Illustrated Stretching Exercises are really a great part of what is provided on this site: Photos, explanations and sometimes even a video!
And not forgetting your
7Day Free Exercise Program!
Some Illustrated Stretching Exercises you will find on:
Exercise Stretches
Psoas Stretch
Best Abdominal Exercises
Flat Stomach
Heel and Calf Stretches
Leg Stretches
Shoulder Stretches
Hamstring Stretch
Low Back Pain Stretches
The Stomach area of the body is the one that contains most of the vital organs.There we find the Digestive organs and the Elimination organs.
'Chi' or vital energy is brought to the heart and lungs by a process of digestion and by the proper development and use of the 'dantien', the main energy centre in our body, situated between the belly button and the pubic bone.
A great alchemy happens in order to deliver vital energy to the whole system.
The stomach exercises that I have named, such as: the Best Stomach Exercise, the Flat Stomach Exercise, and
Best Abdominal Exercises
, are not the only stomach exercises to do a good job, but these are my favourites!
And they are all part of the Illustrated Stretching Exercises too.
Best Stomach Exercise
Basic Stance
- Feet parallel, facing forward, shoulder-width apart
- Knees bent, hands resting on thighs, a few inches above the knee
- Fingers together around the inner thigh while the palm is on the top part of the thigh
- Relax your shoulders and let your elbows point outwards
- We let the buttocks gently roll under to straighten and relax the lower back part of the spine - feel a beneficial stretch in that area?
- Let the weight of the torso rest on the arms and hands, allowing the lower back and the belly to relax
- Your head is like an extension of the spine, eyes looking to the floor
Well... that took some time to explain, but see how comfortable it is now...
Now the Breathing Exercise itself...
- We are using the belly as a pump, as a bellows, so to expel the breath we forcefully expel all air from the lungs with a strong contraction of the abdominal wall. You may inhale and exhale through the mouth
- Immediately after breathing out, let the lungs fill again naturally, but just exert a small additional effort to fill them about half-full only. Your Lungs should never be more than half-full during the Bellows
- Focus entirely on abdominal exhalations to completely empty the lungs. NO STOPPING OR HOLDING THE BREATH, (except for the transition to 'Shaking and Breathing')
- When the lungs are half-full, immediately contract the abdominal wall again to forcefully expel another gust of air, then let the air flow in again
- And repeat continuously at a rate of about 20 breaths per minute. A couple of minutes will suffice and you will know in time when you need to stop.
A word of advice:
This is a powerful exercise and for the first few days it's best to stand up after 5 breaths, shake the body up and breathe fully. Then you can resume this exercise.
OTHER RELATED PAGES
Some Illustrated Stretching Exercises are also on the
Waist Exercises
and
Inner Thighs Exercises
page. These serve to regulate the proper working of the body by stimulating the proper function of the organs, eg the Inner Thighs Exercises help stimulate the return of the blood from the legs to the heart.
This is one way of looking at these exercises: as ways of relieving the body of stress and helping to keep it stress-free.
That is what this site is about: transforming stress into well-being.
The other way is as a means to enjoy looking good and feeling good!
A strong and slim body, a flat stomach, a healthy glow is what we all yearn for.
.And you will find plenty more on the
Hamstring Stretches
page, as well as the
Stretching Exercises
page.
Not forgetting your
7Day FREE Exercise Program mini course
....
Leave this Illustrated Stretching Exercises page to return to Success with Stress home page

