XXV. Yogi Physical Exercise
Before telling you
about these exercises, we wish again to
impress upon you that exercise without interest fails in its effect. You must
manage to take an interest in your exercise, and to throw some mind
into it. You must learn to like the work, and to think of what it all means. By following this advice you
will obtain multiplied benefit from this work.
STANDING POSITION.
Each
exercise must be begun by you standing in a natural manner, i. e. with
your heels together; head erect; eyes
front; shoulders back; chest expanded; abdomen drawn in a little, arms
at the sides.
Exercise I.
(1) Extend the arms
straight out in front of you, on the level
of the shoulder, with palms of the hands touching each other; (2) Swing
back the hands until the arms stand out
straight, sideways, from the shoulders, or even a little further back if they
will go there easily without
forcing; return briskly to Position I, and repeat several times. The
arms should be swung with a rapid movement, and with animation and life. Do not go to sleep over the work, or rather play.
This exercise is most useful in developing the chest, muscles of the
shoulders, etc. In swinging the hands backward, it is an improvement if you
will rise on your toes
during the backward sweep, sinking on your heels as you move the arms forward
again. The repeated movements should be rhythmical,
backward and forward, like the swinging of a
quick pendulum.
Exercise II.
(I) Extend the arms straight out from the shoulder,
sideways, with opened hands; (2) With the arms so
extended, swing the hands around in circles, (not too
wide) keeping the arms back as far as possible, and not
allowing the hands to pass in front of the line of the
breast while making the circles. Continue making the circles until say twelve
are made. It improves this exercise to inhale a full breath (according to the
Yogi practice) and to retain the air until several
circles are made. This exercise develops the chest and
shoulders, and back. Put life into it, and take an
interest in what you are doing.
Exercise III.
(1) Extend the arms straight in front of you, letting
the little fingers of each hand touch each other, the palms being upward; (2) Then keeping the
little fingers still touching, bring the hands straight up in a curved circular movement, until the tips of the
fingers of both hands touch the top
of the head back of the forehead,
the backs of the fingers touching, the elbows swinging out as the movement is made until (when the fingers touch the head, with thumbs pointing to
the rear) they point out straight
sideways. (3) Let the fingers rest
on the top of the head a moment, and them with the elbows pressing back (which forces the shoulders back) force the arms backward with an oblique motion
until they reach the sides at full length, at in the standing position.
Exercise IV.
(1) Extend the arms straight out, sideways, from the
shoulders. (2) Then, still keeping the upperarms
extended in same position, bend the arms at the elbow and bring the forearm upward with a circular movement, until the tips of the extended fingers
lightly touch the tops of the
shoulders. (3) Then keeping the fingers in the last position, force the elbows
out to the front until they touch, or
nearly so (a little practice will
enable you to touch them together). (4) Then, keeping the fingers still lightly touching the tops of the shoulders, swing the elbows as far back as you
can get them. (A little practice will
enable you to get them much further
back than at the first attempt.) (5) Swing
the elbows to the front position and then back to the rear position,
several times.
Exercise V.
(I)
Place the hands on the hips, thumbs to the rear, and elbows pressed back; (2)
Bend the body forward, from the hips, as far as you
can, keeping the chest protruding and the shoulders
pressed back. (3) Raise the body to the original standing
position (hands still at hips) and then bend backward.
In these movements the knees should not be bent,
and the motions should be made slowly and gently. (4)
Then (hands still on hips) bend gently to the right,
keeping the heels firmly on the ground, knees unbent, and
avoid twisting the body. (5) Resume original
position, and then bend the body gently to the left,
observing the precautions given in
last movement. This exercise is somewhat fatiguing, and
you should be careful not to overdo it at the start.
Proceed gradually. (6) With hands in same position
on the hips, swing the upper part of the body around
in a circle, from the waist up, the head describing the largest
circle, of course. Do not move the feet or bend the knees.
Exercise VI.
(I) Standing erect, raise the arms straight up over the head, hands remaining open with thumbs
touching each other when the arms are fully extended upward -palms to the front, of course. (2) Then, without
bending the knees, bend the body
forward from the waist and endeavor
to touch the floor with the extended
finger tips-if you are unable to do this at first, do the best you can, and you will soon be able to do
it properly-but remember that
neither the knees or the arms must be
bent. (3) Rise, and repeat several
times.
Exercise VII.
(1) Standing erect, with hands on hips, raise yourself on the balls of the feet several times, with sort of a springy motion.
Pause a moment after you have raised upon
your toes, then let the heels sink to the floor, then repeat, as above suggested. Keep the knees unbent, and the heels together. This exercise is
specially beneficial in developing the calf of the leg, and will make it feel sore the first few times it is
tried. If you have an undeveloped
calf, here is the exercise for you. (2) With hands still on hips, place
your feet about two feet apart, and then
lower the body into a "squatting"
position, pausing a moment and then resuming
original position. Repeat several times, but not too often
at first, as it will make the thighs feel a little sore at the beginning. This
exercise will give one well developed
thighs. This last movement may be improved upon by sinking down with the weight
resting upon the ball of the foot, instead of upon the heel.
Exercise VIII.
(I) Stand erect,
with hands on hips; (2) Keeping the knee
straight, swing the right leg out about fifteen inches (keeping the toe
turned a little out, and the sole flat-then swing back to the rear until the toe
points straight to the ground, keeping
the knee stiff all the time. (3) Repeat the swinging backward and forward
several times. (4) Then do the same with the left leg. (5) With hands still on
hips, raise the right leg up, bending the
knee, until the upper-leg (thigh) stands straight out from the body (if
you can raise it still a little higher, you may do so). (6) Place your foot
again on the ground, and go through the same motion with the left leg. (7)
Repeat several times, first one leg and
then the other, moving slowly at first and
gradually increasing your speed until you are executing a slow trot
without moving from the one spot
Exercise IX. (1) Stand erect, with the arms
extended straight in front of you, from the shoulders, and of course on
a level with the shoulders-the palms must
be down, fingers straight out,
thumbs folded under, and the thumb side
of hands touching each other; (2) Bend the body forward from the hips,
stooping forward as far as possible, and at the same time swing the arms forward with
a sweeping movement, sending them down, backward and
upward at the back, so that when the body has
reached the limit of the bending forward movement the arms
are extended back and over the body-keep the arms stiff, and do not
bend the knees. (3) Resume standing
position and repeat several times.
Exercise X.
(1)
Extend the arms straight, sideways, from the shoulder, and hold them there
stiff and rigid with hands open; (2) Close
the hands forcibly, with a quick motion, pressing the fingers well into
the palm; (3) Open the hands forcibly, and
quickly, spreading out the fingers and thumbs as widely as possible, forming a fan-shaped
hand; (4) Close and open the hands as above
stated, several times, as rapidly as possible. Put life into the exercise. This
is a splendid exercise for developing
the muscles of the hand, and for acquiring manual dexterity.
Exercise XI.
(1) Lie upon your stomach, extending your arms above your head and then bowed
upward, and your legs stretched out full
length and raised backward and upward. The correct position may be
carried in the mind by imagining a
watch-crystal or a saucer resting on the table on its middle, with both ends
turning upward. (2) Lower and raise the arms and legs, several times. (3) Then, turn over on your back, and
lie extended at full length, with arms extended straight out, upwards over the head, with back of fingers
touching the ground. (4) Then raise up both legs from the waist until they stand straight
up in the air, like the mast of a ship, your upper-body
and arms remaining in the last position named. Lower
the legs and raise them several times, (5) Resume
position 3, lying flat upon the back at full length with
arms extended straight out upward, over the
head, with backs of fingers touching the ground; (6)
Then gradually raise body to sitting position, with
arms projecting straight out in front of the shoulders.
Then go back gradually to the lying-down position, and
repeat the rising and lowering several times. (7) Then turn over on the face and stomach again, and assume the following
position: Keeping the body rigid from head to foot, raise your body until its weight rests upon your
palms (the arms being stretched out straight in front of you) at one end, and upon your toes at the other end.
Then gradually bend arms at the elbow, allowing your chest to sink to the floor; then raise up your chest and
upper-body by straightening out your
arms, the entire weight falling upon
the arms, with the toes as a pivot-this last is a difficult motion, and should not be overdone at first.
EXERCISE TO SEDUCE
LARGE ABDOMEN.
This exercise is for those troubled with a too large abdomen, which trouble is caused by too much fat gathering there. The abdomen may be materially reduced by a reasonable indulgence in this exercise-but always
remember "moderation in all things," and do not overdo
matters, or be in too much of a hurry. Here is the
exercise: (1) Exhale the breath (breathe out all the
air in the lungs, without straining yourself too much), and then draw the abdomen in and up as far as you can,
then hold for a moment and let it resume its natural position. Repeat a number
of times and then take a breath or two, and rest a moment. Repeat several
times, moving it in and out. It is surprising how much control one may gain over these stubborn muscles
with a little practice. This exercise will not only reduce
the fatty layers over the abdomen, but will also greatly strengthen
the stomach muscles. (2) Give the abdomen a
good (but not rough) kneading and rubbing.
a "setting-up" exercise.
This exercise is intended to give one a graceful and natural manner of
standing and walking, and to cure him of the habit of "slouching,"
and shambling along. If faithfully practiced it will
cause you to manifest an erect, graceful carriage. It
enables you to so carry yourself that every organ has
plenty of "elbow-room," and
every part of the frame is properly poised and counter-poised.
This, or a similar plan, is followed by the
military authorities of many countries, in order to give
their young officers the proper carriage, but its good effect in these cases is somewhat marred by other military
practices which cause a stiffness which does not come
to those who practice this exercise apart from the
drill. The exercise is as follows-follow it carefully : (1) Stand erect, with heels together, toes slightly pointed outward. (2) Raise the arms up by the sides (with
a circular movement) until the hands meet over the
head, thumbs touching each other; (3) Keeping knees stiff; the body rigid; the
elbows unbent; (and shoulders bent well back as the
movement is made); bring down the hands, slowly,
with a sideway circular motion,
until they reach the sides of the legs the little finger and the inner-edge
(the "chopping-edge") of the hand
alone touching the kg, and the palms of the hands facing straight to the front
The soldier gets the right position by
touching the little finger of each hand to the seam of his trousers. (4) Repeat several times, slowly remember.
With the hands in the last position, having been placed there by the motion
stated, it is very difficult for the
shoulders to warp forward. The chest
is projected a little; the head is erect; neck is straight; the back straight and hollowed a little
(the natural position); and the knees are straight In short, you have a fine, erect carriage-now keep
it. It will help you to stand in
this position, and then, keeping the
little finger along the trouser-leg seam place, walk around the room. A
little practice of this kind will work
wonders with you, and you will be surprised at the improvement which you have wrought upon yourself. But it
takes practice, and perseverance- and so
does everything else worth having.
Now this is about all of our little system of exercises. It is simple and unpretentious, but wonderfully effective.
It brings every part of the body into play, and if faithfully
followed will indeed "make you over" physically. Practice faithfully, and
take an interest in the work. Put some mind into it, and remember always what
you are doing the work (or play) for. Carry the thought of "STRENGTH AND
DEVELOPMENT" with you when you exercise, and you will get much better
results. Do not exercise soon after a meal, or immediately before one. Do not
overdo things-start with a few repetitions
of any exercise at first, and then gradually increase it until you have reached a fair number of
repetitions. Better go through the
exercises several times a day (if possible) rather than attempt to do too much
at one period of exercise.
The
above little "Physical Culture" system, will do as much for you as
will many high priced "courses" of
instruction-either personal or by mail. They have stood the test of time, and still are
"up-to-date." They are as
simple as they are effective. Try them, and be strong.
|