Stress is the inability to cope with mental pressure, such as conditions of uncertainty,
fear of the unknown, the inability to make decisions, and the fast-changing pace of
society.
The problems created by stress are tense nerves, tight muscles, and it can even create problems
like headaches, backaches, and in other cases, like hypertension, asthma, and the inability
to breathe properly.
The key to overcoming stress is, first of all, is to relax the mind mentally, and that
is by calming the mind through meditation or meditative practices.
The other aspect is the breathing, the ability to breathe properly, loosen up the tight muscles,
and also the ability to relax the muscles, the spine, and all the nerves in the body.
These are the three main keys that we worked on in the exercise program that we've developed.
Stand in an upright posture with feet about shoulder-width apart, your arms hanging loosely
by your side.
Slightly bend your knee to allow your body weight to sink to your feet.
Now relax your shoulder, chest, and abdomen.
This will bring and release more weight down into your feet.
Now close your eyes and focus on your breathing.
As you become aware of your breathing, let your breathing become deeper and deeper, following
your breath into the abdomen.
This has the effect of calming the mind and centering your thoughts within yourself.
Slowly open your eyes and rise up.
This is called the preparation.
It prepares the body to be in a relaxed state and calms the mind to be aware of the breathing.
Moving on to the first movement, wave arm.
Allow your arms to rise upwards until they reach your shoulder level.
In bench you need to lower yourself as your arms descend to the side of your legs.
Again push up as you extend your arms upwards until they reach your shoulder.
From the shoulder level, we sink and gently press down with our palm.
Let's try that again.
Sinking up, extending the arms.
Sinking down, gently pressing down with the palm.
With breathing, breathing in as we rise, breathing out as we sink downwards.
Once more, breathing in, breathing out.
This exercise releases the muscular tension from the shoulder and from the back.
Also it strengthens and relaxes our spine, stimulating the central nervous system and
increasing the energy flow and blood circulation to the brain.
Therefore it has tremendous benefits to the intellect, improving our power of reasoning
and memory.
Wave arm, rising, breathing out, sinking.
This exercise is called broadening the chest.
Raise your arms until they reach your chest level.
Turn your palms to face each other and then open up your arms apart.
Next bring your palms in together.
Bring the palms to face the floor, sinking down, lower your arms to your legs.
Then push up as your arm comes up, then open to the side.
Close your palm in.
Sinking down, lower your hands to your legs.
Now breathe in as you come up and open.
Breathe out as your palm comes in and sink down.
Breathing maybe not into two sections, shallow breathing in, deepening the in-breath.
Breathing out shallow, then deep.
Breathing in, one, two.
Breathing out, one, two.
This exercise has special benefits for the respiratory system.
It expands the chest and increase the capacity of the lung.
The oxygen helps to improve the brain and stimulates clear thinking and awareness.
It improves condition of depression and help to treat problems like hypertension and also
people suffering from asthma, broadening the chest.
And now an exercise called the heavenly lift.
We begin by scooping up with our palms, lifting your palm to your chest, turn your palm up
towards the sky, then stretch by standing on your toes, stretching your arms over your
head and out to the side.
Then lowering your heels, bending your knees, sink down and again scoop with your palms.
Bring your palms up to the chest level.
Thrust your palm over your head as you stretch, standing on your toes, spreading your arms
over your head and out to your side.
The heavenly lift movement has tremendous benefits for our spine.
Stretches the spine and stretches our joints from the toes right up to our fingertips.
This exercise banishes tiredness from the body and improves the energy to the brain.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, this exercise stimulates and enhances the
respiratory, digestive and excretory system.
Scooping, we breathe in.
Stretching, we breathe out.
Breathing small, breathing in, we scoop up with our palms.
Breathing out, we stand on our toes and stretch as we exhale.
And now we are going to press the wind.
Scoop upwards with your right palm, turn to the left and extend your arms outwards.
Release to withdraw your right arm, scoop with your left palm, turn to the right and
extend your left arm to push.
Again, withdraw your left arm, scoop with your right palm, turn to the left, extend
to press outwards.
Draw your arms in, scoop with your left palm, turn and press outwards.
Again, draw your left palm in, scoop with your right.
Now turn your left palm to face the floor, raise with your left palm as you extend and
push with your right arm.
Draw your left and scoop up with your left palm, turn and extend to push.
Breathe in as we withdraw one arm, breathe out as we extend to stretch with the other
arm.
Again, breathing in, breathing out.
Breathing in, breathing out.
The benefit of this exercise includes working the waist, strengthening the lower back muscles
and exercise for the spine.
For the Chinese, it is very often used as a means to develop internal power, pressing
the wind.
To relax the shoulder and improve the spine, we have an exercise now called rolling arms.
First, sink down, turn to the side and lift both your arms upwards.
Turn to look at your left arm, bring your left palm forward, now push your left palm
forward, at the same time withdraw your right arm, withdrawing it right to the back and
turn to look at your right palm.
Then bring your right palm forward, turning your body and push your right palm out as
you withdraw the left palm.
Let's repeat and follow through the movement again.
Bring your left palm forward, push out as you withdraw your right arm.
Follow your right arm to the back, curl your palm, bring it forward and push to the front
as you withdraw your left arm.
To coincide with the exercise, breathe out as you push out with your palm and breathe
in when you draw the other arms in and upwards.
Breathe in, breathe out as you push, breathe in as you draw up, breathe out as you push,
breathing in as you draw up.
This exercise works the spine, the shoulder and gives tremendous relief to problems like
stiff shoulder and stiff neck.
As you exercise the waist, it also strengthens the abdominal muscles and it gives tremendous
mobility to the spine.
Rolling arms to relax the spine.
Let's get our blood circulating with an exercise called push to close the door.
Sit back, pivot and roll to the left.
Lift your arms up, draw in, sink down and push outwards as if to shut the door.
Release, shift your weight back, sit back, then sink down.
Now push forward and extend your arm as if you're pushing to shut the door.
Release your wrist, sink back, raise your toe, sink downwards, place your foot down,
push forward to shut the door.
Draw in, down and extend to push.
Breathe in, down, breathing out, extend and push.
Again, breathing in, breathing out.
This exercise increases the blood circulation through the pumping motion of our legs.
As the blood flows down with gravity, it requires pumping to bring the blood back to the heart.
Therefore, the tremendous pressure created with the shifting of weight creating pressure
in our legs pumping the blood upwards back to the heart.
Pushing to close the door.
Turn and rotate to the other side.
Pivot, draw your arms in and push, extending your arm.
Draw in, sink down, extend and push.
Back to the front by pivoting on your heel and rising up.
Let's now energize with an exercise called the butterfly.
First, spread the legs apart a bit wider than shoulder width, then bend your knee to sink
down, then cross your arms in front of your chest.
Separate your arms to the side, then bring your arms in again to cross at your chest
and separate your arms again.
Almost like a butterfly flapping its wings.
The butterfly.
Breathing in as the arm parts, breathing out as the arm crosses.
Breathing in, breathing out.
This exercise works on the joints of the body, especially in the shoulder, the elbow and
the wrist and therefore it helps conditions of arthritis.
The movement also relaxes the shoulder and your arms and the pumping of the legs strengthens
the leg muscles and reinforces the body posture.
Butterfly, a very invigorating exercise to increase the energy flow.
And finally, to lift your spirit, here's an exercise called the flying crane.
Again with legs wider than shoulder width, we sink now into a comfortable upright posture.
Cross your arms in front of your chest.
Again we separate them to the side with a wide span.
Then we turn to the left, move your right arm up in front of you and your left arm behind
you.
Then turn back to face the front, again separating both arms to each side.
Then turn to the right with your left arm in front and your right arm behind you.
And return back to the front, spreading your wings.
Turn to the left, swing back to the front and turn to the right.
The motion simulates the flight of a white crane.
Breathing in as we open your arms, breathing out as you turn to the side.
Breathing in and breathing out.
This exercise gives tremendous benefits to the working of the waist, the lower back and
the abdominal muscles.
It strengthens the posture, at the same time it works the muscles of the leg, pumping the
blood through the body.
The movement also relaxes the shoulder and exercises the spine, lifting the spirit, exhilarating
in its movement.
The flight of the white crane, a symbol of longevity in the Chinese culture.
An exercise for longevity and vitality.
Turn back to the front, sweep down and rise up.
And turn to the left with your right arm in front.
And turn to the right with your left arm in front.
And turn to the left with your right arm in front.
If this program has helped you to relax and also provides coordination and balance in
your movements, you may like to find out more about other Tai Chi skills.
We do have a range of programs on videos that will introduce you further.
Also, we have classes conducted by the Australian Academy of Tai Chi throughout Australia.