Exercise
Moving your body to boost strength and health
More people than ever are realising they can take charge of their wellbeing, and regular exercise is a key part of that journey to better health. Generally, 30 minutes of walking a day, or a more intense workout if you’re up for it, is fantastic for stimulating the system and flushing out toxins.
Below, you’ll find a selection of wellness practices, including options suitable for sitting if you have health or mobility considerations. Remember, the key is to keep your energy flowing—every little bit counts! Just 10 minutes in the morning and evening can make a positive difference to your overall health.
Take a look and see which ones catch your eye!
Qigong & Tai Chi
The Chinese are among the few cultures to have preserved precise, time-tested wisdom on maintaining health, passing down guidance that’s clear and easy to follow. Chinese medicine encourages gentle, controlled movement throughout all stages of life, including into old age.
Practicing Qigong or Tai Chi is believed to strengthen resistance to disease, boost mood, increase stamina and energy, and support a longer, healthier, and happier life. Adding either of these practices to your routine can be incredibly rewarding!
Yoga
Holistic yoga isn’t a formal type of yoga—it’s a lifestyle approach that blends the principles of holism with the practice of yoga. This approach focuses on integrating yoga’s core principles into every part of daily life, rather than just the physical poses. Many yogis practice this naturally as they embrace yoga’s teachings, making holistic yoga a seamless part of their routines.
In Sanskrit, yoga means “union,” highlighting the mind-body connection. With roots dating back over 5,000 years in India, yoga’s teachings draw from the Hindu Vedas and were designed to purify and strengthen the body for balanced energy flow.
The primary types of yoga include Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Kundalini, and Bikram. Each focuses on different “limbs” or aspects of practice, with poses (asanas) and breathing techniques working together to harmonize the body and deepen the mind-body connection.
The Five Tibetans
This daily practice includes five dynamic exercises designed to boost health, energy, and personal vitality.
This exercise program, practiced by Tibetan monks, is designed to promote a long, vibrant, and healthy life.
The Five Tibetan Rites: Exercises for Healing, Rejuvenation, and Longevity
The Five Tibetan Rites, an ancient exercise practice, was first documented in the West in 1939 by a British army officer, and later popularized in The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder. This program, used by Tibetan monks to promote longevity and vitality, is believed to help achieve a youthful, vibrant life when practiced regularly.
Potential Benefits of the Five Rites
Practitioners report benefits such as looking younger, improved sleep, increased energy, pain relief, better joint function, enhanced memory, weight loss, and greater overall vitality. The rites are said to work by activating and balancing the body’s seven chakras, or energy centers, which control the endocrine system and regulate the body’s physical and energetic processes.
How the Five Rites Work
These five simple exercises resemble yoga poses and stimulate the chakras, which are thought to improve energy flow throughout the body. This increased circulation of energy supports better organ function and promotes rejuvenation and youthfulness.
Chakras and Energy Flow
Chakras are spinning energy centers within the body, each corresponding to specific physical and energetic functions. When these energy centers are balanced and synchronized, the body experiences optimal health. The Five Rites help keep these energy centers spinning at an ideal speed, distributing energy and vitality to all body systems.
The Five Rites Exercise Program
This program is a modified form of yoga that merges physical movement with breathing to unite the body, mind, and spirit. These five exercises are meant to be performed exactly as instructed for the best results.
Rite 1
Stand with arms outstretched, palms down, and spin clockwise until slightly dizzy. Begin with 1 spin, gradually increasing to 21.
Rite 3
Kneel, tuck your chin to your chest, then arch your back and tilt your head back. Return to an upright position.
Rite 5
Start face down, with hands and toes on the floor. Lift your hips into an inverted “V” shape, then return to a sagging spine position.
Rite 2
Lie on your back with arms at your sides. Lift your head to tuck your chin, raise your legs straight up, then lower. Repeat.
Rite 4
Sit with legs extended, hands by your hips. Lift your body into a tabletop position, tense muscles, then relax.
