



Breathing
Breath Out shifting forward
Breath In shifting back

Visualization
and
Philosophy

As you prepare to practice Crane Stretches Wings imagine yourself as a great white crane standing tall with your breast bone forward. As you practice the move imagine you are opening your wings, stretching them back and forth in preparation for flight. These moves will warm up your arm, chest, and back muscles.
As the chest and back muscles warm up they become more flexible, increasing the flexibilty in your chest making room for the heart to beat more easily and the lungs to bring in full breaths of air. Together these things provide the strength needed during flight (daily activities).

Purpose/ Benefits

Crane Stretches Wings opens the central energy gates by stretching across the front and back rib cages. As these areas begin to stretch and relax it provides more room for the lungs to expand allowing more air to enter the lungs.
The effects of opening/stretching the heart and lung region of the torso are similar to Chi Breath. The heart and lung do not have to work as hard to get oxygen to the body which results in slowing the heart rate, lowering the blood pressure, and reducing stress.
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