Three Simple Exercises to Release Bodily Tension

These exercises may appear simple. But when doing them with full attention to the movements with a concentrated mind, they are very powerful -- so powerful that they can combat addiction issues.

1. Leg Kicking

This exercise improves the chi (energy) flow in your lower body, including abdomen, pelvis, and legs. For Chan practitioners, it also reduces pain, soreness, and numbness from the cross-legged position during meditation. As a result, it allows you to sit in a more stable meditation pose (lotus pose) longer.

This exercise also massages your kidneys, and thus enhances the function of the kidneys. As Chinese medicine says, "Heart is the host of our body, and kidneys are the root of the heart." Therefore the health of the kidneys affects directly the health of the body.

Step 1. Stand tall. Gaze at a fixed point in front of you at eye level. This helps to keep your balance.

Step 2. Shift your weight to right leg and start kicking your left leg. Keep the standing leg strong. When you kick out, point your toes slightly downward and extend through the toes. Let this kicking force travel backward and upward to massage your buttock and kidney.

Step 3. After kicking the left leg a few times (for example, 18), switch and kick your right leg.

Step 4. Repeat by switching back and forth between two legs.

2. Arm Dropping

This exercise is very good for your heart. It also massages the muscles in your neck and shoulders which may be tight due to improper postures while using computers or working at desks. It helps the circulation and energy flow in the upper part of your body.

Step 1. Keep your eyes closed. Stand tall with your feet hip width apart, toes and knees facing forward.

Step 2. Bring both arms up at shoulder level and drop them freely. Imagine that there is a string holding your arm. Then suddenly someone cuts this string so that your arms fall naturally due to gravity. Don't control the movement of your arms. Let them drop like freefall objects. You may even imagine that there is a heavy object attached to your wrist, so that the dropping force is somewhat intense. Relax your neck so that your head may go backward while you drop your arms. Focus on your shoulders and feel all the stress, worries, and toxins releasing and getting out of your body through the tip of your fingers while the arms drop.

Step 3. Repeat for at least 100 times.

3. Shaking the Heaven and Earth

This is a great exercise to gently massage the muscles and organs of the whole body. It releases tension and relaxes the entire body including shoulders, hips, limbs and the trunk.

Step 1. Stand with your feet hip width apart, toes and knees facing forward, and arms down. Keep your eyes closed.

Step 2. Shake the body up and down by bending and straightening our knees. That is, initiate the up-and-down shaking from the knees. While shaking, relax all the muscles in your body. Let your arms hang and move naturally. Relax your neck and head. Release all tension in your body.