Flexibility And Stretching Ideas

Well, old age creeps up on the Rats every year. Four of us are looking down the road to 50 years-old pretty soon, and I know my flexibility is slowly starting to get worse. I think the reason I am getting so hooked on Bagua is that the twisting and turning motions stimulate my back, hips and spine in ways that other arts or exercises don't. After doing a good session of Bagua it almost makes you feel high. I believe this is caused by the manipulation of the spine and results in some kind of release to the central nervous system. Or maybe we could call it Chi.
I felt somthing similar after my first trip to a chiropractor about ten years ago. While he was working on me I thought the results would be minimal, because I was involved in deep stretching in Karate. Boy was I wrong. The next morning I walked around in a buzz like I had just come down off an acid trip. People told me that was toxins in my body that were broken free and working their way out.
Bagua brings on a similar stimulation and release, and If I can keep moving in my older years like I still can today, I will be pleased. That is clearly one beauty of the internal arts, the low-impact individual practice does no harm on the body and greatly strengthens it.
Here's Mike Martello again, this time with some very nice stretching movements and some fighting application-- enjoy...