Story of a Russian women - Alexandra Nikolaevna Strelnikova

WORLD OF OLD AGE
According to Old Norse legend, the Yggdrasil tree, which unites all the worlds, has three roots that go to infinity. The first root is the worlds of people and gods, connected by a rainbow bridge. The second root is the world of the ice giants, which are stone mountains overgrown with an iron forest. The third root is the dark and hazy world of death.
As people age, people spend more and more time in the world of the second root - the world of giants, rocks, ice, and iron trees. Memories of the past grow like shadows at sunset and become giants renowned for their magical powers. The sedentary, freezing body resembles a stone covered with ice. Thinking about the future becomes like a forest of iron trees. How to get through the iron forest? How to warm a stone? How to overcome the power of the giants' enchantments?
One of the teachings transmitted by the Buddha is called the Three Shields. The three shields are renunciation, control of the mind and wisdom. They protect those who follow the path of knowledge from external and internal evil. The renunciation of the attraction to the pleasant and the aversion to the unpleasant leads to peace. Curbing the mind by right thinking leads to insight. Wisdom, like light that dispels darkness, ends ignorance. Renunciation guides a person confidently through the iron forest of thoughts. Curbing the mind warms the stone of the sense of "I". The wisdom of discerning the illusory nature of existence overcomes the spell of memory.
When I was eleven years old, my mother and grandmother took me to Moscow for a ten-day course of studying breathing exercises with the famous healer, Alexandra Nikolaevna Strelnikova. At that time, this gymnastics had not yet received official recognition, and the classes were held in a small apartment of the healer, where a little more than ten people could fit. Strelnikova at that time was already over seventy, but the energy of her slender body was like Odin's spear.
Alexandra Nikolaevna was stern and led an ascetic life. In her asceticism, the presence of the shield of renunciation was clearly felt.
The clarity and depth of her presentation of the principles of breathing exercises became for me an example of the correct teaching of any method. In this clear depth, Strelnikova's shield of self-restraint manifested itself. Her life was filled with the gift of knowledge, which manifested the presence of the shield of wisdom. I remember the story of Alexandra Nikolaevna about how she treated herself with her own gymnastics, being on the verge of death. I don't remember what kind of illness it was. I only remember that Strelnikova told me that she started doing exercises while lying down, because she didn't even have the strength to sit in bed. In fact, she just wiggled her arms, imagining that she was doing exercises that had a sufficiently large motor volume. After a while, she felt able to move her arms more confidently. The disease was broken, Strelnikova was able to do exercises while sitting in bed, and then, gradually recovering, she regained the ability to practice while standing. The story described is very important in understanding how to train in a state of illness and weakness. Her understanding is also valuable for old people who want to safely cross the world of the ice giants.
Introducing the group members to the basic principle of her method, the healer brought out two crystal pyramids, fixed one next to the other on a plastic stand and told us: “Look! This is what the lungs actually look like. They are pyramidal in shape with narrow tops and wide bases. Therefore, if you breathe with the upper part of your chest, then only a small part of your lungs is filled, but if you are trying to ensure that the air enters the lower parts of the lungs, then you use their capabilities in the best possible way. " Looking enchanted at the shine of the crystal from which the pyramids were made, I learned not only the principle of the shape of the lungs, but also the correct idea of their energy, which is like icebergs floating in the ocean. This picture allows us to deeply understand the connection between the lungs and the kidneys - after all, the ocean in which icebergs of the lungs float is the energy of the kidneys. The main part of icebergs is under water, therefore, in order to fully realize the potential of breathing, it is necessary to collect its energy not even in the bases of the physical lungs, but much deeper - in the lower abdomen.
“The inhalation should not be accompanied by great muscular effort. Inhaling, imagine that you are sniffing the air, "said Strelnikova, gracefully weaning us off strained, forced breathing, which can only bring fatigue and anxiety. Indeed, neither fire nor lightning can bring spring to the world of icy mountains overgrown with iron forests. In order for spring to come in the world of ice giants, the same is necessary as in the world of people - the light flapping of the butterfly's wings.
Author: Vova Pyatsky