70838 system 104

104

EXERCISE No. 15

Knee-Raising with Rubbing of Legs and Front and Back of Trunk lengthwise

Preuminary Moyement

Standing with feet almost together, lift one knee. grasp the shin with both hands and press the thigh against the body whilst leaning slightly backwards and inhaling (Fig. 91). Then let go the leg and resume the starting position ; pause for a second, then raise and grasp the other leg—all during exhalation. Then press and inhale as before. Perform ten such slow knee-raisings alternately with each leg during 10 fuli respirations. Should difiiculty at first be experienced in balanc-ing on one leg, then sit down on a chair, lean back and do the same move-ments.

The Rubbing

Each limę a knee has been lifted as far up towards the chest as possible without bending the body forward, you should take hołd of the sides of the foot or the hecl with both hands (Fig. 92). Then push the leg downwards (Fig. 93) and forward througii the hands, thereby stroking it vigorously in an upward dircction. \Vhen the leg is straight it returos to the other one while the hands continue their stroke up-wards on the ahdomen and the chest right up to the collar-bones, where they slip over to the sides (Fig. 94) and release their hołd, the arms dropping loosely to the sides. Inhale during all this upward rubbing. During the following exhalation a short pause is enacted with the arms hanging down, and the other knee is lifted and the foot grasped. There-upon perform a similar upward stroking of this leg and the front of the body during inhalation ; and so on. As the log is lifted the toes should be the last to leave the ground ; thereby one is compellod to stretch the mslep each time.

Whilst stroking the leg do not make a " short cut" and miss the knee—this is remedied by stretching the lower part of the leg well out before reaching the knee.

Later on the afore-mcntioned pauses during tho first and greater part of the exhalation aro utihsed by stroking lengthwise with the back of the hand down tho back. The hand which corresponds with the lifted knee is flung up between the shoulder-blades (Fig. 95) and strokes downwards and across the loins and the seat (Fig. y6). You should also let the forearm take part in this stroke, pressing U w^rell into the hollow of the back. As the exhalation after practice gets dceper, both arms are used after each leg movement, first the one, then the other, up to 4 times.

Persons with incipient varicose veins should perform the leg-stroking very carefully, and with moro repetitions ; so that tlus undesirable complaint be " nipped in the bud.”

Women who wish to obtain a firmer bust and slender hips should take one breast at a time, namely, the one over the lifted knee. And