Preksha Meditation & Human Health: 4.4.1 Health Rejuvenating Yogic Exercises

In this component of the practice module the HRE of following parts were included:

1. Head
2. Eyes
3. Neck
4. Shoulders
5. Chest
6. Abdomen and
7. Waist.

The technique and instructions followed for each of them were as under:

a) Head

1. Stand erect, keep your feet close, keep your arms hanging down and, palms touching the thighs.
2. Concentrate your mind being on the top of your head. Feel that the head tissues are being active and full of life. Now alternatively contract and relax the muscles of your forehead, hearing-organs and brain.
3. Repeat contraction and relaxation nine times.

b) For Eyes

Keep your neck erect and steady. Do not move it during this exercise. Do this exercise in seven steps:

1. While inhaling move the eye-balls upwards, towards the forehead, and look at the sky while exhaling, bring down the eye-balls to look at the feet. (fig. Ml, M2)
   Repeat this process five times.

2. While inhaling move the eye-balls towards the right and while exhaling move them towards the left. Try to look behind upto the maximum. (Fig. M3, M4)
   Repeat this process five times.

3. Roll the eye-balls diagonally to the upper part of the right corner while inhaling and roll them to the lower part of left corner while exhaling. This is the oblique process, (fig. M5, M6)
   Repeat this five times.

4. Roll the eye-balls diagonally to the upper part of the left corner while inhaling and then roll them to the lower part of the right corner while exhaling, (fig. M7, M8)
   Repeat this five times.

1. Inhale and hold the breath inside and rotate the eye-balls in a circle from right to left five times and from left to right five times (clockwise & anticlockwise), (fig. M9)
2. Exhale completely keeping the breath outside, blink the eye­lids quickly, then inhale and again exhale while blinking the eye-lids quickly.
3. Rub your palms to produce heat. Warm your eyes softly by the warm palms. Cover your eyes with folded palms to make a dark cavity over the eyes and blink quickly in the darkness. Look at the light coming through the space between the fingers and slowly expand the space to see the full light.

c) For Neck

1. Inhale and turn the neck backward to look up at the sky. Then exhale and bring the chin down so as to touch the collar-bone. Repeat this five times, (fig. M10, M11)
2. Turn the neck towards the right shoulder while exhaling. Try to look behind. Now inhale. Again turn the neck towards the left shoulder while exhaling look behind. Repeat this five times, (fig. M12, M15)
3. Rotate the neck clock-wise and anti-clockwise tilting backward and forward. Do it slowly Keep the eyes closed softly
4. Inhale and bend your head and neck towards the right, and lower it so that the ear can touch the shoulder. Then make the head erect and exhale. Now repeat this exercise by bending your neck and head towards the left. Do not lift the shoulders, (fig. M14, Ml5)
   Repeat the exercise three times.

d) For Shoulders

1. Raise your shoulders forcefully up while inhaling and bring them down while exhaling. Keep your arms hanging straight with fists closed. Repeat this nine times, (fig. Ml6)
2. Bend your arms touching the shoulder with fingers. Now inhale and rotate the arms tilting forward and backward three times, (fig. M 17)

e) For chest and lungs

Inhale fully, fold your fingers like the lion's paw and stretch your arm forwards with quick jerk, while exhaling. Now, while inhaling bring the arms towards the chest with a full force just like pulling the rope in tug of war. Now spread the folded arms from chest to shoulder. Repeat this three times.

f) For Abdomen

Bend your trunk forward at the waist about 30°. Exhale completely, contract the abdomen. Holding the breath, pull the abdominal muscles backward and forward quickly. Repeat this five times. Each time there should be 15 to 20 backward and forward movements. During this exercise the palms should rest on the knees and face in front-side. (fig. M18, M19)

1. Inhale completely. Stretch the hands upwards. Move the waist forward and shoulders backward, (fig. M 20) Now while exhaling, bend forward and try to touch the knees with your forehead. The palms or hands should touch the toes of the feet or hand beside them. The arms should be raised up and bent backward while inhaling, (fig. M 21) Again exhale and repeat the above. Do this three times. Do not exert.

2. Bend at the waist to the left while exhaling, bringing down the left arm to the left knee, stretches the right arm towards the left over the head. (fig. M 22) Repeat this exercise towards the right in the same way. (fig. M 23) Do These shree Times.