Back Bows Variation

by Matthew Scott
(Dongguan, Southern China)

In the Chinese Long Life Exercise Program I instruct you to do Back Bows (Exercise 10) with your legs shoulder width or more apart.

However, you can also place your legs and feet together during the exercise. When I do it this way I squeeze my glutes as I arch my back and look up. Squeezing your glutes helps firm this area and it can also relieve lower back pain and pain in the sacrum and coccyx region. Squeeze your butt muscles for several seconds as you arch your back and look up, then gently release the muscles as you begin to change position and arch your back the other way.

I encourage you to try this version - whether you have lower back or sacrum or coccyx pain or not - as it's good to vary the way you exercise, not to just add interest but to work your body in different ways. All the best, Matthew