Your back should be straight and your shoulders should be back, not slumped forward. Your legs should be straight, but your knees shouldn’t be hyperextended or locked. To keep your knees from hyper-extending, you can hold a rolled towel between your thighs while you do the toe touch. The gripping action should keep you from pushing your knees too far back. Your palms should face forward. Pull your abdominal muscles in, but keep taking slow, deep breaths. Allow your weight to roll your body forward toward the ground. Reach your hands toward your toes.  You may find that you have to bend your legs slightly the first several times you do a toe touch. That’s okay. Each time you repeat your toe touch, try to bend your knees a little less. Don’t lock or hyper-extend your knees as you bend forward. While your legs should be straight, your knees should feel flexible.

Summary: Stand with your feet together, heels and toes touching. Stretch your arms up over your head. Bend forward from the waist.


Clip the stems until 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of stem is left. Discard the stems. Depending on the size of your container, you may need to use multiple containers to fit all of your flowers. Before placing the flowers in the silica gel, sprinkle silica gel inside the flowers. Make sure silica gel gets all the way inside the petals.  Contrary to its name, silica gel is more like a sand than a gel. You can find containers at your local hardware store or crafts store. Place them side-by-side, but try not to overcrowd them. Leave a little room, about 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) of space, between each flower. Additionally, avoid stacking the flowers on top of each other. Do not pour the silica gel directly on top of the flowers since this will distort its shape. Instead, build up the silica gel by spreading it around the flowers. Add silica gel until the flowers are completely covered. Place and secure the lid on each container. Place the containers in a cool, dry place, like a hallway or bedroom closet. Do this while your flowers are setting. Choose a shadow box that is 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10.2 cm) deep. This way, the flowers will have enough room to fit inside the shadow box. Gently pour the silica gel out into a large bowl to remove the flowers. Mist each flower with fixative spray. The fixative spray will help preserve the color of the flowers. Alternatively, use hairspray. You can purchase fixative sprays from your local crafts store. Remove the back of the shadow box. Place the flowers upside down against the glass. Arrange them however you like. Play with the arrangement before you decide on a final design. Take a picture of the final design so you have a reference to refer back to once you begin gluing the flowers to the back of the shadow box. Lay the back of the shadow box flat on a protected work surface. Place a dime-sized amount of hot glue on the back of a flower. Place and hold the flower to the back of the shadow box for 30 seconds. Repeat this process for each flower.  To protect your work surface, cover it with sheets of newspaper. You can purchase a hot glue gun and glue from your local crafts store. Hang the box on a wall in your bedroom, living room, or dining room. Alternatively, place the box on a shelf, or stand it up against the wall on top of a table.

Summary: Cut the stems with scissors. Fill a plastic, airtight container halfway full with silica gel. Place the flowers upright in the silica. Fill the rest of the container with silica gel. Let the flowers set for two weeks. Visit your local craft store to purchase a shadow box. Remove the flowers and spray them with a fixative spray. Arrange them inside the shadow box. Hot glue the flowers to the back of the shadow box. Display the shadow box.


If the pleurisy is caused by a viral infection, there’s not much you can do but wait it out. Get as much rest as you can to speed up your healing process. Try to find the position where you are most comfortable – but keep in mind you still might have a bit of pain – and rest.  If you can, try to rest for 48 to 72 hours. It seems a little counterintuitive, but lying down on the side of your chest that hurts can help relieve some of that pain.  Once you start feeling better, you might be tempted to overdo things. Make sure you’re still resting, even after you start to improve. Otherwise, your illness can come back. Applying cold to your chest can numb it. This can help alleviate some of your symptoms. A cloth run through cold water, or an icepack wrapped in a towel can work well. Lay the cloth or icepack on your chest for 15 minutes, and then give your body a break for 20 minutes or so. Pleurisy is basically an inflammation of the tissue in your lungs, so taking anti-inflammatory medication can help relieve your symptoms. An anti-inflammatory medication that’s also a pain reliever – like ibuprofen – can give you some relief, too. Follow the directions on the bottle of medication for dosage and timing. There may be additional methods you can try to ease your pleurisy pain.
Summary: Get extra rest for 2-3 days if you have a viral infection. Apply a cold compress to your chest. Take anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs for the chest pain.