Walk this way toward relaxation - includes related information about exercise - adapted from The Walking Magazine - Special Women's Health Issue

Vegetarian Times, July, 1995 by Adele Edwards, Rana Dogar

Daily Stress-Reducing Exercises

1 Looking straight ahead, drop your chin to your chest. Place both hands behind your head and gently pull your head down for two seconds, feeling a gentle tug in your neck and upper back. Return to the original position. Repeat eight to 10 times.

Next, turn your head 45 degrees to the right. Let your chin drop. Again, pull your head down gently with both hands for two seconds. Release and return to original position. Repeat eight to 10 times for both right and left sides.

2 Begin with your arms out straight in front of you at shoulder height. Keeping arms straight and palms facing back, swing your arms down and behind you, drawing your shoulder blades together. Feel the stretch across the chest and shoulders. Repeat eight to 10 times, trying to raise the level of arms higher each time.

For the final repetition, put the fingers of one hand in the palm of the other behind you. without bending forward, raise your arms as high as possible. Release after two seconds.

3 Holding your left arm straight down, reach across your body with your right hand; grasp your left arm midway between the shoulder and the elbow. Use the left arm to pull slightly on the right arm. Feel the stretch in your right upper back and shoulder blades. Hold for one to two seconds and return to original position. Repeat eight to 10 times with each arm.

4 Begin with arms straight down at your sides, palms facing your body. Reach you right arm forward and raise it as high as possible. Tighten abdominals and reach the opposite arm back slightly. Fell the stretch in the shoulder and across your chest. Return to original position, and repeat eight to 10 times with each arm.

5 Beginning with arms straight over your head, clasp your left elbow with your right hand, allowing your left hand to drop behind you. Pull gently on your left elbow for two seconds. Feel the stretch beneath the arm, in the shoulder and in the upper back. Return to original position, and repeat eight to 10 times with each arm.

Weekly Yoga Exercises

Just as there are techniques to crank up the intensity of your fitness routine, there are ways to turn down the volume. A great way to balance your walking program is through yoga, a 3,000-year-old discipline that helps develop strength, stamina, concentration, balance and flexibility. Sam Dworkis, co-author of Extension (Simon & Schuster, 1994) designed a yoga workout for those who walk. Some moves stretch your hamstrings; others strengthen your upper body and back. All four moves require concentration on body position and slow breathing so that you can release stress and create a peaceful mindset.

Add these yoga moves a couple of times a week, making sure not to rush through the series. Do each move slowly and purposefully.

WARRIOR

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, shoulders relaxed, arms at your side. Center your weight, and widen your stance until your feet are about four feet apart. Put your hands on your hips. Turn your right foot out 90 degrees. Turn your left foot in half as much. Keep your torso upright and inhale slowly. Then exhale and bend your right knee until it's directly over your right ankle. If that's too easy, move into a wider stance. Lift your arms to shoulder height, palms down. Reach out and turn your head to look out beyond your right hand. Hold for two to eight slow breaths. Return to the original pose, switch feet and repeat. Do two to four on each side.