After years of use and oftentimes abuse,  your body has developed its own personality. Most of us just roll out of bed into our daily lives and never experience being in balance somatically. You may see some obvious differences when comparing a child to an elderly person. The former is limber and most often unencumbered by the stresses of modern life, while the latter is often physically beaten down or compressed by the burdens they carry. Have you ever seen an elderly person who walks hunched over?

You can actually reframe your body's way of being to not only prevent this disintegration, but also improve your ability to handle stress. Let's start to build a reference point for this way of being by committing to a set of morning Daily Warm Up Exercises. These will wake up and align your Hara, the center of your body. Do these exercises every morning to build your muscle memory of where “center” resides in your body.

1. Knee Rotation

2. Scoop the Water

3. Pull Down the Energy

4. Wake up Your Hara

5. Build the Chi

6. Connect your Heart and Hara

7. Large/Medium/Small Rock n Roll

8. Left/Left, Right/Right

9. Two Step

Remember to exhale when you feel any tension or you notice your head feels too full of ideas. The intent behind these exercises is to embody this reference point of center, so that when you’re under pressure and you do the “8 Seconds to Center,” your body is ready and able to do what you are asking of it. For more detailed information including a diagram of the above exercises see the Bamboo Leadership Workbook.

Please do these exercises daily to help your body remember its reference point for balance before you head into your day.  This will assure you are starting from a strong foundation.  And that is something you can build on securely!