Five exercises of Paul Bragg to restore the spine

Many exercises have been developed for the spine, but they all have the same basis - stretching and relaxation.

As a result, both the cat and the dog get a kind of wave-like movement that stretches the spine. Their spine remains mobile and healthy until old age.

During daily activities, under the influence of gravity, the spine shortens somewhat. This is easy to see by measuring your height immediately after getting out of bed and in the evening, after coming home from work. Despite the fact that the spine has a huge margin of safety and can withstand a wide variety of loads, during the day it is necessary to maintain its healthy condition by performing special stretching exercises. And in view of the fact that the state of the spinal column affects all life processes, these exercises can not only lengthen our spine, but also prolong life itself, making it full and joyful.

If we turn to pets, you can notice how a cat or dog occasionally stretches its back. The cat arches its back, and this stretches the vertebrae. The dog behaves differently. She lowers the front of her body, stretches her front legs far forward. The pelvic region remains slightly elevated. Having taken this position, she begins to stretch, gradually raising the front part and lowering the pelvis. As a result, both the cat and the dog get a kind of wave-like movement that stretches the spine. Their spine remains mobile and healthy until old age..

If a person begins to take care of his spine in this way, then at the age of 70-80 he will be healthy, energetic, will have a clear mind and a sober memory. To do this, you need to realize the importance of exercise for your health and perform them daily, at least in a minimal amount. Positive results appear in just a few weeks or even after a few days of regular exercise.

When starting to perform exercises for the spine, you should be guided by the following rules:

Do not apply sudden efforts to the areas of the spine that have lost mobility;
Perform exercises, commensurate the load with your physical capabilities, starting with a small one and gradually increasing it;
Not strive to perform exercises with a maximum range of motion, start with small movements swinging the vertebrae, carefully and gradually increasing their amplitude.

These rules must be observed for the reason that you do not know the true state of your spine, the degree of salt deposition, the state of the intervertebral discs and ligaments. Excessive load instead of benefit can cause harm.

Remember that by training and stretching the spinal column, we strengthen the muscles and ligaments that will keep the spine in a stretched state. This work will stimulate the circulation of energy and blood throughout the body. The metabolism will increase, and the internal organs will get stronger. In general, this will have a beneficial effect on the well-being of the whole organism.

The success of any business depends on motivation. The stronger it is, the more a person can achieve. Starting to perform a set of exercises for the spine, create this motivation - convince yourself that these exercises are vital for you. This will solve more than half of the problem. Now you need to get involved in the training mode and gradually increase the load. To do this, start small. During the first week, do the exercises quite slowly. If you feel uncomfortable or tired, stop exercising for a while. But gradually you will feel that from regular exercises the body becomes stronger, endurance increases, the spine becomes healthier.

As with any physical activity, muscle pain will occur after exercises on the spine. It's quite normal. Soon they will pass.

The following set of exercises for the spine was developed by the famous naturopath Paul Bragg. It includes five basic exercises. They have a different effect on a particular section of the spinal column. They must be completed in one training session. Rest is provided between exercises.

Exercise 1. This exercise affects the upper part of the spinal column, from which the nerves that control the work of the head, muscles of the eyes, stomach and intestines depart. Performing this exercise helps to eliminate such ailments as headache, eye strain, indigestion and poor digestion.

Starting position: lie on floor face down. In a prone position, place your palms under your chest, and your legs should be shoulder-width apart. After that, gradually take the following position: relying only on your palms and toes, lift your torso up and arch your back in an arc. The pelvis should be located above the head. The head is down and the arms and legs are fully extended.

After you have accepted this position, smoothly accept the following: lower your pelvis almost to the floor. In this case, the arms and legs should be straight. This position gives special tension to the spine. Now raise your head and tilt it back.

It is recommended to perform this exercise slowly and smoothly. Try to lower the pelvis as low as possible, and then raise it as high as possible, arching your back up. The exercise consists in the fact that you lower and raise the pelvis - arching and bending the spinal column. These movements contribute to its stretching and setting the vertebrae in their places.

The number of repetitions at the beginning is 2-4. As you train, it increases to 8-12. When the exercise is mastered and performed correctly, a feeling of relief arises and the spine relaxes.

Exercise 2. This exercise is intended mainly for the spinal region, which contains the nerves that control the functioning of the liver, gallbladder and kidneys. Performing this exercise brings relief in case of their disorders and diseases. As a result of this exercise, the weakened liver, gallbladder, kidneys and bladder will greatly improve their work.

Take the starting position as for exercise number 1. After you have raised the pelvis and arched your back, do the following: rotate the pelvis as much as possible to the left, lowering the left side as low as possible, and then to the right. Do not bend your arms and legs during the exercise. Do the movement slowly, smoothly, imagining that the spine is stretching better and better with each turn. The combination of stretching the spine with some twisting helps the vertebrae “sit” better in their places.

At first, the exercise will seem quite difficult and tiring. Limit yourself to 2-4 runs. Gradually, it will be easier to do it due to the strengthening of not only the muscles, but also the spinal nerves. As you train, increase the number of repetitions up to 8-12 times. This exercise is quite difficult and requires considerable skill and effort.

Exercise 3. The previous two exercises gave a fairly serious load on the muscles and ligaments of the spinal column. Exercise number 3 is designed to relieve residual tension and completely relax the spinal column. As a result of its implementation, each nerve center is stimulated. Additionally, the condition of the pelvic region is facilitated.

One of the important features of this exercise is the ability to strengthen the muscles of the spine, which support it in an extended state and thereby contribute to the restoration of the intervertebral discs.

Starting position: sit on the floor, rest on your straight arms, located slightly behind, bend your legs. Raise your pelvis so that your body rests only on spread bent legs and straight arms. Exercise is recommended to be performed at a fast pace, which helps to relax the spine. It is necessary to raise the body to the horizontal position of the spine, after which it is lowered to its original position. Repeat the exercise several times - b- 8 at the beginning and 12-18 at the end.

Exercise 4. This exercise is designed to give special strength to that part of the spine from which the nerves that control the stomach come out. In general, it is effective for the entire spine, contributing to its stretching. It is the stretching of the spine, releasing the restrained nerve roots of the spinal cord, that brings the entire body into a normal, efficient, healthy state.

Starting position: lie on спину, ноги вытянуты, руки в стороны. Bend your knees, pull them to your chest and wrap your arms around them. Make a movement as if you want to push your knees and hips away from your chest, but at the same time continue to hold them with your hands. Simultaneously with this movement, raise your head and try to touch your chin to your knees. Hold this body position for three to five seconds.

In this exercise, there is a sharp push that stretches the spine, thereby removing the blockage of small infringements, tightness between the vertebrae. Additionally, this exercise allows you to strengthen not only the abdominal muscles, but also the deep muscles located in the abdominal part of the spinal column. Repeat the exercise 2-4 times.

Exercise 5. Walking on all fours. Paul Bragg considers this exercise one of the most important to stretch the spine. Among other things, it involves the part of the spine, from which the nerves that control the work of the large intestine depart.

Starting position as for exercise No. 1. Stand on all fours: arms and legs are straightened, the back is arched, the pelvis is raised high, the head is lowered down. In this position, it is recommended to go around the room, the room. Remember, while moving, do not bend your legs and arms, but walk on straight limbs. During such movement, the load on the spine