Yoga Region Wörthersee: The water salutation - the ritual

The water salutation, as we call it, combines the most important contents from yoga, shiatsu, F.X. Mayr therapy and kinesiology, for a particularly active start to the day:

- Deep calm breathing

- Meridians and acupuncture points

- abdominal massage

- thymus gland

This short morning ritual has a variety of positive effects on your health and well-being. Be curious and give it a try!

THE WATER SALUTATION

- brings your vegetative nervous system into relaxation mode

- has a digestive effect

- stimulates your immune system

- makes you wide awake

DEEP CALM BREATHING

One of the best and easiest relaxation techniques is abdominal breathing. Here, the movement of the abdominal wall happens through the most important breathing muscle, the diaphragm: during inhalation, the diaphragm pulls down and the abdomen bulges outward. When we exhale, the diaphragm muscles relax, move upward, and the belly button pulls inward toward the spine.

Our clear Wörthersee air with deep abdominal breathing:

- massages your abdominal organs with a digestive effect

- increases the oxygen supply for your organism

- brings your vegetative nervous system into relaxation mode (parasympathetic nervous system)

TIP: Get your relaxed vacation feeling back at home: Place your hands on your belly with slightly spread fingers. Breathe deeply into your belly through your nose and out through your mouth. Pay attention to a conscious and complete exhalation. Practice for about one minute.

MERIDIANS AND ACUPUNCTURE POINTS

According to traditional Chinese medicine, energy travels through the body in specific pathways and rhythms. These energy pathways are called meridians. In acupuncture, needles, or in Japanese shiatsu, finger pressure, stimulate specific points located precisely on these meridians. This allows stagnation to be dissolved and energy to flow freely again.

Follow the path of your meridians and:

- stimulate the flow of energy

- it improves the microcirculation

- and makes a mild lymphatic drainage

TIP: If you get "stuck" in your head at home again, come back to your body with attention: start with both hands at the level of the ankles. Stroke upward along the inner thigh to the level of the groin, then along the outer thigh (imaginary seam of the pants) from top to bottom. Repeat this with the arms. With the right hand, stroke the inside of the left arm forward to the fingertips and back along the outside of the arm - switch sides.

ABDUCT MASSAGE

Abdominal massages are a more than 100 years old remedy of the proven F.X. Mayr medicine. It helps with intestinal cleansing and detoxification. The good news is that you can also do it yourself and get your digestion going. Using gentle pressure, massage the abdomen in a clockwise (digestive) direction in a circular motion for a few minutes.

Your self-massage for a vacation happy belly feeling:

- improves blood circulation in the abdomen

- relaxes the muscles around the intestines

- promotes the momentum of the intestine

TIP: Treat yourself to an abdominal self-massage before every meal, so you can prepare your digestive organs optimally for food intake. You can also stimulate your digestion at any time with a gentle abdominal massage in case of complaints such as sluggishness or indisposition. The rule here is: once is not once - the more often you do your abdominal massage, the better the effects on your digestion.

THYMUS GAS

The thymus gland produces so-called T-lymphocytes, which are defense cells that circulate in the bloodstream and destroy foreign pathogens. Therefore, this gland plays a very important role in immune defense. From puberty onwards, the activity of the thymus gland decreases and its lymphoid tissue is replaced by fatty tissue. Nevertheless, it remains a seat of vital spirits even in adults, because it is not for nothing that "thymos" means "life force" in Greek philosophy.

Awaken your spirits on vacation and:

- stimulate your immune system

- gain more energy

- feel wide awake and concentrated

TIP: If you feel tired at home or need extra concentration, gently tap on your thymus gland for 30-60 sec. It is located on the upper part of the sternum, 2 to 3 fingers wide below where the collarbones meet the sternum. Caution: children should avoid this technique, as it can make them quite hyper for a while.

Instruction Wörthersee Ritual with Bryce Yoga

• The Wörthersee Ritual starts in the water. Stand hip-width apart. Feet are firmly on the ground.

• Look at the lake, place your hands on your belly and breathe in and out 3 times. Breathe in and out through your nose to focus on yourself. Inhale and exhale deeply the last time.

• Take your hands to your sides and stretch them upward as you inhale. As you exhale, bend forward and dip your hands into the water.

• Now stroke your hands up the inside of your legs to your groin and stroke your hands down the outside of your legs. One more time. As you inhale, stroke your fingers up the inside of your legs and now across your belly to your collarbone.

• Extending your left hand to the left, stroke your right hand along the inside of your arm, bringing the water of Lake Woerthersee up to your fingertips. Then stroke back along the outside of the arm to the shoulder and neck. When you reach your shoulder, gently tap your neck to release some of the tension. Now do the same on the right side

• Now bring your hands to your sides. As you inhale, pull your shoulders up and look to the sky. Exhale forcefully through the mouth and let the shoulders drop down. Relax the shoulders.

• Make a fist with your hands, bring them behind your body and begin to gently tap your lower back. Use this to release the tension in this area.

• Now take your hands first to your side, then place them on your abdomen and start massaging the abdomen in a clockwise direction with gentle pressure. The clockwise movement activates digestion. Now make a fist with the right hand and bring it to the top of the sternum. Begin tapping, activating the thymus gland, which supports your immune system and makes you active and energetic.

• Take your hands back to your sides, look at the beautiful Wörthersee and take another deep breath. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale forcefully through your mouth.

Click here for the detailed Wörthersee water salutation instruction with Bryce Yoga .