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Repeat 3 to 5 times.

Fig. 6.14. Windmill: Inner Front Extension

Left Outer Extension (Left Side Bend)

Keep your head between your arms in an overhead position, and twist your torso to the left, pivoting on your feet but not lifting them. Stretch forward and down toward your left foot. You should feel a gentle stretch on the left side of your waist. Continue stretching down and to the side until you are bent all the way down (fig. 6.15).

Then circle back up on the right side until you are once again standing straight with your arms overhead.

Repeat 3 to 5 times.

Fig. 6.15. Windmill: Left Outer Extension (Left Side Bend)

Right Outer Extension (Right Side Bend)

Repeat the side-bending movements of the Left Outer Extension described above, but bend to your right, and come up on the left.

Do 3 to 5 times.

Conclusion

To finish, unhook the thumbs and let the arms slowly float back down to the sides.

Stretching the Neck

During these neck exercises, breathe calmly from your abdomen and make sure you keep the rest of your joints loose (fig. 6.16).

Neck tilt: Let your head drop gently to one side, then the other. Let gravity do the work as you move your head back and forth. Try to feel how much it weighs. Keep both shoulders dropped—relaxed and motionless.

Side-to-side rotation: Look over your shoulders one after the other, looking further and further back as you warm up. Let your eyes direct the movement and let your neck follow so it is always in extension, never in contraction.

Up and down: Look up over your head, then down between your feet. Alternate up and down for 9 cycles.

Around the clock: Let your eyes make a slow clockwise circle around the edges of your face, allowing your head to follow. Make several clockwise rotations, then a few counterclockwise rotations.

Fig. 6.16. Neck stretches

Exercising the Eyes

During these eye exercises, make sure you are breathing steadily from your abdomen and keeping your neck unlocked. Repeat each exercise 3 to 6 times.

Lateral movement: Spot an object at the extreme left edge of your peripheral vision and another one at the extreme right edge. Move your eyes back and forth between the two extremes without turning your neck.

Up and down: Spot an object over your head and another one by your feet. Move your eyes from one to the other without tilting your head.

Contralateral movement: Move your eyes from the upper right corner of the right eye to the lower left corner of the left eye, and back again.

Move your eyes from the upper left corner of the left eye to the lower right corner of the right eye, and back again.

Rotations: Sweep your eyeballs in a slow and steady circle around the periphery of your vision. Catch yourself when your eyes want to skip an angle, and go back and forth there until you have a smooth movement.

Stretching the Shoulders

The stretch in this exercise starts from the tips of the fingers and involves all tendons, ligaments, and fasciae from the fingertips to the spine. It is an excellent set of exercises for prevention and correction of carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow.

Shoulder Rotations

Stand in a relaxed manner with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Bring your shoulders all the way up to your ears (fig. 6.17).

Move your shoulders as far back as possible, as if trying to touch the shoulder blades together.

Drop your shoulders down to a normal resting position. Repeat several times.

Fig. 6.17. Shoulder Rotations

Shoulder Rotations with Forward Arm Stretch

Stand in a relaxed manner with your feet shoulder width apart, and your arms extended forward.

Bring your shoulders all the way up to your ears.

Slide your shoulders as far back as possible, as if trying to touch the shoulder blades together.

Let your shoulders drop back down into a normal position.

Stretch as if you were being pulled forward by your fingers—stretch all the way from the tips of your fingers to your spine. Repeat several times.

Shoulder Rotations with Arms Overhead

Stand in a relaxed