8 Treasures of Breathing & Stretching Exercise

Hello everyone. During the workshop that we had at Gopeng, Perak recently, Uncle Richard shared with us a stretching exercise that morning based on Tai Chi movements that can help you keep your posture right and help maintain proper joints and muscle movement.

He calls it the "8 Treasures of Breathing & Stretching Exercise". I received enquiries to feature this exercise so that it can be referred to in future. Well, I hope that I got the sequence of the steps correctly.
Step 1. "Supporting the Sky". Stand with your feet together. Interlock your fingers from both hands with plams facing toward you at stomach level. Take deep breath and move your arms up your body, turn your palms away from you when you reach your chest level and stretch it all the way to the top of your head. When the hands are above the head, exhale your breath slowly and reverse the hand action until your palms are again at your stomach level like in the beginning. Do this exercise 7 times.

Step 2. "Looking for Treasure". Bend down with both hands stretched to your feet. Slowly breath in and bend backwards as far as you can go. Lift both your hands to waist level and support your back. Reverse the action by exhaling out slowly, bend forward until both hands are again at feet level. Do this exercise 7 times.

Step 3. "The Brave Archer - Yong Kok". Separate your feet apart and bend it forward slightly. Put both your hands up to the chest level. Palms facing each other. Inhale slowly and lift both hands upwards until it reaches your nose. Turn your waist to the right and then stretch your arms as if you are stringing an arrow to a bow; one hand will be straight with two fingers pointing (representing the bow) and the other hand slightly bent up to the ear area (representing the arrow). Slowly exhale and return both hands to its original position at the chest level. Repeat the same movement of stringing the arrow but this time twist your waist to the left side instead. Do this exercise 7 times alternating from right to left side.

Step 4. "The Prayer". Feet slightly apart and bent. Both hands straight at the side the body. Inhale slowly and raise the right hand until it reaches chest level with palms open. Left hand remains at the side of the body. Twist waist to the left side, exhale slowly and push arm until it is straight, palms open. Inhale and move the right hand slowly back to the chest level and then exhale slowly while dropping the right hand back to the side of the body. Repeat the same process with the left hand and twist to the right side instead. Do this exercise 7 times alternating from left to right side.

Step 5. This exercise is called "Spinal Jolt". Try this exercise preferably on soft ground. If you are doing it on cement or concrete floor, please take care not to injure your heel. Feet together. Take a deep breath and tip toe as high as you can balance yourself. Hold your breath as long as you can and then suddenly release it while dropping your feet down to the floor causing a jerk. Do this exercise 7 times.

Step 6. "Crane Spreading its Wings". Feet apart and slightly bent. Both hands at chest level, right palm above left palm. Inhale slowly while stretching both arms diagonally to the body in opposite sides with palms fully open. Slowly exhale your breath and bring down your arms back to chest level but with left palm now on top of right palm.Repeat the same movement but diagonally in the opposite direction. Do this exercise 7 times.

Step 7. "Rotating Waist". Feet apart. Bend down and place both your hands at your back to support it. Inhale slowly and twist your waist to the left side until it reaches the centre with your face looking up. Exhale your breath and slowly rotate your body from the centre to the right side until it is again in bending position. Repeat the movement by twisting the body from right to centre to left this time. Do this exercise 7 times alternating from right to left side.

Step 8. "Gentle Fist". Feet apart slightly bent. Both hands raised straight at chest level. Fingers closed lightly into a fist. Inhale slowly and draw both hands towards the chest bent at waist level. Twist the waist to the left and exhale slowly while straightening the right hand as if punching. Left hand remains at waist level.

Inhale slowly and return right hand back to waist level. Twist waist to the right and exhale slowly while straightening the left hand as it punching. Right hand remains at waist level. Repeat the exercise 7 times alternating from left to right.

Well, that's it. Best wishes to your good health. Breath..breath..breath and go..go..ooo.

By Stephen; Thanks Uncle Richard.