Journey Circle Newsletter February 2008 Vol 12

I received quite a few laughs about my Bedtercize news. Some of you loved it, some of you just laughed.

I am adding exercise NO. Three to the bottom of the list. I will leave the first two on the site in case you missed them last month.

Because we can not garden in the winter, and it is a little to early to order the seeds we need, I thought I would share with you an exercise program I developed for myself and others I have taught classes to.

To say the least, I love to be in bed, especially in winter. I love being bundled up in tons of blankets with warm neck comforters and footies. Therefore, I am not really excited about getting up to exercise. I do walk the dogs every day, so I do get aerobic stuff in, but I have taught myself a way to exercise in bed.

I have coined this particular exercise: BEDTERCIZE and it is wonderful.

I am writing down the first two exercises for you, and hopefully there will be a book in the future. We will see. Maybe I will just share what I have learned for free. Imagine that, something free. Anyway why not give the first two exercises a try and let me know what you think.

Caution: Do not begin any new exercise program if you are in any way suspicious of your health conditions. If you feel the need, consult a physician before beginning any type of exercise. Only you are responsible for your health and the practices you use to stay healthy.

1. Begin exercises as soon as you wake up
2. Take deep breathes during the exercise. (air in through nose, out through mouth.)
3. Have water available

First exercise: The liver:

The liver is a filter through which the blood must pass o be purified. If blood is not purified, it becomes poisoned and the other organs of the body can be in big trouble.

How To:

1. Lie on your back
2. Place the ends of the fingers of both hands over the region of the liver, (located at the right side of the abdomen, above the angle of the right hip bone, and below the edge of the lower rib.)
3. Press the fingers upward and well under the rib. (Your abdominal muscles are relaxed due to lying down. Press under and upward, and then relax the pressure. Repeat 20 times. This action stimulates the liver area.
4. Now roll over on your right side, place your left hand over the region of the liver.
5. Incline your head slightly forward.
6. Bend the knees to a comfortable position. This will add balance to the side position. (In this position, the abdominal muscles will be relaxed and the liver inclined slightly forward.)
7. Press either the ends of the fingers or the knuckle of the thumb under the ribs and massage the liver. Repeat pressures and release 20 times.
8. While lying in this same position, clench the right hand and strike this area very gently, but rapidly 20 times.

This is the first exercise. Before you make your move to get up, roll over on your back. Take a deep breath in through your nose, expanding the lungs as far as possible, hold one beat, and release through your mouth. Repeat 3 times.

Exercise No. Two: for Varicose Veins. the veins and vessels which serve to return the blood from the capillaries of the different parts of the body to the heart. When the veins become congested or constipated, they tend to cause problems, like road maps on the legs. I have found that relief can be found by applying friction to the area with the palm of the hand, daily and persistently. This tends to relieve the congestion and strengthen the minute muscles that support the venous walls.

1. Most convenient position: Lying on your back.

2. Bring one leg up towards your belly, and with the palm of your hand, rub up and down following the course of the vein. Continue around the leg, from the ankle to the knee, and then from the knee to the groin.

3. Do 20 strokes up and down the leg. Do the same with the other leg.

Exercise No. Three: Developing throat muscles: What could be Bedder than to exercise lying down?

Lying on your right or left side, use the arm on the down side. Using your thumb push up on your chin, while using your neck muscles in a resistant force pushing back down on your thumb. It is an isometric workout for your neck. Do this each day, for a count of 10 times and increase the count each week until you are doing 50 neck "push-ups" per session.

Till we meet again, Have an herbal life.

Bonnie