the functioning of your muscles and joints is inhibited and as such they are not fit and healthy.
They can only function within a limited range of movement, and if left untreated they distort the body's framework and symmetry as their condition becomes more permanent and more chronic with age and self-neglect.

Given time this slow degeneration will have a devastating effect upon your health and daily activities.

Two of life's greatest gifts are sensation and movement— both found in the body's muscles and joints. Muscles and joints that contain stiffness are partially numb to sensation and partially paralysed in movement and this can severely undermine the overall health and fitness of your body.

The brief descriptions and illustrations of the exercises should help you to visualise the relative muscles and joints and, with each position, a description of where you are most likely to experience the strongest sensations has been added for your guidance and reassurance.

Stretch but do not strain, use massage where shown and be consistent — practise for at least an hour or so every other day or once or twice a week.

To make the exercises as comfortable as possible most of them have been graded into a number of steps or phases. Start by practising the first step of each exercise and do not advance to the next step until you can maintain the previous one comfortably for the given period of time.

Like trying to get up a ladder, you can spend a lifetime trying to jump to the top but if you are patient with yourself and persevere one step at a time you will soon get to the top.
The effects of these exercises are cumulative so, providing you practise regularly, you will improve by degrees with every session. Every discomfort that you overcome will be amply rewarded with a new sense of ease and pleasure and the ability to do a whole new range of activities.

Ankles

The ankles consist of a number of joints that are governed by the muscles of the lower legs. Together they bend, straighten and turn the feet inwards and outwards. The entire weight of the body is transferred through the ankle joints on to the sprung arches of the feet and then to the ground through the heels and toes.

Because they form the base of the body, the ankles and feet support more weight than any other part of the body. Stiffness or weakness in the ankles and arches of the feet can therefore cause problems right up through the body and can easily affect its overall structural symmetry.

If you can improve the flexibility of your ankles and the suppleness of your lower leg muscles you will greatly improve your body's balance and its ability to relax while upright and active.

Phase 1

Sit upright with your buttocks on the floor, on or between your feet with your weight supported on your buttocks and straight arms. Relax and using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to five minutes. You will feel this in your ankles and the front of your legs.

Phase 2

When you can sit between your feet with your feet turned inwards, pull your buttocks out and try to sit on the backs of your thighs in front of your buttock bones. Straighten your back and pull your shoulders downwards and your shoulder blades together. Using the proper breathing rhythm, try to maintain this position for one to five minutes.

Benefits

This is a traditional Eastern sitting position. It tones the muscles of your lower legs and strengthens the muscles of your back. It greatly improves the flexibility of your ankles and, when the posture is comfortable, it encourages a proper sitting position.
The most important point to note however is, whether you sit on the floor or on a chair, always sit on the back of your thighs, not your buttocks. This strengthens your lower back, relaxes your abdomen and encourages the spine to straighten and the chest to open.

The knees are the largest single joints of the body. They consist of the head of the thigh bone and the head of the shin bone, a cartilage cushion to protect them and a bony cup that prevents them from over-extending.

Of all the joints, the knee is the most complex and frequently injured. Compared to other joints the knee is relatively unprotected by surrounding muscles and consequently is prone to injury by blows or sudden stops and turns.

However, if you can improve the strength and flexibility of the knees, you will greatly improve the balance and ease of movement of your body when upright.

Phase 1

Sitting between your feet with your knees together, inhale deeply. On the exhalation recline backwards, resting your weight on straight arms.

Using the proper breathing rhythm try to maintain this position for one to three minutes. You will feel this in your ankles, knees, the front of your lower legs and your front thighs.

Phase 2

Tighten your buttocks to prevent lower back pain. Take a deep inhalation, push your pelvis forward and recline back on to your elbows. Try to relax and, using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one to three minutes.

Phase 3

Tighten your buttocks, take a deep inhalation, push your pelvis forward and, on the exhalation, recline with your back against the floor. If there is no pain in your lower back relax your buttocks and try to keep your knees to the floor, together or at least close together. If your lower back hurts when you relax your buttocks, open your knees.

Relax and using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to three minutes.

You will feel this throughout the front of your legs, especially your thighs and your lower abdomen. Do not tolerate back pain in this position.

Benefits

This exercise vastly improves the flexibility of your knees and ankles. It also tones the muscles of the lower belly, thighs and front legs and strengthens your lower back.

Hips

The hip joints are the central joints of your skeleton, situated a hands-span apart on the front of the lower pelvis. They are large ball-and-socket joints and, like a gear lever or a joystick, they allow movement in all directions.

It is from these joints that your body bends forward and balances upright when sitting; because of this, their flexibility is crucial to the health and integrity of your spine. If the hip joints are inflexible, the body bends forward from the spine.

Similarly, when sitting, if the hip joints are inflexible, the body sits on the base of the back or buttocks and not on the backs of the legs; consequently the spine bends or rounds forward in order to maintain balance.

The flexibility of your hip joints is therefore vital to the strength of your back and in maintaining a relaxed upright posture.

Phase I

Stand with your feet about 4 feet apart. Turn your toes inwards and bend your knees, lean forward and rest your hands on your lower back.

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation straighten your legs. You will feel this in your inside thighs.
Try to maintain the position, using the proper breathing rhythm, for one to five minutes.

Benefits

This exercise tones the inside and back thigh muscles and greatly improves the flexibility of your hip joints. It also improves circulation, especially to the head and trunk.

Phase 2

Open your legs wider, bend your knees and bring the palms of your hands to the floor, and now straighten both your legs. Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation push your trunk back as far as you can, keeping your heels and toes firmly on the floor.

Now using the proper breathing rhythm rock slowly backwards and forwards for one or two minutes. You will feel this in your inside thighs and back legs or hamstrings.

Phase 3

Maintaining the position, open your legs wider, keeping your feet turned inwards. Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation lower your trunk on to your elbows. If you experience any difficulty in making this movement relax your hands on your lower back and gently rock up and down until the position is comfortable. You will feel this in your inside thighs and hamstrings (the back of your thighs).

Variation

If you are unable to attain this position, lie on your side with your buttocks against a wall and your knees drawn up to your chest. Roll on to your back and straighten your legs up the wall, take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation open your legs as wide as you can.

Try to keep your knees straight and, using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one to five minutes.

Exercise 4

Phase 1

Standing with your feet about 6 inches apart, bend your knees and lean forward, joining your hands together and resting them on your lower back.

Relax your neck and shoulders and take a deep inhalation. On the exhalation straighten one leg. You will feel this in the back of your thigh. Now repeat the exercise for the other leg.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, try to maintain this position, slowly straightening one leg at a time, for one to five minutes.

Phase 2

Bend both knees and take hold of your ankles. Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation straighten both legs. Keeping your heels on the ground, lean your weight as far forward as you can and lift your buttocks.
Using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to five minutes.

Phase 3

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation place the palms of your hands on the floor and, keeping both legs straight, push your weight back as far as you can and lift your buttocks.

Using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to five minutes.

Variation

If you experience difficulty in practising any of the phases, lie on your side with your buttocks against the wall and your knees drawn up to your chest. Place a cushion behind your head and roll on to your back.

Now straighten your legs up the wall and, using the proper breathing rhythm and keeping your knees straight, extend your heels and try to maintain this position for one to five minutes.

Phase I

Take a step forward, bend your front knee and place your hands on the floor.

Now semi-straighten your front leg and slide your back knee backwards to the floor.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, gently rock backwards and forwards in this position for one or two minutes. Change legs and repeat.

You will feel this through the back of your front leg, and in the front thigh of your back leg.

Phase 2

Repeat the exercise slowly until you can straighten both legs and then, using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for a minute or two. Change legs and repeat.

Benefits

This exercise greatly improves the flexibility of your hips and the relaxation of the front thigh and hamstring muscles.

Phase I

Sit with your lower back firmly against the wall. Open your knees and bring the soles of your feet together. Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation gently press one knee to the floor and massage the inside thigh muscle.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one or two minutes, now repeat for the other leg.

You will feel this in your hips, knees and inside thighs.

Benefits

This position tones the inside thigh and pelvic floor muscles and improves the flexibility of your hips and knees. It increases the circulation to your back and abdomen and improves the functioning of the kidneys and bladder. It also regulates menstruation and benefits the ovaries.

Phase 2

Holding your ankles push your knees open with your forearms. Using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to five minutes.

Phase 3

Keeping the same position with your knees open, take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation lean your trunk forward and rock gently further forwards until you can rest comfortably on your elbows.

Using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to five minutes, intermittently tightening and relaxing your anal and pelvic floor muscles.

Phase I

Open your feet about 2 feet and squat, resting your weight on your hands with your elbows inside your knees and your heels raised. Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation gently push your knees open with your elbows. You will feel this in your hips, knees, ankles, inside thighs and lower legs.

Using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to five minutes.

Phase 2

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation push your knees open with your elbows and take your heels to the floor. Keep both feet firmly on the floor.

Using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to five minutes, intermittently tightening and relaxing your anal and pelvic floor muscles.

Benefits

This position improves the flexibility of your hips and knees and strengthens your ankles, lower legs and lower back. It tones the pelvic floor and is highly recommended for constipation.

Shoulders and Spine

The spine is the central pillar of support for the central nervous system, the heart, the lungs and the digestive organs. It consists of a flexible cushioned pillar of 33 graduated bones or vertebrae that make up four equally opposing shallow curves.
The curves balance and counterbalance the weight of the head, chest and pelvis, and add to the versatility of the spine's movements.

The spine is held erect by the strength of the back muscles. When standing, the upper back muscles should always retain enough strength to keep the spine upright with the chest and shoulders open and relaxed.

The spine's joints are extremely flexible and are designed to allow twisting, side-bending, slight forward-bending and a wide range of back-bending. However, because the spine allows very little forward bending, this movement should always come from the hips and knees.

The spine exerts strength to maintain its inverted arch as the buttocks extend back and lift. This backward lifting movement lowers the front of the spinal column and maintains the strength and integrity of the lower back when bending forward.

Back bending is the true test of a healthy, flexible spine but this is only possible if the muscles of the belly, chest and shoulders are supple enough to allow the posture. Side-bending and twisting movements similarly test the suppleness of the belly.

Phase I

Stand nearly an arm's length from the wall and straighten your arms above your head in line with your shoulders. Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation push firmly from the base of your hands, arch your upper back, and rest your forehead against the wall. You will feel this through the front of your arms and trunk and should feel it in your upper back.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one or two minutes.

Phase 2

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation push firmly from the base of your hands, lift your head and arch your upper back, taking your breast bone to the wall. Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one or two minutes.
If you experience any sensation in your lower spine you are overextending
your lower back and under-extending your upper back.
You can change this by pushing your chest forward. Do not tolerate lower back pain, especially in this position.

Phase 3

Standing with your back towards the wall tighten your buttocks and arch backwards and place the palms of your hands against the wall.
Now keeping your buttocks tensed walk away from the wall and straighten your arms. Pull your shoulder blades together and hold for three or four breaths. Do not tolerate lower back pain in this position.

Benefits

This position improves the tone of your abdominal, chest and shoulder muscles. It strengthens your wrists, arms and back and greatly increases the flexibility of your spinal column.

It also opens the rib cage, increasing its flexibility and your breathing capacity. It is highly recommended for keeping your body alert and improving your strength, vitality and nervous system.

Phase I

Stand with your feet 4 feet apart. Point your right foot with the heel in line with the arch of your left foot. Turn your left foot half a turn inwards. Bend your right knee and reach out with your right hand and place it on your ankle.

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation straighten both your legs. Rest your left hand on your left hip and, pushing from your back foot, twist your left shoulder towards the ceiling.

Using the proper breathing rhythm maintain this position for one to two minutes, then repeat the other side. You should feel this in your inside thigh and side abdominal muscles.

Phase 2

Repeat the previous exercise, but take your hand from your hip and stretch your hand and arm upwards, trying to keep both shoulders in line with each other.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one or two minutes.

Benefits

This exercise tones the inside thigh and side-abdominal muscles, improves the flexibility of your upper spine and hip joints, strengthens the ankles and opens the rib cage and shoulders. It also improves breathing capacity and is recommended for relieving backache.

Lie on your back, bend your knees and, keeping both knees and feet together, rotate to the right from your hips and take your legs to the floor. Keep both feet together and hold your knees to the ground with your right hand.

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation extend your left arm below your shoulder line and, using the weight of your arm, rotate your shoulders and try to hold the back of both shoulders against the floor.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one or two minutes, then repeat the other side. You will feel this in your buttocks and shoulders.

Benefits

This position improves the flexibility of your upper spine, it opens your chest and shoulders and tones the buttocks and side-abdominal muscles. It is also recommended for relieving backache.

Head and neck

The head is balanced on the top of the spinal column. It is due to the equal pull from the muscles on all sides of the neck that the head is kept 'elevated'. Together the muscles and joints of the neck allow the head to rotate in line with each shoulder, bend sideways so that the ear rests on the shoulder, and bend forward and backwards.

Stiff neck muscles compress the vertebrae and pull the head off balance.

Their tensions are also transmitted across the top of the head and they are thus the main cause of headaches.

Phase 1

Lie on your back and lift your legs and feet towards the ceiling, supporting your back with your hands.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one to five minutes: you will feel this in your upper spine and neck.

Phase 2

Now do splits and drop one leg backwards and the other forwards.
Now take one foot over your head to the floor and try to keep your other leg pointing towards the ceiling. Maintain this position for two or three deep breaths and repeat for the other side.

Phase 3

Take both feet over your head to the floor keeping your legs straight. Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for a minute or two. You will feel this in your neck and the backs of your legs.

Phase 4

Now bend your knees to the floor one each side of each ear and straighten your arms behind your back. Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one to three minutes. You will feel this in your upper back and neck.

Benefits

These postures improve the flexibility of the neck. They relieve backache, strengthen the lower back, and improve circulation to the spine, thyroid, parathyroid, neck and chest part.

Phase 1

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation lean your head and trunk to your left, keeping your chin tucked in. Try to get your left ear to touch your shoulder. You will feel this on the right side of your neck and shoulder.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, maintain this position for one to two minutes. Now repeat the other side.

Phase 2

Lift your head, straighten your back, relax your shoulders and pull your shoulder blades together.
Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation take your head as far back as you can, projecting your jaw. You will feel this in your throat.

Using the proper breathing rhythm, try to maintain this position for a minute or two.

Phase 3

Standing with your shoulders relaxed and your head still tipped back, open your mouth and jaw as wide as you possibly can. Maintain this for about half a minute.

Benefits

This exercise tones the side-neck and throat muscles, and releases tension in your face and jaw.

DYNAMIC AND STATIC EXERCISE

A capacity for action and relaxation is vital for the movements of the bones and joints. Not only must the muscles be strong enough to move, they must also be relaxed enough to allow the movement.

There is no point in having a super-strong body that is too stiff to move, any more than a flexible relaxed body that doesn't have the strength for movement.

Strength, suppleness and stamina are the prerequisites for health and fitness and, combined with a flexible skeleton, they allow us to engage in all the varieties of activity that bring pleasure to our daily lives.

For those of you who do maintain a balanced programme of exercise, resistance to disease and infection, and prompt recovery if illness or injury do occur, will be much improved.
The body looks well, vitality is improved and relaxation and the ability to relax while active is vastly increased.

Here we look briefly at dynamic and static exercise before looking at specific types of exercise. Taken together, dynamic and static exercises cover all the activities and postures that improve the qualities of the musculoskeletal system and the other major systems that support the life of a human body.

STATIC EXERCISE

Static exercises involve the use of various postures whereby the relaxed weight of one part of the body stretches the soft tissues of another part.

For the body or any of its parts to be moved in any direction, the joints must be flexible and the various muscle groups must relax to allow the movement.

Static exercise gently stretches the muscle fibres and opens the body's joints, improving the muscles' ability to relax in action and the joints' ability to flex and extend.

• Static exercise is introspective and non-competitive.
• It allows you to examine and improve the suppleness of your muscles—the elastic quality that allows them to be stretched.
• It tones the muscles and restores them to the proper degree of tension suitable to a healthy condition.
• It improves the flexibility of the body's joints and in freeing the muscles and joints from stiffness and rigidity. It will vastly improve your body's range of movement.
• It realigns the body's structures and improves muscular resilience—the muscles' ability to return to their natural shape. It therefore has a profound effect upon your body's shape and posture.
• It reverses some major effects of aging, freeing the muscles and other soft tissues of the body from the residues of tension that have accumulated as a result of past physical and emotional traumas.
• By restoring the integrity of the muscles and joints and increasing their ability to function pleasurably through a wide range of movement, static exercise calms the nervous system.
• Static exercise improves circulation, both to the muscles—blood can flow more easily within a relaxed muscle—and from the muscles to the heart by developing the effectiveness of the muscles as pumps for returning the blood to the heart.
• Static exercise improves respiration, increasing the volume of air intake and reducing the breathing rate and consequently the wear and tear on the lungs.
• Static exercise improves digestion by relaxing and developing the movements of the diaphragm and the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.
• Static exercise tends to make the body feel lighter, more buoyant and adapt more easily to environmental change.
• Static exercise is a vital prerequisite for dynamic exercise.
When we wake from a good night's rest we stretch our arms and legs spontaneously to relieve them of stiffness. This is a perfect example of static exercise.
DYNAMIC EXERCISE
Dynamic exercises are active and outgoing and often competitive. They include all forms of activities that demand a degree of exertion, like sports, games, dance, gymnastics, martial arts, aerobics, isotonics and isometrics.
Different kinds of dynamic exercise produce quite different chemical changes in the muscles, and can even produce a 'one-sided development' by encouraging the strenuous activity of specific groups of muscles, consequently developing only part of the body.
From this point of view, dynamic exercises that engage the whole body equally and improve endurance are the most beneficial for all round health and fitness.
• Dynamic exercise improves the body's ability to remain active, it increases oxygen-debt tolerance (see page 25), and lowers the body's metabolic rate, thereby conserving energy resources.
Fatigue can be withstood for far longer periods and the body has a greater amount of energy to devote to leisure after a normal day's activity.
• In terms of energy input and output, the average human body is considered to be between 16 and 27 per cent efficient. Dynamic exercise can more than double this efficiency rating.
• Dynamic exercise increases the strength of the active muscles and joints and the strength and endurance of the heart.
• Dynamic exercise speeds up the delivery both of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and the venous return to the heart.
• During dynamic exercise the output of the heart can increase from a resting value of 5 litres of blood a minute to the maximum of 35 litres a minute obtained by trained athletes. With the increase in output per beat the heart rate lessens and this reduced number of beats saves the wear and tear on the heart.
• Dynamic exercise strengthens respiration, it improves the efficiency of the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in the lungs and increases the number of red blood cells that carry the  oxygen in the blood.
• Dynamic exercise stimulates the appetite and the digestive system.
• Dynamic exercise improves the removal of the body's wastes via the digestive system, via bodily secretions and via the increase in respiration.
• Dynamic exercise improves our responses and, as the nervous and musculoskeletal systems become more coordinated, so mental and perceptual alertness is sharpened, nervous tension is released and emotional illness is averted.

EXERCISE AND NUTRITION

For those who maintain a regular system of exercise or training programme, or who regularly practise sports, games and athletics, the foods you eat must be sufficient in quality and quantity to meet the energy expenditure of your body.

During exercise, extra demands are placed upon the body's fuel stores and its reserves of fluids and nutrients are easily depleted.

Regular meals are especially important to your performance and these should contain plentiful amounts of the kinds of nutrients that sustain your particular activity.
 
For example, endurance sports like running and cycling need foods rich in carbohydrate and protein that can maintain energy by keeping the blood sugar level constant. This is important for both the activity of the brain and the activity of the muscles.

If the blood sugar level drops during exercise, loss of concentration and coordination results, you become prone to errors of judgment, and mental and physical fatigue develops.
In contrast, weight training demands food containing more tissue building elements like protein and vitamins. In order to develop the muscles weight training first breaks down muscle tissue, using them as an energy store.

The body then overcompensates when replacing this tissue,laying down larger amounts of muscle to meet the increasing requirements for strength.

Useful tips

The best sources of nutrients are always natural foods. In this form other elements are also ingested in the meal, assisting the absorption and potency of the regular nutrients.
 
Refined foods are often digested very slowly and this can drain your body's resources.

Do not eat for about three hours before exercising. During exercise the blood supply to the stomach ceases and digestion is suspended. Any undigested food in the gut will just stagnate, and may even make you feel sick.

As protein takes longer to digest than other nutrients, any meal taken before exercise should be rich In carbohydrate and low in protein. However, make sure that this is balanced by taking in more protein in the meal eaten after your exercise.

As the muscles burn energy during activity, so the body gets hotter and sweats in order to cool itself down. If adequate fluid is unavailable, the body overheats and its performance deteriorates. Fluid is thus especially important in the diet, and extra fluid should be taken to provide for any extra activity and to replace what is used.

To do this the daily fluid intake should be increased gradually and a little fluid, like fruit juice with water, can be taken about half an hour before exercising and if possible sipped during exercise.

• Fresh fruit and vegetables, eaten either raw or lightly cooked, are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Obesity

Obesity comes from the Latin word obesus meaning 'having made oneself fat by overeating'. This does not always strictly apply in adolescence though; fatness is often due to 'puppy fat' that disappears with maturity.

There are also some individuals who are prone to obesity through the misguided nutritional values of their household. True obesity is actually a form of malnutrition caused mainly by the eating of fatty, sugary, high-energy foods that are converted to body fat due to the lack of physical exercise.

The health hazards of obesity are numerous, and some of them are serious. They include poor respiration, fatigue, bronchitis, and serious heart and circulatory diseases.

Obesity has reached such proportions in the Western world that every year some one-third of its population goes on a diet. Every school has its share of overweight students and it is not uncommon to find amongst them individuals who eat merely to relieve their emotional anxiety rather than their hunger.

Quite often this instigates a situation where the more obese the individual gets the more anxious they get about their appearance and the more they stuff themselves. This is often accelerated for the unhappy few by the taunts and remarks of their colleagues.

Sometimes obesity can extend from adolescence to adult life–fat children tend to grow into fat adults– and in extreme cases professional advice and reassurance is well worthwhile.
Obesity is a major public health problem and experts in medicine, biochemistry, nutrition, psychiatry and public health all agree that it should be dealt with in adolescence through proper exercise and nutritional advice.

Changing to better eating habits can prevent and curb obesity. If this is coupled with a programme of consistent exercise that slowly increases the level of attainment, this will help to give a regular reduction in weight.

Ideally adolescence is a time to enjoy the benefits of a maturing body. However, common to adolescents are a number of complaints that if given prompt and proper attention can be alleviated with minimum of distress.

Acne

Acne is a skin disease common amongst teenagers and sometimes persisting into the early twenties. It is characterised by spots on the face, neck and trunk.

Estimates suggest that three out of every four adolescents are affected by it and that it is more common among males. Females however can generally develop acne earlier than males because of their earlier onset of puberty.

Acne is common in adolescence because the hormonal changes that occur at this time affect the skin. It is caused by minute skin particles that detach from the lining of a hair follicle and block the follicle and adjacent sebaceous gland.

This prevents the gland from secreting the natural grease ‘sebum’, which keeps your skin elastic and water proof.

Treatment

For the more severe forms of acne and its effects, medical advice is well worthwhile and often effective. Frequent washing reduces the bacteria on the skin and thus the risk of infection.

Sunlight also aids recovery, especially when the upper back is affected and a change to better eating habits, fresh air, exercise, relaxation and proper sleep will all help to prevent and alleviate this complaint.

Too much chocolate, cocoa, coffee, sugar, spicy foods, fats and nuts are all thought to worsen this condition.

Anaemia

Anaemia is defined as a reduction below normal in the haemoglobin content of the blood. Haemoglobin is the iron-containing protein in the red blood cells which transports oxygen from the lungs to all tissues throughout the body; it also gives the blood its bright red appearance.

Because of the rapid growth and the increase in the body's need for iron, this condition is common in adolescence, especially in females at the onset of menstruation.

The symptoms of anaemia are usually paleness, tiredness, faintness and headaches, irritability, and loss of appetite

Treatment

Once the cause of the deficiency has been established, increasing the amount of iron in your diet is the usual remedy.
Iron is present in meat, especially liver and kidneys, also especially bran and wheatgerm,  in shellfish and eggs, in whole grains, in watercress, in legumes, especially lima and soya beans, in lentils, in peanuts and tahini, and in gooseberries, apricots and dried fruit.

Fainting and giddiness

This is a transient lack of consciousness due to a momentary loss of blood to the brain. Brief losses of consciousness are common to both sexes during puberty and, although more frequent in girls, most adolescents have one or two faints.
The general cause seems to be a combination of alterations in the blood pressure and sudden changes in posture, like from sitting to standing, especially in a close environment.

Treatment

The most immediate form of treatment is to lie down in order to enable the blood to flow more readily to the brain. Recovery is accelerated if the legs and feet are raised above the head.

The weakness that usually accompanies recovery disappears with rest.

Medical examination might be necessary in order to establish the cause and long-term treatment could include more fresh air, proper exercise and a change in diet to more nutritious foods.

Dental decay

Owing to the body's rapid growth and the heavy demands therefore made upon its resources, dental decay often becomes more obvious during adolescence.

Treatment

Adequate nourishment, including foods that are rich in calcium, such as nuts, seeds, milk, cheese, eggs and sardines with bones, helps to prevent decay, and you should avoid sugar, sweets and sugary drinks and foods that help to promote dental plaque.

Regular brushing of your teeth (night and morning) and regular visits to your dentist are also most important.

Stress

'Keep your head cool and your feet warm' has been recommended by generations of physicians as an elementary rule for keeping healthy and fit, while 'hot-headedness' has always been associated with stress and irrational thought and action, mood swings and physical and mental ill health.

It is now widely recognised that many of our Western diseases are actually the result of the body's inability to cope with the stresses and strains of a rapid and competitive lifestyle.

As you approach adulthood it is inevitable that you have to face up to these problems. and learning how to cope with them is of great value to your health.

However, as well as a great variety of stress-related diseases, there are also a large number of crimes, accidents and injuries inflicted and suffered daily as an indirect result of actions and decisions made while under stress.

Stress is generally accepted as having three phases. The first phase is known as the 'alarm reaction'; this is a response by the nervous system that initiates a simultaneous series of physiological events that prepare the body for 'fight or flight'.
The second phase is known as 'resistance and adaptation'; at this stage stress is neutralised by the body as it resists and counters the situation, or adapts to it.

These first two phases are quite natural and normal to our daily lives as we cope with the events that alarm or upset us, either by resisting them or adapting to them.

Indeed, this kind of stress can be beneficial, arising as it does from the stimulation of new physical and intellectual challenges, romance and the excitement of other activities that spice everyday life.

The third phase of stress, however, is quite often not beneficial. This occurs when the body fails to neutralise the condition, whereupon a state of exhaustion then follows.

This usually happens when the situation that provokes the stress is severe or persists for a period of time; it is this kind of stress that weakens the body and provokes abnormal reactions.

Hatred, bigotry, anger, guilt, fear, depression and grief are some of the characteristics associated with stress and stressful personalities.

The effects of stress

Physically the 'fight or flight' response increases the heart rate and blood pressure, increases the respiration rate and constricts the airways. Breathing becomes shallow, saliva and other gastric juices are inhibited and there is a general increase in the tone (state of contraction) of the skeletal muscles, especially those of the face, throat, shoulders, abdomen and pelvic floor. In this state the body is prepared literally to fight or runaway.

Persistent and severe stress, however, can lead to more permanent conditions of the heart and circulation, like chronic high blood pressure, of the lungs and respiration, like asthma, of the digestive system, like chronic constipation or diarrhoea, and of the musculoskeletal system, like stiffness and inflexibility. And these are just a few of the physical disorders associated with stress.

Causes and cures

Extreme physical and mental exertion, lack of sleep, harassment, isolation and social overcrowding and poverty can all induce stress. In general, though, stress is caused by extremes— by either too much or too little of almost anything.

Fresh air, mild exercise and periods of rest all help to restore the body to a more balanced state. To reverse the effects of stress abdominal breathing is essential, relaxation techniques like self-hypnosis and meditation, and stretching exercises, are all also very good for regulating the heart rate and blood pressure, restoring abdominal breathing, regulating the digestive system, relaxing the muscles and restoring flexibility to the joints.

Food is fuel and the quality of the food you eat affects your life. Just as impure fuel adversely affects the efficiency of a motor engine, so an inadequate diet adversely affects the growth and capability of the human body.

The type of food that you eat and how you eat it affects your ability to breathe, think, work and play, and the ease with which you are able to withstand stress and resist disease.

It is the variety of basic materials contained in the specific foods that we eat that provide your body with the nutrients needed to sustain its muscles, bones, organs and glands, and its mental and physical activities.

Adolescence is a time of rapid development and the increase in your appetite reflects the nutritional needs of your growing body. During this time your nutritional requirements are higher than at any other time in your life, and the eating habits that you establish now will affect your physical and mental well-being far into adulthood.

In ancient Greek and Roman medicine the condition of the gastric organs was said to be represented by our general dispositions and states of mind. Even today people are still referred to as 'liverish' or having 'gall', and to 'stop bellyaching' is a common complaint.

Japanese people still refer to the abdomen as the Onaka, meaning the honoured middle, and many cultures throughout the world show a similar regard for the food they eat, offering a prayer, or grace, before eating.

'You are what you eat' is a phrase that reflects the need to think of the benefits of what you eat rather than the satisfaction of immature cravings.

It is difficult to think and act clearly if your mind is being constantly interrupted by abdominal sensations and your body is not receiving the nutrients it needs. A healthy diet is one which contains all the nutrients that the body needs, in the right proportions, and which encourages an easy digestive rhythm.

Nutrients

Proteins

Proteins form the larger part of the structure of the body’s cells and the hormones and the antibodies that protect us from infection. They are essential for tissue growth and repair and provide a reserve source of energy.

Carbohydrates

These provide our major source of energy and also convert into body fat.

Fats

Fats maintain the healthy structure of the body’s cells and also, in the form of body fat, provide a reserve form of energy.

Vitamins

Vitamins A,B,C,D,E and K, taken in the correct amounts, are vital for tissue growth and repair and for the health of your organs and glands, muscles and bones, skin, sight, nerves and blood.

Minerals

These are literally minerals found in rock and earth and that are present in specific foods. They are the vital constituents of our bones and teeth, they are necessary for the utilisation and release of energy, and they help to control the composition of body fluids and cells.

Fibre

This is a mixture of indigestible materials that is not absorbed within the body. Consequently it passes through the digestive system, preventing congestion of the intestines.

Water

Water contributes to some two thirds of your body's total weight. It is the medium in which almost everybody process takes place, and the need of the body for water is second only to its need for air.

Proteins

Proteins form the larger part of the structure of the body's cells and hormones and the antibodies that protect us from infection. They are essential for tissue growth and repair and provide a reserve source of energy.

Recommended foods and proportions

For optimum health and longevity you should eat foods in the following proportions:

• Whole grains 35 per cent
• Animal foods 25 per cent
• Fresh fruit and vegetables 25 per cent
• Fatty spreads and oils 0 per cent
• Highly processed foods 5 per cent

Whole grains

These are complete seeds that contain all the elements they need to reproduce themselves. Whole grains have been the basic food of mankind for thousands of years, and in many Eastern and Third World countries they still provide the greater part of the daily diet.

Whole grains contain vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins and fibre, and should provide about a third of your daily diet.
They include unrefined breakfast cereals like porridge oats and muesli, wholemeal bread, wholewheat and rye crispbreads, brown rice, wholewheat and buckwheat pasta, corn on the cob and oatmeal.

Animal foods

By animal foods we mean products of the animal kingdom, such as meat and fish, eggs and milk, which tend to form the greater part of the Western diet. They are a valuable source of protein and contain some vitamins and minerals, but are also likely to be high in fat.

Because of this, too much animal produce can make you fat and increase the risk of high blood pressure and associated diseases. Animal produce particularly rich in vitamins and minerals includes lean muscle meat (avoid the fat), liver, kidney, fish and shellfish, eggs, milk, yoghurt and cheese.

The type of animal produce that you eat can also make a difference to your health. For example, animals raised in the wild or free-range animals on farms are free of the remains of drugs and chemicals fed routinely to most farm animals.

Also if you are vegetarian or wish to eat less animal produce, make sure that you replace it with the proper kind of foods–ones that are high in protein and contain vitamins and minerals.

Fruit and vegetables

These are prime sources of vitamins and minerals and are most beneficial when fresh and not overcooked. For example, a generous salad with nuts and seeds, eaten with a piece of wholemeal bread, is a balanced nutritious meal in its own right.
Fruit and vegetables contain about 90 per cent water and so can be added generously to form at least a quarter of your daily diet.

These kinds of food include cooked root vegetables like onions, parsnips, potatoes and carrots, cooked leaves and seeds like peas, beans, cabbage, spinach, brussels sprouts and kale, other vegetables like mushrooms, cauliflower and courgettes, and raw vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, celery, cress and water cress.

Of the fruit, you should eat raw fruit like apples, pears, cherries and plums, and dried fruits like raisins, figs, dates and apricots.

These foods should form a quarter of your daily diet, and include soya beans, green peas, broad beans, haricot beans, lentils, nuts, sesame and sunflower seeds, peanut butter and tahini.

Salad and cooking oils and fatty spreads

During the last three generations the Western world has doubled its daily diet of fat. During the same period the kinds of fats consumed have also changed, with more and more coming from animals.

Only during recent years has evidence been produced to show that too much animal fat is positively unhealthy. Consequently, more vegetable and plant oils are now being used as they are much lighter than, say, butter, and more conducive to good health.

Fats and oils are a concentrated source of energy and a form in which energy can be stored. Together they should contribute about one-tenth of your daily diet, including cooking oils like rapeseed, sunflower, safflower, corn and olive oil, salad oils like olive oil, sesame, corn oil and rapeseed (probably the lightest),and spreads like peanut butter, sesame butter, butter or, preferably, margarine rich in sunflower oil.

Highly processed foods

These should be kept to a minimum, say 5 per cent, as most processed cakes, pies, sugary tarts, frozen puddings and the like contain additives, flavourings and high amounts of sugar and salt.

Salt, although essential to our bodies in small quantities, will make you feel tense if you eat too much of it. It can also raise your blood pressure and lead to fluid retention.

Sugar has been described as `pure, white and deadly'. It has been stripped of all the healthy vitamins and minerals contained in the original cane or beet, and it can seem highly addictive, drawing your appetite away from other far more nourishing foods.

Eaten in quantity it is a major health hazard implicated in the development of a number of serious degenerative diseases.
It comes in many disguises, like tea, coffee, soft drinks, jams, cookies, ice cream, cakes and candies, and most processed and canned foods–so beware!

Fresh foods are undoubtedly more wholesome than highly processed and refined foods.
For example wholewheat bread is more nutritious than white bread, fresh meat more nutritious than hot dogs and hamburgers, and freshly cooked potatoes more nutritious than instant mash.

lsquo;It is at this time, with the rapid increase in muscle power, that future athletes, gymnasts, dancers and sportsmen and women become apparent’

 

Adolescence — the period between about 10 years and 18 is one of the most important and exciting times of your life. It is a time of rapid physical development and growth and emotional adjustment, reflecting your change from childhood to adult maturity.

But, it is also a vulnerable and impressionable time, and your ability to cope successfully during these changes will affect you well into your adult life.

Adolescence is a time for development, but once growth has ceased there is no physical improvement without an increase in physical effort. 

YOUTHFULNESS AND AGE

How can exercise and fitness affect the whole body, not just little bits of it?  Think about the physical characteristics of a young person and then of an old person. That should give you a few clues.

A true picture of health can be seen in the structure of any infant—they are the living models of youthfulness.

In their pattern of development, flexibility precedes strength — every child emerges from a curled foetal position, stretches its muscles, opens their joints and then slowly strengthens their body as they carry their ever increasing weight through space, to sit, crawl, stand and eventually walk and run.

In this way the young child builds strength upon suppleness, strengthening flexible joints and supple resilient muscles.

Look at any young child that sits and stands upright. Their back is straight and strong, and their shoulders, chest and belly are open and relaxed.

The young child is a true picture of physical symmetry and through every activity he or she strengthens a symmetrical flexible body that assists the functions of the organs and glands that it supports.

AGEING STIFFNESS AND INFLEXIBILITY

Without proper exercise the body deteriorates and this becomes more and more evident with age.

Look around you — stiff backs, necks, shoulders and legs are common amongst the older generations, playing havoc with posture and generally impairing the quality of life.

Stiffness in the musculoskeletal system is now so common that it is generally accepted as being part of the ageing process and most people feel it to be inevitable.

This should not necessarily be the case. What is true, however, is that most people mature and go through their lives without ever being shown how to take care of the major part of their body—their muscles, bones and joints.
 
Stiffness and inflexibility does not invade the body overnight. This starts in childhood as the muscles contract in response to emotional and physical trauma, and the residues of these traumas slowly accumulate with the stresses and strains of everyday life and become apparent in adulthood.

It need not be like this though, not if you know what to do to maintain and improve the health of your muscles and joints.

In this way your body can improve with age, not degenerate. Inflexibility is like a disease and it will not remedy itself; it gets worse unless it is 'treated'.

Sooner or later as the muscles contract with stiffness they begin to pull the body's bony structure out of alignment and off balance. The effects of this upon the other systems that support the body's life is disastrous.

The nervous system is bombarded with messages, the nerves themselves are often trapped within the joints and the pain of these conditions override all the other pleasurable sensations that emanate from the body.

Indeed when the pain becomes too intense the nervous system cuts out and the affected parts become partially paralysed and lose heat and sensation.

 As the skeleton is pulled off balance the return to an upright posture becomes increasingly difficult. The strength of the back muscles that support the spine diminishes, the shoulders round and the chest cramps, compressing the abdomen.

As the trunk inclines forward great strain is placed upon the lower back and hip joints in order to maintain a semblance of uprightness. The legs then take on the load and their muscles and joints become stiff from the stress of supporting an imbalance of weight.

As the shoulders round, the rib cage begins to collapse and breathing is impaired, a healthy supply of oxygen is no longer carried to the tissues and the body's vitality diminishes.

As the chest collapses further it compresses the abdomen and slows peristalsis, abdominal breathing diminishes and becomes less of an aid to digestion and the food ingested remains far longer within the digestive system.

Stiffness in the leg muscles coupled with poor breathing inhibits the venous return of blood to the heart, and circulation becomes impaired.

YOUR BODY

When does one and one equal one? At conception, when a reproductive cell from each parent merges into a single cell. The human body subsequently develops from this single cell, entailing billions of cell divisions, with each individual cell retaining all the major features of a living organism.

Grouped together into layers, the cells form tissues. These tissues in turn are arranged into organs that perform specialised functions; for convenience these organs and their functions are referred to as systems.
 
For example, the body is supported by the skeletal system, moved by the muscular system and controlled by the nervous system. Life and activity is maintained with energy obtained from food ingested through the digestive system and oxygen obtained through the respiratory system.

These ingredients are distributed by the blood vascular system, which also helps to remove wastes to the urinary system. Physical and chemical processes are integrated by the endocrine system, and the species is reproduced by the reproductive system.

Musculoskeletal System

The musculoskeletal system is the overall term for the muscles, bones and joints that function together to protect, position and move the body through space. These are the most obvious parts of the human body and together they constitute some three-quarters of its total mass and weight.

Skeleton

The skeleton consists of bones and joints and is the basis of your body's form and structure. The skeleton provides a living, moving, supporting frame for the soft parts of the body.

It protects vital organs within its frame, like the heart and lungs within the rib cage and the brain and spinal cord within the spine and skull. The bones themselves provide a major reservoir into which calcium is deposited and from which it is withdrawn as needed.
 
Within the bones takes place the formation of red blood cells, vital to the life and growth of all the body's tissues and organs.

Joints

The joints or articulations perform two functions. They bind the bones firmly to each other by ligaments, and they permit movement between them.

The joints are at the root of all movement; without them our bodies would be rigid and immobile.

Using the joints the bones, like levers, are pulled into movement, by their attached muscles. Add the movements that you make with your body you direct through your skeleton.

Muscles

Not only do the muscles provide your body with its contours. More importantly, they are attached to the bones and are responsible for moving them.

When you lift your arm or your leg, for example, many muscles become involved, all acting together to comply with the way in which you direct your bones.

The muscles are organs of energy and potential power and their ability to be active and passive are the two essential ingredients of all movement.

In movement the muscles work as mutual opposites; as one muscle becomes active, contracts and shortens to pull the bone into motion, so its partner becomes passive, relaxes and stretches to allow the bone to be moved from its joint.

Your muscles are also major organs of sensation, contracting and relaxing in response to pleasure and pain and to changes in the temperature of your environment.

Your muscles protect your body and in response to a fall or a blow they will contract in order to minimise pain and contain the injury. Your muscles will also contract in response to an emotional threat or upheaval, especially in those areas of the body that are not protected by the bones, such as the neck, throat and abdomen.

 

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

It is at this time, with the rapid increase in muscle power, that future athletes, gymnasts, dancers and sportsmen and women become apparent. And, it is at this time, much more so than during adulthood, that you can sow the seeds of health and fitness, when you can drastically improve your body's shape, performance and potential.

Your development is activated by the endocrine glands, releasing various hormones that set in train a complex series of physical and emotional changes that affect the way you look, think and behave.

Your height and weight increase, your nervous system matures, your coordination improves, and the size of your lungs and heart increases, the heart nearly doubling in size.

Because of this improvement in physical capacity, there are also changes in your biological rhythms and patterns. For example your body begins to use less energy to sustain itself—your basal metabolic rate drops.

This physical development will obviously allow you to improve your sporting capabilities. However, whether you like to dance, skate, run, cycle, ski, or merely wish to lead a healthy active life, unless your body has strength, flexibility and stamina you will be severely hampered.

It is these three attributes and their even development that marks a foundation of health and fitness. Whatever activity you wish to excel in, it must work on your strength, flexibility and stamina or be combined with another activity or pastime that balances these capacities.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Throughout history, from the ancient Greeks and Romans through the Renaissance, physical excellence and mental and emotional maturity have always gone hand in hand.

This may seem difficult to achieve during adolescence. The change from child to adult can often be confusing and isolating, and certainly creates periods of emotional strain.
Changes of mood, a desire for non-conformity and inconsistency in developing relationships is common and often bewilders adults, who rapidly seem to forget the trials and tribulations they went through during adolescence.

Normally every individual goes through three phases of sexual interest as they grow up. The first is known as the autosexual phase, when interest centres on your own body and sexual interests. Then comes the homosexual phase, when emotional attachments are formed with members of the same sex. And finally there is the heterosexual phase, in which interests and activities are shared with members of the opposite sex.

However, this awakening sexual awareness and the radical alterations in the shape and size of the body are often accompanied by periods of shyness and even clumsiness.

Furthermore, the early development of girls and later development of boys often separates friends from each other and exaggerates the feelings of awkwardness.

Exercise and physical activity can play a powerful role in helping people through this period of rapid development, and often provides an excellent opportunity to mix with other people, at a time when such socialising might otherwise seem difficult.

Worries about the nature and speed of development and immature emotional obsessions are forgotten about and, as the body strengthens, self-doubt gives way to self-confidence.

BALANCE YOUR DEVELOPMENT AND YOUR PERFORMANCE

This website will hopefully show you some of the immediate and long-term benefits of different sports, games and exercises, allowing you to choose the ones that you enjoy and that might help you to balance your body's development and performance. A regular programme of exercise will help you to relax your mind and give your body those three magic ingredients — strength, flexibility and stamina.

You will then stand a much better chance of being mentally and physically alert and adept, free from mental and physical exhaustion.

Once mobile, your child will explore sensation and movement to the full. You need to be in good shape to lift, swing, chase, catch and carry your infant with minimum stress and maximum pleasure. After adolescence, your muscles and joints need consistent exercise to maintain ease and mobility. Dynamic sports improve strength and stamina, but need to be combined with flexibility exercises. Stretching restores flexibility, relieves tension in muscles and joints, improves our shape and posture, benefits circulation and respiration, and ensures proper relaxation, both in action and at rest. Here are some guidelines for maintaining good posture, postnatal exercises to tone up, and a fitness programme for both parents. The earliest record of a weightlifter is Milos of Crotonia who lifted a calf while it grew into a bull. This is exactly what you will be doing over the following 18 months or so. If your posture is good you will benefit. If it isn't, work on your posture, strengthening your back and maintaining your flexibility.
GOOD POSTURE ­ Preventing physical stress Balanced, well-centred posture reduces muscular effort and eliminates strain. This benefits vital organs and digestive and nervous systems. We can safeguard backs and joints by sitting, standing and moving with our weight centred, and bending from knees and hips.
Good standing posture Children naturally adopt good posture. With the back straight, hips tilted forward, knees slightly flexed and feet apart, weight passes evenly through the joints to the heels and arches. The body is held upright through balance, not muscular effort.
			Breastfeeding with a straight back
TONE ­ UP Solo postnatal exercises Solo exercises Best done on a soft surface, preferably your bed. Hold each for 1-2 mins with Abdominal breathing and massage of the area you're exercising. After birth, women often suffer from fatigue and postnatal blues. Rest, nutritious food and your partner's support help speed recovery. Frequent warm, slightly salty baths soothe and heal. When bleeding and discomfort have ceased, flexibility exercises help restore muscle tone, especially in the abdomen and pelvic floor.
Caution: Back pain? Stop and sit more upright
STRETCHING ­ A 40-minute fitness programme, solo or together Reducing stiffness has far-reaching effects. Back flexibility enhances the health of inner organs. Relieving neck and shoulder tension often removes the underlying cause of headaches. And a flexible lower body keeps you balanced and aligned. 2 min. each, slowly building to 5 min.
Hips, knees & ankles These muscles and joints carry body weight and easily get stiff. Flexible hips keep spines healthy. Kneel down with your knees together and breath in. On the out-breath, lean backwards, resting your weight on your hands. Tighten your buttocks to protect your lower back. Breath in, and on the out breath, slowly push your pelvis forward and up. Relax in this position, breathing with your abdomen, then slowly lower your pelvis and sit down.
Caution: Back pain? Open your knees. Come up slowly
				Tighten your buttocks. Breath in and on the out breath, tilt your pelvis forward and lean back on to your elbows. Relax in this position, breathing with your abdomen
				Tighten your buttocks. Breath in, and on the out breath, slowly push your pelvis forward and up again. Relax and hold the position, then slowly lower your pelvis, resting on your elbows. Finally, tighten your buttocks, breath in, and on the out breath, lean right back, and relax with your upper back on the floor.
Caution: Back or neck pain? Stop and rest
Back, belly, chest & shoulders Stretching the back ­ the body's central support ­ keeps the spine erect.
					Sit on the edge of a cushion, or with your lower back firmly against the wall.Open your knees and bring the soles of your feet together. Relax in this position, breathing with your abdomen.
With your feet still together, breath in, and on the out breath gently push one knee towards the floor. Massage your inside thigh and knee; relax in this postion, breathing with your abdomen. Repeat with the other knee.
	With your feet still together, hold your ankles and breath in. On the out breath, gently push your knees down with your elbows. Relax, breathing with your abdomen
Front body stretching counteracts the forward pull of abdominal muscles on chest and shoulders.
					Lie comfortably on your front, with your chin resting in your hands. Relax your whole body, and breathe with your abdomen. Put your hands flat on the floor under your shoulders and tighten your buttocks. On an out breath gently raise your chest from the floor. Lean your head back, hold, breathing with your abdomen, then slowly come down to the floor.
Head, neck & shoulders Tension often stiffens necks and shoulders. If the upper back weakens, shoulders round, and the neck then cramps to keep head balanced.
		Lie on your back, raise your legs and bring your knees to your forehead as you support your back with your hands. Relax, breathing with your abdomen
Caution: if you feel any pain in your neck or back during any of these excercises, stop and rest
		With your buttocks tight, straighten your legs until they are in line with your head in a shoulder-stand. Relax, breathing with your abdomen.
Stand an arms length fro the wall, raise your arms and rest your hands against the wall. Tighten your buttocks, and on an out breath, push your chest forward. Arching your back, rest your head against the wall.

{mosimage}Because they are changing in so many ways, teenagers often conflict with their parents. Many parents have difficulty in coping with this and are uncertain about how to respond. The person that was once a dependent baby and child is now becoming an adult, with their own opinions and a need for more independence.

For parents undergoing difficulties during this period, perhaps, this is the time to reflect upon one’s own adolescence and how perhaps you might wish to change things for your child, taking into account how you were treated and would have liked to have been treated at this time by our own parents.

At all costs avoid ‘throwing fuel on the fire’ during heated discussions and avoid confrontations. Remember with teenagers hormonal changes can make emotional control more difficult. So try to remain the adult and not regress to childhood by losing control of your own emotions.

A step back and some objective observations could be really rewarding if you are not to allow a heated discussion to descend into whose right or whose wrong arguement which goes nowhere.

Someone outside your immediate family can often provide good support.

ABOUT REMAINING RELAXED

For many parents this may be the right time to make a change in your own life. A time to engage in some tried and trusted techniques for relaxation something that will change the way that you feel and relate to others and the way that others will relate to you.

Breath control is simple immediate and highly effective, if you can remember to do it when you are being put under stress.

Although you may not have given it much thought, you are probably well aware that your respiration fluctuates quite widely, depending on your emotional state of mind.
For example, anger will agitate your respiration, while with fear it initially ceases and then becomes fast and shallow, and with concentration the respiration rate slows and becomes more rhythmic.

Rather than letting your state of mind influence the rhythm of your respiration, you can change now and from this moment on use the rhythm of your respiration to influence your state of mind.

The immediate goal is to make your respiration first rhythmical and then effortless and unconscious. For those who practise this technique you will find that external pressures will no longer disorganise your thinking.

To begin with, remember that if you want to relax during conflict and not get agitated or drawn further into it, you must focus on breathing out.

You let your belly draw in from below your navel, as you quietly exhale and then release it on your inhalation. If you repeat this two or three times you will feel your body relaxing.

This is called natural or abdominal breathing. It is the way we breathe when we are at our most relaxed. If you observe your breathing rythm just before you drift into a relaxed nights sleep you will find yourself breathing from this spot, just below your navel.

This is home, the place where we are conceived and carried by our mothers and the most relaxed and peaceful place within once you are able to find and remain in touch with it.

Breathe in for action and out for relaxation and the more you work with your exhalation the easier you will make it for you to remain relaxed.

You cannot become stressed if you breathe with your tummy. Stress demands that you breathe with your chest and hold your belly tight, relaxation comes when you change this and start to breathe with your belly.

Relaxation is associated with physical ease and well-being. It has a highly beneficial effect upon the nervous system, releasing it from undue stress and developing a feeling of mental tranquility.

Individuals who maintain their sense of relaxation exude confidence and ease in movement. Their posture and general physical well-being improve together with their ability to focus an unhampered mind.

EASE AND DIS-EASE

The opposite of a relaxed state is one of tension, a state of body and mind associated with anxious, fearful, bigoted and angry personalities who suffer more with mental preoccupations and the kind of physiological strains that can give rise to serious physical and mental disorders.

Stress is responsible for most criminal acts, accidents and Western dis-ease.

Look around you, our prisons are full of stressed out criminal personalities who suffer from attention deficit disorders, paranoia and self delusion. Observe the characters self medicated with alcohol and street drugs who have little or no control over their moods and emotions.

Alternatively cultivate your natural breathing rhythm and you cultivate your body's ability to withstand stress and maintain its energies to resist dis-ease. Alternatively cultivate your natural breathing rhythm and you will preserve your health and an ongoing and accumulative general sense of well-being that makes you feel good from the inside
Ease is the sense of relief that you feel when you let go, when you release your muscles from unnecessary tension. This sense of relaxation assists your body to conserve its energies and use the minimum of effort necessary to adopt any posture or movement.

Look at any healthy newborn child and you will see that his/her lower chest and belly work in harmony, expanding together on the inhalation and contracting together on the exhalation.

This natural breathing rhythm is even and descends deeply into the abdomen.

In contrast, if you observe someone who is dying you will see that they breathe rapidly with the upper chest, the breathing getting more rapid as it gets more shallow.
To regain your natural breathing rhythm instantly, lay on your tummy with your arms extended and your head resting on your forearms. (This is an easy way to get to sleep if you suffer from insomnia).

Now try to maintain breathing with your tummy when you are sitting, standing and walking. All it takes is a little practice.

YOUR HEALTH AND NATURAL BREATHING

For good health the belly should be relaxed on the inhalation, allowing the diaphragm to descend deeply into the abdomen. This both increases the volume of air taken into and expelled from the lungs and soothes the belly by gently compressing and releasing the abdominal organs.

Abdominal or natural breathing therefore reduces the breathing rate and consequently the effort and wear and tear on the lungs. What is more, a healthy resting adult takes about 10 breaths a minute. If he is breathing abdominally he creates an internal massage for the belly some 15,000 times every 24 hours.

Maintaining and improving your sense of relaxation will help you to increase and harness the power of your body. Not only does relaxation ease the movement of your body in a mechanical sense, allowing freer movement of the bones. The period of relaxation before activity also allows your muscles to be nourished with their vital ingredients for energy.

To maintain and improve your state of relaxation the regular practice of the following simple relaxation technique should be of great help. It will keep you aware of the state of your muscles by improving your ability to recognise when they are relaxed and when they are contracted.

With regular practice of this technique you will vastly improve your ability to retain a positive sense of relaxation in action, and deepen your body's sense of relaxation when it is resting.

Ten Minute Relaxation Technique

Make sure your room is warm and airy and that you have 10 minutes of uninterrupted time.

First to ensure that you are breathing naturally with your belly, lie on your tummy with your arms extended and your head resting on your forearms.

Once you have your tummy relaxed;

•  Lie on your back with your knees raised, push from the back of your head, feet and elbows and lift your shoulders and pelvis from the floor.
• Pull your shoulder blades together and your shoulders downwards.
•  Slowly unroll your spine so that you straighten its curves and you can feel each vertebrae where it touches the floor. Straighten your legs and let your feet open, and relax your arms, palms upwards, at the sides of your body.
•  Without moving your body, clench your fists and press your elbows into the floor, contracting the muscles of your arms and shoulders. Hold for a few seconds, then relax; repeat and relax.
•  Tighten your buttocks and leg muscles and curl your toes. Hold for a few seconds, then relax; repeat and relax.
•  Now let gravity centre you.
•  Feel the weight of your head against the floor. Relax your eyes, mouth and jaw.
•  Feel the weight of your shoulders, arms and hands against the floor. Relax your shoulders.
•  Feel the weight of your upper back and chest. Feel the base of your spine, the weight of your pelvis and lower back. Relax your abdomen.
•  Feel the weight of your legs and feet. Relax your face, shoulders and belly. Wherever your body is in touch with the floor, relax and let gravity centre you.
•  Now feel the warmth of your body. Feel the warmth of your toes, the warmth in the arches of your feet and the warmth of your heels and ankles.
•  Feel the weight and warmth of your feet. Feel the warmth of your lower legs, the warmth of your knees, the warmth of your thighs.
•  Relax and feel the weight and warmth of your legs and feet. Feel the warmth of your genitals, the warmth of your belly, the warmth of your lower back. Relax and feel the weight and warmth of your body from your waist down.
•  Feel the warmth of your back, the warmth of your chest, the warmth of your shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Relax your shoulders and belly and feel the weight and warmth of your body from your shoulders down.
•  Feel the warmth of your neck and throat, the warmth of your jaw, your lips, your mouth. Feel the warmth of your cheeks, ears, nostrils, and the warmth of your eyes.
   Feel the warmth of your brow, and the warmth at the crown of your head.
•  Relax your face, shoulders and belly and feel the weight and warmth of your body from the crown of your head to the tips of your fingers and toes.

Natural Breathing

The quickest and the easiest way to permanently regain your natural breathing rhythm is to practise the relaxation technique described above and then, while relaxed, focus your attention on the area around your navel and feel it from within.

Gently draw your abdomen in with each exhalation, as though you were softly pushing the air out of your belly.

Relax your abdomen with every inhalation. In this way you will soon establish harmony between your chest and belly as they expand and contract together.

Try to use this technique for a few minutes at the end of every relaxation session. And remind yourself at all other times especially during moments of anger and anxiety.

A WHOLE NEW WAY OF CARING FOR EACH OTHER

Massage and manipulation have been in use for thousands of years and come recommended by generations of people from all parts of the world.

Easy manipulations can be performed with the assistance of a partner who uses accurate leverage and body weight as a gentle yet effective force, sometimes combined with massage to restore and improve ease and mobility to aching muscles and stiff joints.

For those who are already practicing stretching routines, here you will find a number of massage and manipulation techniques which you and a partner can perform together. These techniques present an ideal opportunity to learn how to give and receive two effective forms of elementary physical therapy that can be applied to any major part of the body.

They form a basic pattern from which you can develop an individual approach based on accurate guidance, intuition and regular practice.
You will find that these techniques penetrate deeply into the body's muscles and joints. They can be used to further the benefits of relaxation and overcome pain and resistance to movement.

Remember when stretching, massaging or manipulating your partner that you are there to assist, not to punish! Do not push against your partner's resistance with any extreme force; always apply only varying degrees of your relaxed pressure or bodyweight.

For the best results take directions from your partner, applying pressure slowly and evenly with their consent. Whether massaging or manipulating someone or being massaged or manipulated yourself, always adopt the most comfortable position and stay relaxed using a natural breathing rhythm.

Try to breathe in unison with your partner, applying pressure or weight as you exhale. To overcome any initial discomfort, maintain your positions for two or three breaths.
Through these techniques you can slowly gain an awareness of your own body and begin to move in ways that you had long forgotten, or maybe have never even experienced.

However, you will only get from this programme what you put into it, and a certain amount of discomfort is to be expected at first. The proper breathing rhythm will help you to cope with this discomfort and it will gradually lessen if your sessions remain consistent.

Do not allow your partner to push you too quickly or too forcefully, however, and allow enough time between your sessions for you to recover— but not so long that you lose your impetus for practice.

These should not be practiced if you have pain or physical injury.

Head and neck

The following exercises improve the flexibility of the neck and head, and relieve muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. If your partner is the one to be massaged and manipulated, they should be lying on their back with their shoulder blades pulled together and their chest and shoulders open.

Their legs and feet should be open and relaxed, with their attention focused on natural breathing.

Movement 1

Sit comfortably behind your partner and spread your hands to hold both sides of the back of the head.

Slowly and firmly lift and push the head forward, pushing the head towards the breastbone. Maintain the position easily by anchoring your elbows against your abdomen. Relax and breathe and hold for a minute or two.

This exercise particularly stretches and relaxes the muscles of the upper back and neck and makes it easier to massage them on return to the starting position.

Movement 2

Your partner should keep their chin slightly tucked in and take their left ear to the left shoulder, leaving their right shoulder free to move.

Using both hands on the side of the head, push their head against the shoulder, slowly but firmly. Your partner should now relax and breathe and hold for a minute or two.

Repeat for both sides again massaging each side upon return to the starting position.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the muscles at the sides of the neck and shoulders.

Movement 3

Your partner should now centre their head and tuck their chin in.

Place your right hand above their left ear; cross your arms and place your left hand above their right ear. Now rotate the head and when your partner indicates its limit, relax and hold the position for about half a minute or so. Repeat the exercise for the other side of the neck and then massage both sides of the neck together. This exercise stretches and relaxes the side neck muscles that rotate the head.

Movement 4

Your partner takes their legs and feet over their head and straightens them on to the floor or, if this is uncomfortable, on to a chair.

Sit behind your partner, interlock their hands and press the elbows to the floor. Relax and hold for a minute or two. Gently massage their upper back.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the major muscles that lift the head and trunk upright.

Shoulders and Spine

The following exercises improve the flexibility of the spine and shoulders and relieve muscle tension in the abdomen, chest and back.

Movement 5

Your partner should now unroll slowly and lie comfortably on their back, pulling their shoulder blades together and focus on natural breathing.

Keeping your partner's back straight, slowly but firmly press their elbows to the floor, keeping them close to the sides of the head, and pulling them away from the shoulders. Relax and hold the position for a minute or two.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the upper chest and shoulder muscles.

Movement 6

Bring your partner's arms in line with their shoulders and make right angles with their forearms. Slowly but firmly press the forearms to the floor. Relax and hold the position for a minute or two.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the shoulders.

Movement 7

Your partner should sit on or between their feet with their arms in line with their shoulders, elbows straight, hands and forehead resting against a wall. They should relax and focus on natural breathing.

Using your relaxed body weight, with one hand on each side of the spine, push forwards and slightly downwards. Hold and massage for about a minute, slowly work down to the lower back, repeating these movements.

Movement 8

Your partner should be resting on their hands and knees. Keeping their upper and lower legs at right angles, they should extend their arms in line with their shoulders and rest their forehead on the floor. They should then relax and focus on natural breathing.

With your hands on each side of the spine, lean your relaxed weight forward and massage from the lower back to the shoulders while pushing and holding for about a minute each time.

These exercises open the chest and stretch and relax the arms,shoulders and abdominal muscles.

Movement 9

Your partner should sit back on their feet and lean forward, resting their trunk on their thighs and interlocking their hands behind their back. They should then relax and focus on their breathing.

Using your relaxed body weight, lift your partner's hands and keeping the elbows straight, slowly but firmly push them gently over their head. Relax and hold the position for about half a minute.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the front of the shoulders.

Movement 10

Your partner should be lying on their back with their hands interlocked behind their head. They should lift their legs, interlock their right leg around their left and twist to their left from the waist down. They then relax and focus on their breathing.

Standing or kneeling comfortably, place your left foot on your partner's right elbow and push the elbow slowly but firmly directly downwards (not away from the body) to the floor. With your left hand on the back of your partner's hips and your right hand on the knee, rotate the hip, pushing the hip and knee slowly but firmly towards the floor. Massage the lower back

Your partner now relaxes and holds the position for a minute or two. Repeat for the other side.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the front of the shoulders, lower back and side abdominal muscles.

Movement 11

The following exercise is advanced and should only be practised if it can be performed comfortably.

It both strengthens and vastly improves the flexibility of the spine.

Your partner should be lying on their back with their knees bent and now tightening their buttocks and lower back muscles, they lift their pelvis and place their hands, palms down, over their head.

Standing over your partner, place your hands under your partner’s arms and over the backs of their shoulders. Now lift your partner and help them to straighten their arms and form a bridge.

If comfortable, slide your hands on to your partner's shoulder blades and gently pull the upper chest forwards as you massage the upper back.
Hold for as long as is comfortable.

Hips, legs and pelvic floor

Your partner should sit upright, holding their feet, with their knees open. They should then relax and focus on natural breathing.

Sitting comfortably, place your feet one above the other on the base of your partner's spine, push firmly and hold for a minute or two. Massage gently with your feet.

Movement 13

Now squatting or standing in front of your partner, hold the forearms and lean back, pulling your partner slowly forward. Hold this position for about half a minute.

Movement 14

Your partner should lie with their buttocks against the wall, their feet together and their knees open. They should relax and focus on natural breathing.

Using your relaxed body weight, place your hands on your partner's knees and push them slowly and firmly downwards and outwards. Hold for a minute or two.

Movement 15

Your partner should crouch on their hands and knees, open their knees as wide as they can, lean on to their elbows and push their trunk back towards their feet. They then rest their forehead on the floor and focus on their breathing.

Place your hands on your partner's hips and push them slowly backwards and downwards towards the feet. Massage the lower back.

Movement 16

Your partner should lie with their buttocks against the wall, open their knees and place the soles of their feet against the wall. They should then relax and focus on natural breathing.

Place your hands on your partner's knees and gently apply some of your body weight pushing them outwards. Hold for about half a minute or so.

Movement 17

Your partner should lie on their back with their buttocks firmly against a wall, then open their legs and feet as wide as they can. They should then relax and focus on natural breathing.

Take one foot at a time and pull the legs slowly outwards and downwards, making sure that both legs are open equally. Now, leaning backwards, push the knees against the wall with your calves. Hold for a minute or two.

Movement 18

Your partner should sit upright with their legs and feet open, relaxed and focused on their breathing.

Sitting comfortably, place your feet on the base of the spine and push the hips forward gently. Hold for a minute or two. Massage their lower back gently with the soles of your feet.

Movement 19

If these movements are comfortable, your partner should then come forward on to their elbows, and focus on natural breathing. Now using both feet, push your partner forward gently. Hold for a minute or two. Massage their lower back gently with the soles of your feet.

Movements 12 to 19 stretch and relax the pelvic floor and inside thigh muscles.

Movement 20

Your partner should now stand supported by you. Bend one knee and pull the foot towards the buttock, and focus on natural breathing.

Supporting your partner from the chest with one hand, turn the instep of the foot towards the buttock and press the foot gently into the buttock. Hold for about a minute and repeat the other side.

Movement 21

If these exercises are comfortable, your partner should now sit between their feet, with both feet turned inwards. They should then lie back on to their elbows or, if comfortable, on to the floor, relax and focus on natural breathing.

Stand over your partner and push their hips to the floor. Massage the front of the thighs.

Hold for as long as comfortable. Movements 20 and 21 stretch and relax the front of the thighs and lower legs.

Movement 22

Your partner should stand and lean forward on to the palms of their hands. They should then focus on natural breathing.

Place your front thigh firmly against your partner's upper back and push the trunk towards the legs, using your body weight. Hold for about a minute.
Massage the lower back.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the calf muscles.

Movement 23

Your partner should lean forward with their arms and shoulders relaxed. They should then focus on natural breathing.

You should now press downwards slowly and firmly on their hips. Hold for a minute or two. Massage the lower back.

This exercise stretches and relaxes the back thighs or hamstring muscles.

Endorsements

Thank you very much for delivering a wonderful course

 

Thank you for an interesting weekend ....... Ive already been applying it to the newborns at the Birth Unit and so far has proved to be very effective.

 

Thank you for an enjoyable and enlightening course

 

Thank you for the wonderful course............ it was a real eye opener

 

Thanks for the great course. You are such an inspiration. It has made a difference to how I view life from my own perspective.

 

Thank you again for a most enjoyable course, just wish we had longer to talk because I believe that you are truly interesting!!

 

Thank you for a very interesting course

 

Thanks for the great training on baby massage and for sharing your experiences with us, I really enjoyed it as I'm sure we all did

 

Thanks for the brilliant course.

 

Thank you for a very interesting and inspiring baby massage course.

 

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the massage course I attended last week

 

Thanks for the really inspirational sessions

 

I would like to thank you for a wonderful couple of days it really inspired me and opened my eyes, I only wish I could pack my job in and do it all the time. Since the training I have had a much better relationship with my teenage son, thank you.

 

Firstly I would like to thank you for the last two days training. I found it very interesting and inspiring and cannot wait to get going!

 

Thank you once again for the last two days. It has been a privilege to meet you, and I hope I will be able to spread the feeling positive "touch" to my clients in the community and the neonatal unit

 

Thank you for delivering an excellent course in baby massage

I have always been interested in baby massage but you made it look so easy.

 

'Thanks for such a great course really enjoyed it

 

I just wanted to say that the course over the last two days has been wonderful!

 

Thank you for a really enjoyable 2 days. I feel that I have learnt so much

 

Firstly may I say what a fantastic course you delivered, it contained all the information that I will need to run the groups with mums/dads.

'Can I take this opportunity to thank you. I really enjoyed the course and have found what I learned very useful in my job as a community nursery nurse.

I had brilliant time at the massage course, learnt a lot can't wait to put into practice.

I learnt so much over the past couple of days and hope to be able to past on your knowledge to mums in the future.

Had fantastic two days with you, can't wait to try.

I just wanted to say that the course over the last two days has been wonderful!

Thank you for a very inspiring, interesting course today. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and appreciate the passion you have for this work.

Thank you so much for a fantastic, inspirational couple of days of Baby Massage workshops. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and feel I have gained a great skill to pass on to others.

Thank you for the baby massage course at ...........Centre feel very motivated to tear down and reorganise our family support services.

Hi Peter, just wanted to say thank you for the two days training that you gave at . ..I found it really interesting and am looking forward to setting up my own group.

I would like to thank you for two most enjoyable days of baby massage and movement.

It has been a truly inspirational experience, so much more than I ever imagined. It was so enlightening to meet someone with such passion and sincerity and I feel privileged to have shared in your experiences.

I thank you for affirming the meaning of parenthood in the most natural and genuine form.

It has been a learning experience in many ways and one I'll never forget.

I wanted to write and thank you for the brilliant time that we had last Thursday and Friday at....................................

The course was great and we can't wait to be able to put what we have learned into practice!

Just to say thank you very much for a really interesting and unforgettable two days baby massage course this week

Just wanted to say a big thank you for the course attended on.....I so enjoyed the course and found it very motivating.

'As a paediatric trained community nurse I plan

to continue to promote and make accessible the

valuable practice of Peter Walker's 'baby massage

and movement'.

 

'Thanks for such a great course really enjoyed it'

 

'Mum is clearly delighted as I told you no one had

ever given her hope as to her child sitting'

 

'Can I take this opportunity to thank you. I really enjoyed the course and have found what I learned very useful in my job as a community nursery nurse.

'I would like to take this opportunity to thank you so much Peter for giving me the chance to carry out this magical dance with these young children and mothers'