The journey of ten thousand miles begins with a single step.
{Traditional Chinese Saying}
When you have mastered the beginning and progressive exercises and find yourself craving more challenge, introduce the following exercises into your routines. Some of these exercises increase the level of resistance and therefore result in additional strength gains. Other exercises challenge the same muscles but from slightly different angles and in different movement patterns, resulting in improved coordination and a better mind-body connection. You can also use these more advanced exercises to cultivate your awareness of life energy in your body.
Continue to challenge your mind and body and deepen your understanding of life-force energy with the following ten exercises.
1 Lie facedown, legs straight. Roll heels in and knees out, gently point your toes, and place your hands beside your shoulders, palms down.
2 Inhale as you slide your shoulders down and use your back muscles to arc your upper body upward off the ground. Pull in your abdominal muscles to avoid arching your lower back and pull your rib cage inward. Look forward and keep the back of your neck long, lifting your upper body as high as you can and keeping your shoulders stable without hunching.
3 Exhale as you move your upper body forward and down, keeping your buttocks muscles tight and lifting both legs as high as you can.
4 Continue alternating between the upper and lower body lift, 5 to 8 times each.
Variation
• When you have enough core strength to hold your body in an arc position, as you exhale, reach your arms forward in a diving pose, keeping them forward as you inhale and rock back onto hips. To finish, place your hands on the ground in the start position and lie facedown.
~ one with nature
As you connect with your body’s powerhouse, or center, and flow through the dive, feel the freedom that comes from trusting and relying on your inner strength. Connect with your own power, which is part of the power of life itself.
Stop if you experience shoulder or back pain or discomfort. Practice Chest Raise (page 74) and Leg Lifts (page 75) to build strength. Do the Shell Stretch (page 99) and Cat Stretch (page 100) to stretch afterward.
• Strengthens abdominal muscles, buttocks, hamstrings, and back
• Tones abdominal area, buttocks, hips, thighs, and back
• Conditions the entire back of the body
• Improves spinal mobility
• Increases self-confidence and movement control
• Enhances the mind-body connection
1 Lie on your back in Base Position (page 33) with knees bent ninety degrees, feet flat on the ground, and arms at your sides with palms down.
2 Lift both of your knees at a ninety-degree angle above hips. Exhale as you reach your hands toward your ankles and peel your head and shoulders off the ground, while you gaze down at a point just above your pubic bone.
3 Inhale. Exhale as you arc your straight arms up and overhead and extend both legs to approximately forty-five degrees.
4 Inhale as you bring your arms out and down again to the start position at sides of legs, while bending knees back to ninety degrees. Keep the upper body lifted and stationary throughout arm movements. Relax shoulders, keep abdominal muscles tight, and only reach arms as far overhead as you can while maintaining upper-body lift.
5 Repeat 5 to 10 times.
~ one with nature
Root your hips firmly into the earth. As you extend your arms and legs, reach up and out toward opposite directions like a flower blossoming under the spring sun. Imagine opening your body’s center and drawing in nourishing energy. Feel strength and peace flood your body as you flow through the movement.
Avoid arching your lower back. Keep one or both feet on the ground if you cannot stabilize your pelvis. (See Double Leg Stretch I, page 60.) If you feel neck or shoulder pain or discomfort, keep upper body on the ground. Do the Full-Length Torso Stretch (page 98) to stretch your abdominal muscles afterward.
• Strengthens and tones abdominal muscles
• Conditions shoulder and pelvic stabilizer muscles
• Improves shoulder mobility
• Enhances mind-body connection and integrates entire body
1 Lie facedown, with legs straight and palms down on either side of your shoulders. Slide your shoulders down and pull in your abdominal muscles to stabilize your shoulders and back.
2 Flex toes under; exhale as you push up into a long plank, or push-up position, on the balls of your feet. Avoid locking your elbows.
3 Exhale as you lift one leg with foot flexed. Keep torso and pelvis stabilized. Do not arch your lower back. Do not drop head.
4 Inhale as you lower leg back to ball of foot.
5 Repeat with other leg.
6 Repeat, alternating legs, 3 to 10 times.
Variations
• To increase difficulty, add two or three pulses after you lift each leg to challenge your stabilizer muscles.
• For variety, alternate between flexing and pointing your foot during the pulses.
~ one with nature
Reach deep within to feel the strength and stability in your body’s center. Imagine your leg is floating up and down like a feather in the breeze. Feel your self-confidence grow from knowing and trusting in the unlimited reserves of life’s power flowing through you.
If you feel any wrist pain or discomfort, place a rolled towel under your palms, allowing your fingers to touch the ground. Elevating your palms relieves wrist pressure. Alternatively, perform this exercise with your elbows bent and forearms resting on the ground. To build strength for this exercise practice the Plank (page 45) and the Modified Push-Up (page 46).
• Strengthens and tones shoulders, arms, buttocks, and thighs
• Conditions shoulder, spinal, and pelvic stabilizer muscles
• Improves posture
• Improves self-confidence
1 Sit with legs extended and palms down behind and outside of hips, fingers facing whatever direction is most comfortable.
2 Exhale, squeeze buttocks and hamstrings to lift your hips, and push your heels into the ground as you raise your torso upward into a plank position. With your hands under your shoulders, straighten your arms but avoid locking your elbows. Stabilize your shoulders and look straight ahead.
3 Exhale as you lift one leg as high as you can while keeping a solid plank position. Use your buttock muscles to avoid sagging at the hips. Inhale as you lower your leg, maintaining the plank position. Repeat 2 more times.
4 Repeat with the other leg. Work up to 6 repetitions on each leg.
Variation
• Lift and lower your leg 3 times before replacing your foot on the ground—first, with a pointed foot; second, with a flexed foot; and third, with a pointed foot again. Repeat with the other leg.
~ one with nature
Feel strength in your lower body as you lift your center upward. Imagine yourself as a flourishing green plant reaching and growing toward the life-giving energy of the sun, and feel energized, centered, and empowered.
If you feel any wrist pain or discomfort, place a rolled towel under your palms, allowing your fingers to touch the ground. Elevating your palms relieves wrist pressure. To build strength for this exercise, practice Leg Pull, Facing Up Prep (page 49), Plank (page 45), and Shoulder Bridge Prep (page 47).
• Strengthens and tones shoulders, arms, buttocks, and thighs
• Conditions shoulder, spinal, and pelvic stabilizer muscles
• Stretches hamstrings
• Improves posture
• Improves self-confidence
• Enhances mind-body connection and integrates the whole body
1 Lie facedown, with legs extended and kneecaps touching the ground. Gently point your toes, lengthen your body, and stretch your arms out past your ears without hunching your shoulders.
2 Exhale as you pull in your abdominal muscles to establish a neutral lower back.
3 Inhale. Exhale as you raise your arms and legs to hover over the ground. Maintain your neutral lower back and lengthen your body through the back of your neck.
4 Alternate lifting one arm and the opposite leg as if you are swimming. Coordinate your breathing with the movement by inhaling for 5 beats and exhaling for 5 beats, similar to The Hundred I (page 44) breathing pattern.
5 Continue alternating arms and legs for 5 breath cycles, then lower arms and legs back to the ground.
Variations
• For an easier version, alternate lifting and lowering opposite arm and leg, but allow the nonmoving arm and leg to rest on the ground.
• To target the outer hips, rotate your legs so your heels point inward and your kneecaps face outward.
~ one with nature
Imagine that you are drifting on a flowing river, taking its rushing energy into you as it carries you. Imagine that you possess the river’s fluid motion and power as you breathe in and out.
Avoid arching your lower back or neck. Stop if you feel lower-back or shoulder pain or discomfort. To stretch the abdominal and back muscles after this exercise, do the Shell Stretch (page 99) and Cat Stretch (page 100).
• Strengthens back, buttocks, and hamstrings
• Tones shoulders, back, buttocks, hips, and thighs
• Conditions shoulder and pelvic stabilizer muscles
• Encourages lengthening of the spine, torso, arms, and legs
• Improves coordination and enhances the mind-body connection
1 Lie on your back in Base Position (page 33) with knees bent ninety degrees, feet flat on the ground, and arms at your sides with palms down.
2 Exhale as you extend both legs toward the sky, gently pointing your toes.
3 Exhale as you curl up your upper body, reaching your arms toward your ankles.
4 Inhale as you wrap your hands around one ankle. Exhale as you lengthen the other leg by lowering it toward the ground and pulsing for 2 beats. Only lower the leg as far as you can without arching your back.
5 Inhale as you switch legs by lowering one and raising the other, switching hands to your lifted leg. Exhale as you pulse your lower leg for 2 beats.
6 Alternating legs, repeat 5 to 10 times.
7 To finish, extend both legs up toward the sky and reach your arms toward your feet. Bend and hug your knees to your chest as you lower your upper body to the ground.
Variation
• With your arms at your sides, reach toward ankles as in The Hundred I (page 44). Maintain lift and stability of upper body.
~ one with nature
As your legs slice rhythmically through the air, connect your mind, body, and breath to experience the simplicity of the present.
Do not arch your back. Stop if you are unable to stabilize your shoulders and pelvis or if you feel any neck pain or discomfort.
• Strengthens abdominal muscles
• Tones abdominal muscles and thighs
• Stretches hamstrings and hip flexors
• Conditions shoulder and pelvic stabilizer muscles
• Invigorates and raises energy level
1 Sit on sitz (sitting) bones. Pull both of your knees toward your chest; reach toward your legs and grasp each ankle.
2 Inhale as you slide your shoulders down. Exhale and pull in your abdominal muscles as you round your spine and tilt your pelvis back so you are sitting just behind your sitz bones.
3 Inhale as you extend your legs up in a V shape slightly wider than your shoulders. Exhale as you lift your chest up, keeping your shoulders down and lengthening your spine. Look toward your ankles.
4 Inhale as you tuck your hips under and roll back onto your shoulders, lifting the sitz bones upward. Do not touch your neck or head to the ground.
5 Exhale as you contract your deep abdominal muscles and roll up to the start position.
6 Repeat 3 to 5 times.
7 To finish, bring legs together, roll upper body down, pull both of your knees toward your chest, and place your feet on the ground.
Variation
• Bend your knees ninety degrees if your legs are too tight to extend fully; hold your legs by placing your hands behind your thighs. Perform the exercise as described.
• If you cannot roll back up, simply practice balancing as you elevate and lower first one, then the other leg. finish by resting your feet back on the ground.
~ one with nature
Working from your body’s powerhouse, or center, stay mentally focused on your rhythm, balance, and control. Imagine that a gentle puff of wind is supporting you as you flow continuously and evenly.
Stop if you feel lower-back pain or discomfort or have a very tight lower back. Practice Rolling Back (page 56) to increase lower-back flexibility.
• Strengthens deep abdominal muscles
• Stretches hamstrings
• Massages the back
• Improves coordination and concentration
• Enhances the mind-body connection
1 Lie on your back with a neutral spine, shoulders relaxed, arms at your sides with palms down, feet in line with hips, and knees bent less than ninety degrees as comfortable.
2 Push your feet into the ground. Exhale as you push up your torso, contracting the buttocks and hamstring muscles. Allow your weight to rest on your shoulders in the Bridge position.
3 Inhale as you lift one knee above your hip, gently point your toes, and extend your leg toward the sky, keeping stable in the Bridge position.
4 Exhale as you flex your foot, then lengthen and lower your leg until it is in line with the other thigh. Keep the Bridge position and a neutral spinal alignment. Inhale as you gently point your toes and lengthen your leg back toward the sky.
5 Repeat 3 times.
6 Bend your knee and place your foot on the ground.
7 Repeat with the opposite leg.
8 To finish, lower your hips to the ground.
~ one with nature
Feel the earth through your grounded foot as you press upward. Lengthen your extended leg as if to scrape the sun, connecting with the uplifting energy of the sky.
Stop if you feel any back pain or discomfort. Practice Shoulder Bridge Prep (page 47) and Bridge (page 38) to build strength. Perform Knee Hug Stretch (page 96) to release any lower-back tension.
• Strengthens buttocks, hamstrings, and hip flexors
• Tones buttocks, hips, thighs, and abdominal area
• Conditions spinal and pelvic stabilizer muscles
• Reinforces neutral posture
• Develops symmetry in the body for balanced muscle development
1 Sit with neutral spinal alignment, legs extended and spread slightly wider than your hips. Flex your feet, pull in your abdominal muscles, relax your shoulders, and place your hands next to your hips. If your pelvis tilts backward, wedge a rolled towel under it to tilt it forward into a neutral position.
2 Exhale as you reach your arms out wide toward opposite directions, keeping your shoulders relaxed. Inhale as you lengthen your spine from the top of your head, lifting your ribs away from your hips and lengthening your waist, while keeping your pelvis grounded. Feel a sense of openness and lightness between each vertebra in the spine.
3 Exhale as you rotate at the waist and dive forward headfirst, reaching your left arm toward your right leg. Pull in your abdominal muscles and reach your pinkie finger past your small toe as if you are going to saw it. Stabilize your shoulders and reach your back arm behind you.
4 Inhale as you roll up, stacking each vertebra like building blocks. Return to center in a neutral posture and extend your arms out to the sides again.
5 Alternating sides, repeat 5 to 10 times.
Variation
• If the backs of your legs are tight, bend your knees slightly.
~ one with nature
Root your hips firmly into the ground, drawing on the earth’s stability. Feel energy rolling through your spine like waves. Imagine waves of energy cascading across your body out through your fingertips, as you dive down and reach out, twisting and extending yourself to reach new shores. Enjoy the expansive energy from stretching and opening going to places you have not been before.
Stop if you cannot rotate your spine without lifting your sitz (sitting) bones. Practice Spine Stretch (page 62), Spine Twist (page 64), and Circle Shoulder, Chest, and Back Stretch (page 102) to increase your flexibility.
• Opens up chest and straightens rounded shoulders
• Improves spinal mobility
• Conditions pelvic and shoulder stabilizer muscles
• Stretches the back, especially the lower back, hamstrings, and waist
1 Lie on your back in Base Position (page 33) with knees bent ninety degrees, feet flat on the ground, and arms at your sides with palms down.
2 Exhale as you lift one, then the other knee above your hips. Inhale. As you exhale, extend both legs toward the sky, gently pointing your toes. Arc both arms up and over your head past your ears, keeping your rib cage grounded.
3 Inhale as you start lifting your arms up toward sky. Exhale as you peel spine up, one vertebra at a time, while lowering legs until you make a V shape with your torso and legs. Sit just behind your sitz (sitting) bones with arms extended parallel to legs.
4 Inhale as you hold the position.
5 Exhale as you roll down, one vertebra at a time, lowering your arms as you lower your spine toward the ground and keep your legs elevated.
6 Repeat 3 to 5 times.
7 To finish, roll your upper body down. Hug your knees to the chest to stretch your lower back.
Variation
• For an easier version, keep one knee bent and one foot on the ground during the exercise. Do the first half of your repetitions lifting only one leg. Switch legs and do the remaining repetitions.
~ one with nature
Connect with your powerhouse, or center; root your hips to the earth. As you exhale and lift your arms and legs, imagine that you are floating upward on the rays of the sun, just as the leaves of a tree turn toward the sun’s light and energy. As you reconnect with the earth, draw in restorative energy to fuel you through another repetition.
Stop if your back hurts. Return to this advanced exercise when you are very strong. Practice the Roll-Up (page 54) and The Hundred II (page 53) to build strength.
• Strengthens and tones abdominal muscles
• Improves coordination and concentration
• Enhances the mind-body connection
• Increases self-confidence
