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Energizing Exercises

Karen Golden, a wonderful massage therapist in Tampa Florida, gave me these exercise when I was in my 30’s. They didn’t do much for me then. But I recently dug them out of my files and tried them again. Wow! I had more energy after doing them than before. No wonder she calls them energizing exercises.

         Some of these exercises may be hard at first. If you can’t do straight leg lifts, then bend your knees to make it easier. It isn’t necessary to do them just like the pictures. Trying is what counts. Trying will bring you the benefits. If you really can’t do one of them skip it until you are stronger. Other than that, do the exercises in the order given. I don’t know why, but they work better that way.

         Karen says these exercises originated in Tibet. Wherever they came from, I’m impressed enough with them to recommend them. All of the exercises come with the instruction to do them 6 to 21 times. If you can’t do 6, just do what you can. You will get stronger. On average it takes less than ten minutes to do all five exercises. At the end of the 5 exercises, I’ll put some links to exercise pages on the web.

         What should you do with all this extra energy? My first recommendation is that you start a regular exercise program; lifting weights, doing yoga, aerobics, toning. It’s your body. It’s your choice. Enjoy!

Best, Lois

1st Energizing Exercise: Spinning

         Spinning requires practice and should be done daily as follows:

1.)     Position yourself as in the diagram to the right, hands straight to the sides, head facing forwards.

2.)     Keep your eyes open but do not focus them. Disconnect from the visual field as you would when feigning blindness or when lost in thought.

3.)     When spinning, keep the ball of your right foot planted, moving its heal from the 6 o’clock to the 12 o’clock position, moving the left leg around your right. (If you need more than two moves to get around, use as many as you need, but be sure to count your spins, not your moves.)

4.)     Always spin clockwise, that is, the right arm will spin backward and the left forward. Why? No scientific reason known. The Tibetans say so.

5.)     Keep the line of your back, neck, and head square with your shoulders. Do not lead into the spin by turning your head.

6.)     As you begin to spin, the room will start to spin / whirl around you. Feel the bottoms of your feet and the line straight through your body where your balance, your core, is. This will help your equilibrium.

7.)     When you stop spinning, the room won’t. Do not focus our eyes. Do not refocus until the room has come to a complete stop.

8.)     Initially spin only 3-4 times more than it takes to get the room spinning. Then recover. If you feel like you must sit d own, do so. Do as many as you can easily, and increase gradually. Never, however, spin more than 21 times. Again, this is a Tibetan rule. Apparently the nature of the exercise will change if you proceed to do more.

As you proceed with your spinning practice you may notice:

1.)     The more you have practiced, the longer it will take for the room to begin spinning.

2.)     The longer you have practiced, the quicker the room will stop spinning after you have stopped spinning.

3.)     The more practiced you are the stronger will be your ability to stand ground with ease. Rides and swings will no longer be nauseating if they have been in the past.

Click here for 2nd Energizing Exercise