Hi everyone
Many of these exercises are fun to do and are quite effortless in their nature. I hope you find these little techniques enlivening, energising and uplifting for you throughout the day.
I will keep adding to this list as I go and I encourage you to also add anything that you think that is short, practical and effortless.
The 4 minute exercise
Zach Bush has popularised this amazing little exercise that builds muscle and leaves you feeling energised throughout the day.
Zach Bush says hereExercise instructions start at 1.25"...An exercise that has come out of the science of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a communication molecule made by the human body stored in the blood vessels that feed your body. When you start to exercise and you run out of oxygen, you release that nitric oxide.
It goes downstream, opens up blood vessels, increases oxygen and nutrient delivery to that muscle to increase the opportunity for muscle build.
The cool thing is that you rebuild that nitric oxide every couple of hours and so we have the opportunity to release this three times a day and get that additive benefit again and again hitting the muscle body with "it's time to grow, time to feed, time to breathe."
The goal is three sets, start with 10 repetitions, work yourself towards 20. No hand weights necessary to get this activation going. If you want to build that over time you are welcome to. But right now we are going to work on form and speed to run out of the oxygen at the joints, at those big muscle groups. We are going to work the 16 biggest muscle groups and we are going to go after them. "
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The luminous, warm hug
This is a beautiful, profound approach by the Tibetan Monk Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in dealing with emotional and even physical pain. The full transcript to this interview is available here.
This short guided Meditation of the luminous warm hug starts at 22.20"...The peacock approach is basically not an approach of the doctor. The peacock basically eats it. It’s not trying to change anything. It just eats it as it is and the peacock is able to do that because the peacock eats the poison. What poison does to the peacock is just basically makes it stronger, more healthier, more beautiful. The feathers brighten and so on. Somehow the second approach is that we are also capable of really transforming our pain simply by being present, simply by being awake, simply by not judging it."
"...When you look at something directly like your pain, at that very moment the view of the pain is different. People say, “Wow, it doesn’t look that bad. Wow. I feel okay with that. I can live with that. I don’t feel the pain. I feel free. I feel I can still enjoy myself. I can still feel joy even though I’m feeling sadness. I can still feel some sense of trust even though I am feeling fear. I can still joke even though I am feeling a little depressed.”
'...Poison becomes the medicine for the peacock. Your pain makes you strong, basically."
"...pain can be your best friend, if you want it to be."
---------------------"First, sit comfortably, whatever position you are in, comfortably. You can close the eyes or open eyes, whatever you feel is comfortable. Maybe close the eyes for now. Bring your full attention inward. Maybe take three to five deep, conscious breaths and through this breath, through these breaths, release out whatever you’re holding this very moment, any discomfort in your body, any energetic discomfort, any discomfort in your mind. Whatever discomfort you are feeling, just breathe it out deep. Breathe it out, and at the end of the exhalation, connect to yourself and rest deeper. Repeat three to five times.
Be aware of the stillness in your body. Be aware of the silence around and within you. Feel that stillness. Feel that silence and rest deeper, deeper in that stillness and silence.
Now just for a moment, be aware of the challenges that you are facing this moment in your life or, if it’s a physical pain or particular sickness, be aware of that. Either it’s physical or emotional, be aware of those pains that you are facing. Maybe some of you are avoiding it. Some of you are trying to deal with it but finding it hard.
For now, just look at that pain or challenge. Either it’s physical or emotional. From this place of openness, you are open to it. That pain, in a way, you are identifying with that pain. In a way, that pain is asking you to help. Being open, being aware and being caring like warmth toward that pain, self compassion from that openness, from that awareness. Like you would be gentle, be kind, be present with someone, your best friend. If your best friend is in pain you will be present there. You will be gentle. You will be kind and sending warmth but do the same toward yourself.
I repeat these qualities, specific qualities: being open to it, being aware and connecting with it, and sending a sense of warmth. I call it a spacious, luminous, warm hug to that pain. Either it’s a physical or emotional self compassion. Just hold that. Connect and continue being there, connecting, being in that warmth, and connecting continuously.
Just feel this continued sense of being very open to it, very aware and connected to it. There’s a lot of warmth, the healing of warmth - you’re ascending toward that pain…toward yourself, like you would do towards your best friend."
Belly button smile
When you visualise your belly button smiling, the corners of your mouth automatically turn upwards and your eyes soften.
Try it! See if it works for you! You no longer have to fake it until you make it.
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The Victory Pose
The victory pose is a stretch that you do immediately after you get out of bed. Have you ever noticed how cats and dogs stretch immediately upon arising? The act of stretching acts as a form of stress release. It also prepares your body for movement. If you do this on a regular basis, you will notice how your body really wants to stretch upon first arising.
Stand with your legs apart and stretch your arms right up into the sky in a V shape. Stand on your tiptoes as you do this and have a good stretch and a yawn..
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What sparks joy in you?
Write down a list of what sparks joy for you. What is it that makes you feel joyful?
https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...ks+joy+for+you
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Got a song stuck in your head?
If you have a song stuck in your head, or what some may call an earworm, this is a little trick that was taught to me by a yogi for making the song go away.
https://www.iflscience.com/brain/bra...eads-revealed/Take a deep breath in, smile, and whilst you are smiling, stick your tongue out as far as you can. Simultaneously, breathe out as hard as you can. Hold the breathe out for as long as you can before taking a normal breath in.
If you still have a song stuck in your head, repeat.
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Transcending all influences
Norman Doidge, Author of The Brain that changes itself wrote that when people performed mental practices, for example, just by imagining the practicing of scales on an instrument, they improved almost as much as when they played the instrument physically. Brain scans also show that those who do "mental" practices develop changes in the same brain areas, roughly to the same extent, as those who do "physical practice."
Your brain cannot tell the difference between imagination and reality
Our life experience is determined by how we interpret sensory information and external information. This determines our belief systems as well as what and how we receive inspirations. As a healing, you can change an image you have in relation to a circumstance that was stressful or traumatic.
------------------------Imagine yourself in a place where you can feel how you are beyond any and all influence. Then, relive an experience or event in your imagination. See yourself instantly transcend all the influences that once affected you.
Let the neck be free, let the head go forward and up...
This is an exercise based upon The Alexander Technique. You are not consciously moving any part of the body.
Remember that the mind cannot tell the difference between imagination and reality, so the body will automatically begin to realign itself without any conscious movement whatsoever; no effort or force is required.
The exercise to say to yourself silently is:
"Let the neck be free, let the head go forward and up, let the back lengthen and widen"
You can do this in front of the mirror or whilst standing comfortably anywhere.