Every day is a new challenge. The choice of how to deal with that challenge is up to each of us. One way to make your daily start as positive as possible is to prepare your body with slow and flowing breathing and stretching movements-while you're lying in bed.
The first step is to begin deep inhalations followed by a complete exhalation. Most of us breathe so shallow without even thinking about it. Deep breathing fills your lungs and gets much oxygen to the lower lobes to help the cleansing process. Start with your tongue on the roof of your mouth directly behind your upper teeth. Breathe in deeply through the nose first filling all the way down to your diaphragm. A good trick to help is to visualize the air entering your nose and traveling all the way down to your toes and filling your body, layer by layer, up to your head.
Then, moving your tongue out of the way, exhale slowly from your mouth. Complete exhalation. Get as much air out of your lungs as you can without straining. Sometimes, this breathing will help to clear nasal congestion. The purpose is to start getting oxygen to the lungs and get them started on their day's work. Fresh oxygen into the blood stream is good for all the vital organs as well. Start this day the right way.
Now, for the fun part. Exercise in bed. Not the kind that involves your sleeping partner. That's not a bad idea either, but I digress.
Continue the slow, rhythmic breathing during the entire sequence of movements. Lying on your back, bring both knees up to your chest and hug them and wrap both arms around your knees. This helps to open the lumbar spine, the core of the back. Hold for a count of at least 10.
Next, while still maintaining that position, gently rock back and forth, left to right. Rock at least 7 times on each side. Even though the mattress may not be rigid enough this will still give a little massage to the lower back and adrenal glands.
Release the legs and slide the feet down toward the foot of the bed, briefly. Then, slide your feet back toward your butt slightly and position the soles so they are touching each other. Your knees will be pointing out to the left and right and you should feel a stretch in the crotch muscles. Hold this for at least a count of 10. When I first started doing this my flexibility was so poor that it was very uncomfortable. Now, it feels good.
From there, slide your feet back toward the foot of the bed. With one leg pointed straight out and flat on the mattress, bring the other knee up to your chest and hold it there with both arms. Hold that for about 10 seconds, release, and do the same with the other leg.
Then, keeping both feet flat on the mattress slide them up close to your butt again. Lift your pelvis upward toward the ceiling keeping your shoulders and feet on the mattress. Tighten the muscles in your lower back as you do this. Hold for 10 seconds and release.
Next, with both feet still flat on the mattress and the knees touching each other, drop both knees to your left touching them to the mattress while rotating your pelvis and upper body, including your head and right arm, to the right. You should hold the knees down with your left hand. Hold that for 10 seconds and try that on the other side.
Then, slide both feet to the bottom of the bed again. Interlock your fingers behind your head for support. Bring both knees to your chest and do a bicycle pedaling motion with your knees to a count of 20. Don't pull your head toward your knees; you don't want to strain the neck.
This next one is optional but it will help tone the stomach. With both feet straight out toward the bottom of the bed again, lift both legs off the mattress and do a butterfly, or up and down motion with the legs, without touching the legs to the mattress. Arms should be off the mattress stretched out from your sides. Start with 20 and work your way up to more at your own pace. Don't overdo this because you can strain your lower back this way.
If you have the room on your bed, roll over into a child's pose. Lie on your belly. Lower your butt toward your heels; that should bring your knees right under your chest. Reach forward with both hands toward the head of the bed with your face on the mattress. Reach your arms as far forward as you can to get the maximum benefit of this stretch.
The cat stretch is next. From the child's pose position yourself on all fours. Arch your back upwards while tucking your chin down toward your chest. Hold this for at least a count of 7.
Okay, almost done. Now, sit on the edge of the bed with feet on the floor. Reach up with both arms and interlock your fingers. Turn your hands so the palms are facing upward and tuck your chin into your chest. Hold for a count of 7.
You're done unless you want to do one floor exercise-and that would be pushups. 10 slow pushups. Do knuckle pushups by making a fist instead of a flat hand. It's a little harder and worth it. One smooth motion down and then up, slowly. Another hand variation is the diamond pushup. Flat hands with both index fingers touching each other as well as both thumbs to form a diamond pattern. Spread your feet out a little farther to maintain balance.
As long as you're out of bed and on the floor you can opt to do a few more stretches for your legs by simply bending at the waist and touching your toes. Also, spread your feet out wide, reach both hands above your head, inhale and then bend forward to touch the floor while you exhale. Reach to your left foot and then reach to the right. Remember to exhale on the way down and inhale on the way up.
By the way, that inhale and exhale sequence is good to remember any time you bend down for any reason. Exhale on the way down if you bend to pick something up from the floor or when you're lining up a putt. If you stay down for any length of time continue to inhale and exhale. This exhale on the way down and inhale on the way up will help to reduce the chance of dizziness when you do finally stand up.
This is a great start for your day. Remember to take full, deep breaths followed by a complete exhalation as often as you can. Give your lungs a continuous workout whenever you remember. Put little sticky notes in unusual places---BREATHE.
When you get into this daily habit then we can start talking EFT-Emotional Freedom Technique. That's another great way to enhance your day with positive energy. Just by mildly stimulating 7-9 meridian points you can chase away stress, anxiety, and generate some positive energy.
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