5 Tibetan Rites: healing, rejuvenation, Longevity

 

This is an incredible series and really changes how your body works from the inside out. You get so much for so little effort!

http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

The Five Tibetan Rites: Exercises for Healing, Rejuvenation, and Longevity By Mary Kurus Copyright Mary Kurus 2001, All Rights Reserved Background In 1985 a book called The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth written by Peter Kelder was published which for the first time fully described an exercise program for "youthing". This is an exercise program used by Tibetan monks to live long, vibrant and healthy lives. In fact, this book states that many have lived longer than most can imagine by following the program often called the "Five Tibetan Rites". The benefits are described in this book and a subsequent book 2 with an expanded description of the program by the publisher called the Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth - Book 2, a companion to the original book by Peter Kelder. Many thanks to the publisher Doubleday for such a special an expanded explanation of the Five Rites. Potential Benefits of the Five Rites The authors provide many examples of the benefits of the "Five Tibetan Rites" including the following: looking much younger; sleeping soundly; waking up feeling refreshed and energetic; release from serious medical problems including difficulties with spines; relief from problems with joints; release from pain; better memory; arthritis relief; weight loss; improved vision; youthing instead of aging; greatly improved physical strength, endurance and vigor; improved emotional and mental health; enhanced sense of well being and harmony; and very high overall energy. How the Five Rites Work Medical professions explain the benefits based on their personal perspective and I suggest you read the entire two books for a broad overview. However, the majority share the view that the rites represent a system of exercise that affects the body, emotions and mind. The Tibetans claim that these exercises activate and stimulate the seven key chakras that in turn stimulate all the glands of the endocrine system. The endocrine system is responsible for the body's overall functioning and aging process. This means that the Five Rites will affect the functioning of all your organs and systems, including the physical and energetic systems and that includes the aging process. The man who brought these Five Rights out of Tibet stated that "performing the Five Rites stimulates the circulation of essential life energy throughout the body". Chakras Chakra is an Indian Sanskrit word that translates to mean "Wheel of Spinning Energy". Chakras are spinning wheels or vortexes of energy of different color that perform many functions connecting our energy fields, bodies and the Cosmic Energy Field. Chakras are powerful electrical and magnetic fields. Chakras govern the endocrine system that in turn regulates all of the body's functions including the ageing process. Energy flows from the Universal Energy Field through the chakras into the energy systems within our bodies, including the Meridian System. Our bodies contain seven major chakras or energy centers and 122 minor chakras. The major chakras are located at the base of the spine (Root Chakra), at the navel (Sacral Chakra), in the solar plexus (Solar Plexus Chakra), within your heart (Heart Chakra), within the throat (Throat Chakra), at the center of your forehead (Brow or Third Eye Chakra), and at the top of your head (Crown Chakra). These chakras are linked together with all other energy systems in the body and various layers of the auras. The Speed of the chakra spin is a key to vibrant health. The other keys to vibrant health that relates to the chakra is ensuring they are clear of negative energy and that they are perfectly shaped and not distorted. The Five Rites speed up the spinning of the chakras, coordinate their spin so they are in complete harmony, distribute pure prana energy to the endocrine system, and in turn to all organs and processes in the body. This is one of the major requirements for vibrant health, rejuvenation and youthfulness. The Five Rites Exercise Program This program is often described as a modified yoga program. Simply put, yoga is a science that unites the body, mind and spirit. Today this is often called Mind/ Body Healing. The author of the book believes that yoga was brought to Tibet from India in the 11th or 12th century and that Tibetan monks over time developed modified these exercises and developed an effective program of exercises that western society now calls the "Five Tibetan Rites". The rugged mountainous conditions these monks live in may well account for their particular emphasis on vigor. Many of the yoga exercises and practices being taught in the western world today are very new. The "Five Tibetan Rites" are exactly what the ancient Tibetans developed over many centuries of time. Therefore it's very important to do the "Five Tibetan Rites" exactly as they are presented without altering the form or sequence to achieve some of the benefits accrued to these "Rites". Beginning the "Five Rites" Exercise Program For the first week, and only if your are relatively healthy and fit, do each exercise three times.  If you are inactive, overweight, or have health problems begin these exercises doing one of the first three each day, and only if you feel totally comfortable doing this. Later in this article I will describe exercises you can do to help yourself strengthen so you can begin to do the "Five Rites". If you have any concerns whatsoever, please consult with your physician. Individuals on serious medications should consult with their physicians. If you are overweight do not do Rites #4 and #5 until you have developed some strength and endurance. Do the substitutes for #4 and #5 until you yourself feel ready to begin doing #4 and #5 of the "Five Rites".  Do only what you feel comfortable doing. That may be only one of each exercise for the first week. Build up to two of each exercise the second week, three of each exercise the third week, etc. or at a faster pace only if your body does not hurt when you do these exercises. 21 is the maximum of each exercise you should ever do. If you want to enhance your program, do the exercises at a faster pace, but do not so more than 21 of each exercise each day. Doing more than 21 repetitions of each exercise in any day will affect your chakras negatively and can create imbalances in your body. The "Five Rites" may stimulate detoxification and often creates many unpleasant physical symptoms. This is why it's recommended to increase the number of each exercise gradually on a weekly basis. I also recommend a vibrational detoxification with Choming Essences. For more information on vibrational detoxification with Choming Essences please visit my website www.mkprojects.com. If you have not exercised for some time, prepare to begin your "Five Rites" exercise program by walking daily, for a half hour each day if possible. Another alternative in preparation for the Five Rites is a stretching program with a gradual increase in the types of stretching exercises and the duration of this program. A sugar free and low fat diet is an important support when integrating the "Five Rites" exercise program into your life. Also check for Digestive Food Sensitivities and eliminate all foods you do not digest easily. Do the Five Rites exercises every day. The maximum you should skip is one day each week. If the exercises are done less than six days each week, the results will be greatly reduced. If on certain days your time is limited, do 3 repetitions of each exercise. This takes less than five minutes. For maximum benefit, do the exercises before breakfast in the morning, if at all possible. If this is not possible do them anytime during the day. Detoxification Detoxification is a process that helps to clean out of the physical and energetic body toxins or poisons that have accumulated in your physical cells, organs, systems and in your energetic systems (auras, chakras, meridian system and all electromagnetic, magnetic and electric systems). I strongly recommend that people beginning the "Five Rites" exercise program undertake a Choming Essence detoxification program either before or as they begin these exercises. If you have never detoxified you will probably have many poisons accumulated in your body and energetic systems. A full detoxification program with Choming Flower Essence, Gem Essences, and Tree Essences will eliminate all toxins. Detoxifying with Choming Essences uses vibrational essences, or what is sometimes called vibrational medicine to clear your systems of toxins and poisons. This includes the elimination of parasites, candida, viruses, and all poisons from pollution, pesticides etc. This vibrational approach to detoxification is completely complementary to the exercises of the "Five Rites". Detoxification is essential for vibrant and long life. For more information please refer to my article "Detoxification with Choming Essences" and other vibrational health articles on my website at www.mkprojects.com. "Five Tibetan Rites" Exercise Program The following instructions and photographs for the "Five Rites" and other preparatory exercises as taken from the book Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, Book 2. I will show the exact Five Rights exercises, a group of exercises for those who need to develop flexibility and strength before beginning to do the "Five Rites", and a set of warm-up exercises. I strongly recommend you purchase the book since it provides detailed information about methodology, concerns and benefits not included in this article. SPECIAL CAUTION: Spinning and stretching through the following exercises can aggravate certain health conditions such as any type of heart problem, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons's Disease, severe arthritis of the spine, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a hyperthyroid condition, or vertigo. Problems may also be caused if you are taking drugs that cause dizziness. Please consult your physician prior to beginning these exercises if you have any difficult health issues or if you have any other concerns. The Five Tibetan Rites Rite #1 Stand erect with arms outstretched horizontal to the floor, palms facing down. Your arms should be in line with your shoulders. Spin around clockwise until you become slightly dizzy. Gradually increase number of spins from 1 spin to 21 spins. Breathing: Inhale and exhale deeply as you do the spins.   Rite #2 Lie flat on the floor, face up. Fully extend your arms Along your sides and place the palms of your hands against the floor, keeping fingers close together. Then raise your head off the floor tucking your chin into your chest. As you do this, lift your legs, knees straight, into a vertical position. If possible, extend the legs over the body towards your head. Do not let the knees bend. Then slowly lower the legs and head to the floor, always Keeping the knees straight. Allow the muscles to relax, and repeat. Breathing: Breathe in deeply as you lift your head and legs and exhale as you lower your head and legs. Rite #3 Kneel on the floor with the body erect. The hands should be placed on the backs of your thigh muscles. Incline the head and neck forward, tucking your chin in against your chest. Then throw the head and neck backward, arching the spine. Your toes should be curled under through this exercise. As you arch, you will brace your arms and hands against the thighs for support. After the arching return your body to an erect position and begin the rite all over again. Breathing: Inhale as you arch the spine and exhale as you return to an erect position.   Rite #4 Sit down on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and your feet about 12" apart. With the trunk of the body erect, place the palms of your hands on the floor alongside your buttocks. Then tuck the chin forward against the chest. Now drop the head backward as far as it will go. At the same time raise your body so that the knees bend while the arms remain straight. Then tense every muscle in your body. Finally let the muscles relax as you return to your original sitting position. Rest before repeating this Rite.     Breathing: Breathe in as you raise up, hold your breath as you tense the muscles, and breathe out fully as you come down.  Rite #5 Lie down with your face down to the floor. You will be supported by the hands palms down against the floor and the toes in the flexed position. Throughout this rite, the hands and feet should be kept straight. Start with your arms perpendicular to the Floor, and the spine arched, so that the body Is in a sagging position. Now throw the head back as far as possible. The, bending at the hips, bring the body up into an inverted "V". At the same time, bring the chin forward, Tucking it against the chest. Breathing: Breathe in deeply as you raise the body, and exhale fully as you lower the body.   Exercises In Preparation For Doing the Five Tibetan Rites The following group of exercises has been developed as a preparation for doing the Five Rites, or as an alternative when you are unable to do any of the Five Rites. Doing these exercises will help you strengthen and become more flexible to be able to do the Five Rites as they have been described above. Do these alternative exercises in the sequence from one to five and when possible, substitute the Five Rite exercise into this alternative program until you have fully integrated the Five Rites. As with the Five Rites, begin by doing two or three of each exercise daily, until you are able to do 10 each day. Once you are able to do ten of these alternatives, you should be ready to begin doing the Five Rite exercises themselves. Alternative (for Rite#1) Exercise #1 Stand with your feet about 12 inches apart. Extend your arms palms down until your arms are level with your shoulders. Swing your arms to the right, letting your slapping your left hand against your right shoulder, with your right hand slapping against the small of your back. Then swing your arms in the opposite direction, having your right hand slap against your left shoulder and the back of your left hand slap against the small of your back. As you swing back and forth allow your torso and legs to follow the movement. Allow your heels to lift from the floor but do not allow either foot to completely leave the floor. As you swing right turn your head right, and turn your head left as you swing to the left. Breathing: Breathe in rhythm to your swinging Movement.   Alternative (for Rite #2) Exercise #2 Lie down on the floor and elevate your head and shoulders propping up on your elbows keeping your forearms flat on the floor, palms facing down. Keeping your legs straight, hold them off the floor For 20 or 30 seconds. Breathing: Inhale as you raise your legs, breathe in and out normally while holding your legs up, and exhale as you lower your legs.   Alternative ( for Rite #3) Exercise #3 Stand with your back to the wall and your feet 12 - 18 inches apart. Without moving your feet bend forward from the hips so that your buttocks rest against the wall. Slide downward, bending your knees as you go. Keep sliding down until your thighs are horizontal, as if you were sitting in a chair. Hold this position for 15 seconds and then slide back up. Breathing: Begin to exhale as you slide down to the chair position and inhale when slide back up.   Alternative ( for Rite #4) Exercise #4 Lie flat on your back, your arms straight, palms down, feet flat, and knees bent. Press your pelvis up a few inches off the floor and hold it for 10 seconds. Release and lower your pelvis to its original position. Breathing: Inhale as you lift your pelvis and Exhale as you lower your pelvis.   Alternative ( for Rite #5) Exercise #5 Begin in the table position. Curl your toes under And bend your hips raising your buttocks so that Your body forms an inverted "V". Your knees will lift up off the floor, your legs will be straight, and your outstretched arms will be in a straight line with your back. Hold this position for 15 seconds. Breathing: Inhale as you raise your buttocks, breath Slowly and deeply while holding the position, and exhale as you return to the table position.   Warm-up Exercises The following group of exercises has been developed to open, relax, release tension, to strengthen various parts of the body, and to provide toning to different parts of your body. If you are overweight, in poor physical condition, or experiencing serious illness, this group of exercises is an excellent to help you begin your journey towards physical fitness. I suggest you do these warm-up exercises prior to the Five Rites if you are overweight or have not exercised in a long time. Begin this group of exercises by doing 2 of each exercise and then gradually increase the repetition until you are able to do 10 of each warm-up exercise. Warm-Up Exercise #1 Stand upright, tilt your head sideways towards your left shoulder and hold it for five seconds, then tilt your head towards your chest and hold it 5 seconds. Then tilt your head towards your left Shoulder and hold it five seconds, and lastly tilt your head backward and hold it five seconds. Return your head to a normal position. Breathing: Exhale as you move your head around, and inhale as you return to the upright position.   Warm-Up Exercise #2 Stand upright, slowly rotate your shoulders in a forward circular motion 5 times, then reverse the movement and rotate your shoulders in a backward circular motion 5 times. Breathing: Breathe normally but deeply as you do this exercise.   Warm-Up Exercise #3 Stand upright with your arms help up, your elbows bent, and your hands together in front of your chest, with your fingertips touching and palms apart. Press inward on your fingers until their inside surfaces are almost touching. Your palms should not be touching. Release and press your fingers again. Breathing: Breathe normally.   Warm-Up Exercise #4 In a relaxed standing position, hold your arms in front of you. Clasp your right hand around your left wrist, with your thumb against the inside of the wrist. Squeeze gently but firmly five times. Repeat the procedure with the left hand Squeezing the right wrist. Breathing: Breathe normally.   Warm-Up Exercise #5 Recline on the floor, resting the upper part of your body on your upper arms. Flex your knees and rhythmically bang Them up and down against the floor in rapid succession. Your heels should remain on the floor throughout this exercise. Do this exercise for 20 - 30 seconds. Breathing: Breathe normally through this exercise. Warm-Up Exercise #6 Get down on the floor on your hands and Knees with your hands positioned under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Bring your chin up and rotate your hips so the tailbone moves up, arching your back down. Then tuck your chin into your chest and rotate your back so that your pelvis moves down, arching you're your back down. Breathing: Inhale as you move your tailbone up and exhale as you move your tailbone down.   Conclusion: The daily practice of the exercises I have described in this article is an essential element of vibrant health. It's a proven fact that people who loose weight can only maintain their weight loss if they incorporate a daily exercise program into their everyday lives. These exercises will stretch muscles you haven't felt in years so approach this program gently and begin with one or two repetitions each day, increasing each exercise by one repetition every week. After you are able to do ten repetitions of the Alternate Exercise program, you should be able to begin to do the Five Rites. And add a half hour of a brisk walk on a daily basis. Not only will it contribute to your physical health, it will give you the opportunity to enjoy all of nature around you. You will feel younger than you have felt in years. Happy and Joyous Vibrant Health   With Love and Caring, Mary Kurus mary@mkprojects.com www.mkprojects.com Copyright 2001 Mary Kurus All Rights Reserved click here to return

 

 

stretch and strengthen your spine

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/278176/stretch-and-strengthen-your-spine

 

Stretch and Strengthen your Spine Manila Bulletin Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:35 PM PDT Manila, Philippines - People who spend several hours at their desks every day can develop bad sitting habits which in time adversely affects the back and results in bad posture and pain. Because the tendency is to lean back in their chairs, the back muscles lose strength and slouching occurs. This creates the round-shouldered effect which ends up stiffening, tightening and hurting the muscles of ...

 

 

 

Published on Manila Bulletin (http://www.mb.com.ph)

Home > Stretch and Strengthen your Spine

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Stretch and Strengthen your Spine

Manila, Philippines - People who spend several hours at their desks every day can develop bad sitting habits which in time adversely affects the back and results in bad posture and pain. Because the tendency is to lean back in their chairs, the back muscles lose strength and slouching occurs. This creates the round-shouldered effect which ends up stiffening, tightening and hurting the muscles of the neck.

Some people, even when they don't start out with a structural imbalance or weakness on one side of their body end up acquiring it at their desks because of performing repetitive movements on one side, like leaning over to open and close a heavy drawer, reaching for something across their desk or on the floor, plugging in or unplugging a peripheral, etc, they may even end up with a curvature on one side which can bother the middle and/or lower back.

These imbalances caused by slouching and leaning can hamper your breathing, decrease your circulation and weaken your stomach muscles. Yoga postures or asanas work to lengthen the spine, whereas constant slouching does the exact opposite, reducing the space between the vertebrae, placing pressure on the discs and the nerves, often causing debilitating weakness and pain.

Torso twists or bharadvajasana are very and effectively done on a chair. If possible, use a straight-backed chair without arms but if your desk chair has arms, just adapt the basics of the exercise and it will work. Twists are also extremely useful for people who are scoliotic as long as the form of the spine is kept elongated before and during the twist.

Aside from creating and maintaining the flexibility of the spine, twists also "massage" the organs.

CHAIR TWISTS

1. Sit with your entire body and knees and toes facing the right side of the chair. Your feet should be firmly on the floor, with knees and ankles close together. Place your hands on each side of the back of the chair.

2. Inhale and lengthen the spine, while exhaling, gently and smoothly rotate towards the right, lifting the ribs upwards. Make sure your chin is always held parallel to the floor, while your shoulders are kept relaxed and low, away from your ears and your chest is open and lifted throughout. Use the right hand against the chair's back to help twist further but never force the movement.

Keep breathing comfortably while in the pose and as you become more flexible in the future, you may want to try allowing your twist to deepen with each exhalation. Inhale again and as you exhale, let your torso come slowly back to your starting position. Repeat on the other side.

FITNESS BULLETIN. Yoga Moves classes are now on Tuesdays, and Seniors Yoga on Wednesdays. Sessions are scheduled at 7:15 p.m. at the Dance Studio, Upper Ground Flr., Somerset Olympia Residences on Makati Avenue. For inquiries, send SMS to 09179613765.

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Source URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/278176/stretch-and-strengthen-your-spine

Copyright 2010. Manila Bulletin | All Rights Reserved

 

Posture.. Make it fun for kids

To help kids maintain good posture, make it fun

Washington Post

By Lenny Bernstein

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Raise your hand if you've ever nagged your kid about posture. Yeah, me too.

"Stop slouching," we carp at them. "Throw those shoulders back. Raise your chin. Do you want to go through life hunched over like that?"

We mean well. But like much of what we think we know about fitness, it turns out our efforts at propping up our kids are somewhat misguided.

Kids "have bad posture because they have lost their core stability," says Scott Bautch, past president of the American Chiropractic Association's Council on Occupational Health, who used to run programs that encouraged good posture in Midwestern schools. As children's overall fitness has declined, the muscles in their abdomen, upper back, shoulders and lower back have become soft as well, Bautch and other experts say.

Good posture "is remembering to hold your shoulders back," adds Todd Galati, director of academy for the American Council on Exercise and a former researcher on youth fitness at the University of California at San Diego. "And it's getting your body to function in a way that allows your shoulders to stay back."

One hundred fifty years ago, the most people performed tasks each day that taxed the muscles of their trunks in every direction, Bautch says. This led to a balanced upper body, roughly equal strength in the muscles of the front, back and sides of the torso. Good posture was a natural result.

Today, studies show that most physical work is likely to be repetitive: the same small keyboard strokes or assembly line tasks over and over again. There is little chance that balanced opposing muscles will develop from such efforts and be capable of holding the body upright.

"Today's youth, just like today's adults, tend to spend a lot of time at computers," Galati says. "Most people don't sit at a computer in a good postural position."

As we hunch over keyboards, the muscles of the front of the shoulders and chest shorten and their tension increases. Back muscles and those behind the shoulders elongate and have less tension. As we lean forward and peer into that computer screen, the same elongation occurs in the neck muscles. Together, those changes account for that hunched-over, head-thrust-forward look.

It gets worse. Having your legs bent under a desk all day shortens your hip flexors and psoas muscles, which attach to your pelvis and lower spine. That helps pull your lower back out of alignment, also affecting your posture, Galati says.

Our children face additional challenges. For one thing, studies show, posture is partly a learned behavior, and it is learned between ages 3 and 5, Bautch says. If you're modeling poor posture, your kids are likely to pick it up, he says. (Which makes our attempts to harangue teenagers into standing straight somewhat ironic.)

And according to one study, some youngsters carry school backpacks that weigh as much as 30 percent of their body weight, far too much for young muscles. They have no choice, Bautch says, but to lean forward to bear the weight.

Galati says he isn't sure whether heavy backpacks cause poor posture, but he is certain that kids with "good posture and good movement [in their joints] can handle that load better than [kids with] poor posture and poor movement."

So what can we do? (It's pretty obvious that nagging doesn't work.)

Exercise. Galati says the key to any exercise program that involves children is to make it fun. Even very young children can enjoy structured core exercises in programs tailored for them, such as the ones ACE recommends at http://www.acefitness.org/ofk, Galati says. If that's not in the cards for your kid, just get him or her outside every day doing some kind of physical activity. "Your muscles develop and your bones increase in density by doing physical activity. It's that simple," he says.

Video-game exercise. If you really encounter resistance, consider the video game Dance Dance Revolution. ACE-sponsored research has found that it can provide a moderate to vigorous workout and that some Wii games are better than games that require nothing more than sitting on a couch.

Stretch breaks. Bautch favors micro-breaks, for children and adults, during which you get up and exercise the muscles opposite to the ones you use while sitting. So stand up from that computer, reach your hands above your head and lean back for short stretches, he says.

Stability balls. Bautch also urges parents to figure out where kids spend the most time sitting -- in front of the computer or television, perhaps -- and replace comfy chairs with stability balls. Doing so allows children to engage those core muscles, even while they're playing video games.

 

To all,

Great information here in the article!  Please note treatment includes: “back-friendly measures include proper lifting, good posture, ergonomic furniture and supportive footwear”.  

 

Source: Mayo Clinic

Released: Tue 05-Jun-2007, 15:25 ET  Printer-friendly Version

Degenerative Disk Disease

Libraries Medical News		Keywords DEGENERATIVE, DISK, DISEASE, BACK PAIN
Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only
Description Back pain can interfere with normal activities. One of the most common causes is degenerative disk disease.

 

Newswise — Back pain can interfere with normal activities. One of the most common causes is degenerative disk disease. Fortunately, there is help. For most people, the pain improves within one to four weeks and can be managed with conservative treatments.

The June issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource describes causes and treatment for this condition.

Small disks act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae in the spine. With age, the disks are more prone to trauma and tearing that results from twisting and turning, a fall or a blow to the back. When a tear occurs in the outer portion of the disk, adjacent nerve endings are irritated and sensitive to pain. The pain is usually intermittent and worsens with longer periods of sitting, or with bending, twisting or lifting. Degenerative disk disease is most common among people in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

To diagnose the condition, a doctor will perform a physical exam and verify which movements cause pain. Imaging tests may be used to assess spinal changes.

Treatment usually consists of self-care measures such as applying cold or heat, pain medication, physical therapy and lifestyle changes. Losing weight may be advised to reduce stress on the back. Stopping smoking could be recommended to improve blood circulation and aid in healing. Other back-friendly measures include proper lifting, good posture, ergonomic furniture and supportive footwear.

Surgery is performed when other treatments haven’t eased the pain. Options are spinal fusion to permanently fuse two or more vertebrae, or disk replacement where the damaged disk is replaced with a prosthetic one.

 

 

Make Posture your Wellness Priority

 

Heritage Newspapers (heritage.com)

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Chelsea Standard > News

Make posture your wellness priority

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

By Elaine Economou, Guest Writer

Your body is in use all day long. Whether you sit at a desk, work in the field, stand in a store or carry a baby around, your body is meant to work efficiently in functional alignment. This means that your head, shoulders, hips, knees and feet are basically aligned, and this upright stature gives you support and strength to face all of your daily activities.

What happens, though, when you start to put one part of your body out of alignment? What happens if you carry tension in your shoulders, have sore knees or a sore lower back? You might build compensatory patterns in your body, overusing muscles and causing misalignment. The tension in your shoulders may lead to chronic low back pain or shoulder discomfort and other chronic pain.

The work of Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century addressed building strength and flexibility of the spine to support healthy posture. Although fairly recently moving to the forefront of mainstream exercise culture, the method that Pilates created during World War I has been a part of our modern understanding of the body for most of the last century.

Recent methods of teaching his work have taken his foundation and applied modern anatomical research to present exercises that build strength in the deep muscles of the trunk (the “core”), flexibility and strength in the spine and stabilization of the ribcage, shoulders, head and neck. The key to this work as developed by the Stott Pilates method is the ability to modify exercises to support individual needs and the training to identify target areas of the body in clients.

The body works interdependently, and pilates exercises help you focus and build awareness on your own posture and how to sense your body in alignment. This awareness allows you to take these basic principles into the rest of your life, such as relieving pain and stiffness in your neck and shoulders while looking at a computer, avoiding low back pain while shoveling snow and maintaining good posture during your cardio of choice.

Once you have the strength to support functional alignment, pilates exercises challenge strength and flexibility by adding weights, changing leverage, modifying body position and creating ways for your spine to stabilize through a full range of movement. It is this process of moving through the repertoire that builds deep strength in your body.

Working with a trained pilates teacher is a great way to learn these basic principles of pilates and to learn about your own body. Many clients tell me that they tried a pilates video or dropped into a class once and either didn’t “feel any-thing” or worse, that they strained or injured themselves as a result of trying exercises when they did not have the awareness of their own alignment or how to access their deep core stabilizers.

For the folks who have tried pilates and have not felt anything, try again and tell your trainer about your prior experience. We have a saying in some classes that, “if you don’t feel it, you may not be doing it correctly.” This means that with some small adjustments by a trained pilates teacher, you will be able to access the muscles you need to support an exercise in class and then, in all your other activities.

Sometimes it takes some time for your body to access the muscular coordination necessary to do this. If you have a pattern that has been in your body for a long time or perhaps one that you have been born with, it will take some time to reorganize your body in this new way. Working with a trainer can offer knowledge about your own body and injury prevention that can be worth much more than the cost.

Locally, we have access to pilates exercise programs at the Chelsea Wellness Center including courses and private training that you can participate in without being a member. Group classes for all levels are available to members only. The Pilates Healthy Spine Program runs for six weeks and the next session starts in mid-April. There is a free introduction to the course at 7 p.m. March 23 at the Wellness Center.

Private training, which is the best way to meet this work, is available at the Wellness Center for both members and non-members. Even a few sessions can change the way you participate in all of your other exercise activities and help ensure a healthy participation in life.

Physical Therapy Services of Chelsea offers classes and training to current and past patients. Clients can get a physical therapy referral from a physician for access to their services.

Pilates exercises can help everyone at every mobility level. Most trainers are equipped to work with a physical therapist, orthopedic, or rehabilitation doctor to help support stated health goals. For the elite athlete, pilates can help address and inform postural issues as well as ensure that athletes remain injury free.

For golfers, there is a special two-hour workshop at the Chelsea Wellness Center on March 6 and another session on March 27.

The groups for this workshop are small, with a maximum of three people, and participants will learn a warm up for a golf game, do a workout designed to help mobilize the spine in rotation and the pelvis on the legs and create functional mobility in the shoulders, and learn a bit about his or her own posture.

Each attendee will leave with a toning ball and a copy of the workout to support a home practice. To register for a workshop, contact the Wellness Center at 1-734-214-0220 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-734-214-0220      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. This is not a golf swing workshop though participants are asked to bring an iron to use as a prop in the class.

The Pilates for Golfers workshop will also be held at the Movement Center in Ann Arbor on March 20.

Elaine Economou has been teaching pilates for more than 10 years and movement and dance for more than 20 years. She can be reached at eecon13@gmail.com or 1-734-255-9110 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-734-255-9110      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

 

URL: http://www.heritage.com/articles/2010/03/03/chelsea_standard/news/doc4b8ea148b0e85806423266.prt

© 2010 heritage.com, a Journal Register Property

 

Laptops = Pain & Poor Posture

 

Laptops cause new ailment

By Kelly Stroda

Originally published September 2, 2010 at 6:25 p.m., updated September 2, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.

A new medical condition is lurking on campus, in coffee shops and even in your own bedroom. Chances are, you're not immune either.

"Laptop-itis" is a term coined by Kevin Carneiro, assistant professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Laptop-itis stems from poor posture and includes neck pain, headaches, back pain and tingling fingers.

Tara Arikawe, a sophomore from Cape Girardeau, Mo., uses her laptop in front of the Kansas Union on Tuesday afternoon. Many students like Arikawe use their laptops on a frequent basis and consequently may develop negative health effects later in life.

The University does not track personal devices, so it isn't possible to know how many students own laptops.

However, according to EDUCAUSE, a group that researches information technology at universities, about 75 percent of college students owned laptops in 2007.

Sandra Bowman, physical therapy supervisor at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said students are already at risk for poor posture because of sustained sitting from class and studying. She also said some people tend to let gravity take over and not pay attention to their posture.

Nikhil Menon, a senior from Topeka, studies at the library about four days a week. He admits to hunching over his laptop and not paying attention to his posture. He said he sometimes gets back pain and thinks his posture could be a factor.

Bowman said laptops accentuate problems with poor posture.

"Laptops force students to work in a very confined space," Bowman said.

Bowman said laptops force people to project their heads forward to focus on laptop screens. This can cause weaknesses in the neck and upper back.

Keyboards on laptops don't help either.

Conventional keyboards for desktop computers are angled for better ergonomics. But laptop keyboards force people to type in one of two ways, Bowman said.

Some people type with their wrists resting on the edge of the keyboard. Others type with their wrists above the keyboard and bow their hands. Both of these methods cause swelling and compression of the nerves and tendons of the wrist and lower forearm. Repetitive compression can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.

About the same number of students are being treated by Watkins for problems, Bowman said, but there has been a transition in the past eight years.

 "Whereas things were one-sided before when people were using one hand to take notes, things are more bilateral now."

Alicen Fleming, a sophomore from Wichita, said she has noticed her wrists hurting after using her laptop for a long period of time. She said she finds herself rolling her wrists, readjusting her shoulders and back and sometimes popping her neck.

It's not likely in this age that these problems will go away.

Not only are students tied to their laptops, but also gaming and cell phones.

"It's all repetitive hand movements that we're doing," Bowman said. "Typing, gaming and texting."

Most college students have stopped growing, but poor posture now can lead to problems later in life. Students who are hunched over laptops could potentially assume that position.

"What we'll see more and more are people with their heads forward and their upper backs rounded out," Bowman said.

Both Bowman and Carneiro recommend students use accessories for their laptops like external keyboards and mice when possible.

— Edited by Alex Tretbar