Systema in everyday life

Lots of people ask about ways to improve faster in Systema classes. My answer is that training has to carry on outside Systema classes.

One key to mastering your health or Systema is to try to make sure that training doesn’t stop when you leave the class.
Below are 12 simple ways to bring Systema into everyday life.

1. Don’t use your hands:
   1. When sitting or getting up
   2. Getting into and out of a car
   3. Getting into and out of bed
   4. For bonus points try to open doors and drawers etc. with the feet.
2. When walking:
   1. Always think of softening the muscles in the legs (walking from the knees).
   2. Think posture, chin pulled gently in, chest pulled gently forward.
   3. Align your breathing and steps.
3. At all times try to be aware of excess tension, whether sitting, standing or moving, and drop it out with breathing and movement.
4. Squat don’t bend.
5. Sit on the bones of your bum.
6. While sitting, driving or standing, try to isolate and tense in certain muscles, and then release on an exhale.  E.g. Stomach, calf, glute, shoulders etc.
7. Smoothly and in balance get down onto the floor and back up at least once every day. For bonus points try to do this without hands, knees, elbows or losing balance.
8. Put your socks on and take them off standing up on one foot.
9. Clean your teeth on one leg. Top row on one leg and bottom row on the other.
10. Finish your shower on the cold setting for 30 seconds. Practice burst breathing to stay relaxed.
11. Notice when something is bothering you and release it with the breath.
12. Breathe then move. Don’t begin lifts or big movements like sitting or standing on a breath hold. Exhale first then move.

If you have any other ways that you have found I would love to hear of them.

You can read more about the health benefits of Systema in my new book: Systema Health available through Amazon and all good bookshops.