Waking Energy 7 Timeless Practices Designed to Reboot Your Body and Unleash Your Potential
Saw The Saw is a breathing exercise above and beyond its other benefits! It strengthens the lungs and increases overall lung capacity, which aids in healing breathing challenges, like asthma, even as it reinforces the postural muscles of the back and powerhouse and makes the spine more fluid and flexible. It specifically increases the range of motion in the twisting plane. 1. Sitting up tall, extend your legs in front of you, slightly wider than hip-width apart, and flex your feet strongly. 2. Extend your arms out to the sides of your body at shoulder height, and feel the crown of your head reaching up to the ceiling as you draw the navel to the spine, coming into perfect posture. Squeeze your buttocks to give you an extra boost up. 3. Inhale as deeply as you can, puffing out your chest—you should feel almost barrel-chested from the prodigious intake of air. Hold the breath as you twist your torso to face your right leg, bringing your left arm across your body, in front of you, over the right leg, and the right arm behind you. 4. As you exhale, drop your chin to your chest and bend forward over the right leg, pulling your abdominals up and in, and rounding the spine slightly into a deep C shape, using the back of your left hand as if to saw off the pinky toe on the right foot—push your left hand past your right foot, as the right arm reaches up behind you in the air, palm facing your body. 5. In the forward bend, as you are “sawing off” the right pinky toe, stay in the position long enough to empty your lungs completely. Feel as though you are twisting and exhaling so deeply that you become the physical incarnation of wringing out a wet towel, expelling any stagnant chi and detoxing your lungs right there and then. 6. Inhale as you rise up, bringing your torso back to the center starting position, and lifting tall through the spine, accompanied by the arms in the same swift motion, which will once again reach out from the shoulders to the sides of the body, where they will be ready to repeat the same sequence on the left side. 7. Repeat for a total six sets (right and left make one set). Single-Leg Kick The Single-Leg Kick strengthens the muscles of the back and the glutes, inner thighs, and abdominals and teaches you more than most exercises about how to defy gravity. It gives the abdominals and the spine a chance to stretch in extension (as opposed to the flexion, which is what you’ve been doing a great deal of in all the exercises preceding this one). 1. Lying on your stomach, legs lengthening down behind you, press your body up so that you come into a sphinx position, with your fists extended, forearms flat on the floor in front of you, and the elbow points directly under your shoulders. 2. Draw your shoulders down and back away from your ears, and almost feel as though you are
dragging your body forward in space because the muscles of your upper body are so activated and primed. Feel your shoulder blades pressing together as you lift your upper body proudly, like an Egyptian sphinx, lifting your gaze slightly above the horizon line. 3. Bring your heels together with the tops of the feet lengthening down into the floor in a long, soft point and squeeze your buttocks, lifting tall out of the crown of the head as you pull the navel up into the spine. 4. Bend the right knee, making sure that as you do, you keep the knees pressed together to activate the inner thighs. Pointing the right foot strongly, kick the right heel toward the right buttock twice quickly and concisely as you inhale in tandem with the movement. Remember to continue to push the floor away with your elbows and fists as you perform the kicking motion. Extend the left leg longer as the right leg works. 5. Switch immediately to the left side and kick the left heel toward the left glute twice as you lift taller toward the ceiling, pushing the floor away with elbows and fists. It’s easy to forget about the abdominals while you concentrate on the legs, but since you want to protect your lower back you must engage your powerhouse effectively by splitting your attention between your upper body and your legs. Focusing on your breathing in tandem with the movement of the legs as you push the floor away and lifting through the crown of the head will help you to execute this exercise beautifully. Of course, don’t forget to keep your knees squeezing tightly together throughout! 6. Repeat for a total of eight sets (right and left make one set). Pendulum The Pendulum is a side-lying exercise. Side exercises reinforce core stabilization, improve coordination and balance, and strengthen the postural muscles and abdominals—with a focus on the obliques—as they lengthen and tone the muscles of the buttocks, legs, and feet. You’ll apply the principle of opposition in the side-lying lateral plane and experience it in an entirely different way than you did when you were on your back or stomach. 1. Lie on your right side, with your right arm extended toward to the top of the mat, palm down, right ear resting on right arm, and elongate your body. Turn your right palm up, bend your elbow, bring your hand up toward your head, and rest your head on your right palm. Align the length of your back with your elbow. 2. Place your left hand, palm down, in front of your chest for greater stability on the mat. 3. Lengthen your legs and set them at a slight angle in front of you, aiming toward the lower left front corner of your mat, so that the legs are perfectly stacked and aligned one on top of the other. 4. Lift your chin and chest so that you are gazing directly ahead of you. It should be almost as if you are trying to imitate your optimal standing posture in this side-lying position on the mat. Remember not to look down at your working leg and foot to check that they are behaving! Trust your body and continue to look straight ahead in order to reinforce proper posture, keeping your eyes on the prize of a taller, longer, more powerful you!
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dragging your body forward in space because the muscles of your upper body are so activated<br />
<strong>and</strong> primed. Feel your shoulder blades pressing <strong>to</strong>gether as you lift your upper body proudly, like<br />
an Egyptian sphinx, lifting your gaze slightly above the horizon line.<br />
3. Bring your heels <strong>to</strong>gether with the <strong>to</strong>ps of the feet lengthening down in<strong>to</strong> the floor in a long, soft<br />
point <strong>and</strong> squeeze your but<strong>to</strong>cks, lifting tall out of the crown of the head as you pull the navel up<br />
in<strong>to</strong> the spine.<br />
4. Bend the right knee, making sure that as you do, you keep the knees pressed <strong>to</strong>gether <strong>to</strong> activate<br />
the inner thighs. Pointing the right foot strongly, kick the right heel <strong>to</strong>ward the right but<strong>to</strong>ck twice<br />
quickly <strong>and</strong> concisely as you inhale in t<strong>and</strong>em with the movement. Remember <strong>to</strong> continue <strong>to</strong> push<br />
the floor away with your elbows <strong>and</strong> fists as you perform the kicking motion. Extend the left leg<br />
longer as the right leg works.<br />
5. Switch immediately <strong>to</strong> the left side <strong>and</strong> kick the left heel <strong>to</strong>ward the left glute twice as you lift<br />
taller <strong>to</strong>ward the ceiling, pushing the floor away with elbows <strong>and</strong> fists. It’s easy <strong>to</strong> forget about<br />
the abdominals while you concentrate on the legs, but since you want <strong>to</strong> protect your lower back<br />
you must engage your powerhouse effectively by splitting your attention between your upper<br />
body <strong>and</strong> your legs. Focusing on your breathing in t<strong>and</strong>em with the movement of the legs as you<br />
push the floor away <strong>and</strong> lifting through the crown of the head will help you <strong>to</strong> execute this<br />
exercise beautifully. Of course, don’t forget <strong>to</strong> keep your knees squeezing tightly <strong>to</strong>gether<br />
throughout!<br />
6. Repeat for a <strong>to</strong>tal of eight sets (right <strong>and</strong> left make one set).<br />
Pendulum<br />
The Pendulum is a side-lying exercise. Side exercises reinforce core stabilization, improve<br />
coordination <strong>and</strong> balance, <strong>and</strong> strengthen the postural muscles <strong>and</strong> abdominals—with a focus on the<br />
obliques—as they lengthen <strong>and</strong> <strong>to</strong>ne the muscles of the but<strong>to</strong>cks, legs, <strong>and</strong> feet. You’ll apply the<br />
principle of opposition in the side-lying lateral plane <strong>and</strong> experience it in an entirely different way<br />
than you did when you were on your back or s<strong>to</strong>mach.<br />
1. Lie on your right side, with your right arm extended <strong>to</strong>ward <strong>to</strong> the <strong>to</strong>p of the mat, palm down,<br />
right ear resting on right arm, <strong>and</strong> elongate your body. Turn your right palm up, bend your elbow,<br />
bring your h<strong>and</strong> up <strong>to</strong>ward your head, <strong>and</strong> rest your head on your right palm. Align the length of<br />
your back with your elbow.<br />
2. Place your left h<strong>and</strong>, palm down, in front of your chest for greater stability on the mat.<br />
3. Lengthen your legs <strong>and</strong> set them at a slight angle in front of you, aiming <strong>to</strong>ward the lower left<br />
front corner of your mat, so that the legs are perfectly stacked <strong>and</strong> aligned one on <strong>to</strong>p of the other.<br />
4. Lift your chin <strong>and</strong> chest so that you are gazing directly ahead of you. It should be almost as if you<br />
are trying <strong>to</strong> imitate your optimal st<strong>and</strong>ing posture in this side-lying position on the mat.<br />
Remember not <strong>to</strong> look down at your working leg <strong>and</strong> foot <strong>to</strong> check that they are behaving! Trust<br />
your body <strong>and</strong> continue <strong>to</strong> look straight ahead in order <strong>to</strong> reinforce proper posture, keeping your<br />
eyes on the prize of a taller, longer, more powerful you!