the seasons of ki-stretches
our body moves with the seasons. the ups and downs are clearly felt and with a bit more awareness and the decision to become more sensitive as to how the healthy body adapts more readily to the natural changes we can take action and help an imbalance to smooth itself out by stretching those meridians that work just a bit harder during the present season.
the bodhielements ki-stretches described below and taught in our classes are here to inspire us to take action and start off into a fresh morning, to take a break in the middle of too busy a schedule or to finish up a full-on day and slow down for bed time.
falling into winter
while we’re slowly but surely falling into winter and maybe almost falling asleep, naturally slowing down for hibernation, it is important to go for short vigorous walks – especially in the mornings – and do gentle stretching exercises. have you ever tried and experienced the benefits of the meridian ki stretches? a simple one for exactly this season is the kidney & bladder stretch:
- sit on the floor with your legs together and stretched out in front of you
- take a deep breath in and – on the out-breath – bend forward from your hips. try to touch your toes without bending your knees, sink your lower back through your abdomen onto your thighs, relax your shoulders and neck area, release all that tension with your out-breath
- relax on the in-breath, then repeat.
you will notice that after a few repetitions you’re able to reach farther, especially if you decide to make it a daily routine. no worries if you don’t manage to touch your toes! just go as far as possible, wrap your fingers around your ankles (or calves, or knees) and pull gently. it’s the stretch you’re getting that’s important, not how far you can bend. feel how the bladder and kidney meridians along the back of your legs are expanding and contracting each time and how they get less and less achy. even the tension in your shoulders and neck will release, since that area is closely related to the bladder meridian.
if you missed the early morning for the stretch, this one is especially beneficial to do just before retiring for the night – oyasuminasai…
