STRETCHING:
“stretching needs to feel comfortable”
Above are a small sample of stretches, for muscle’s that are notoriously tight on most of us. Stretching should always feel good! Always allow at least 10 minutes for stretching at the end of an exercise session. Hold each stretch at a place where you feel the muscles lengthening, but there is no pain. No pulling, yanking or bouncing movements. Just come into a comfortable stretch and hold. Then breathe deeply through the nose. If it helps, you can visualize your inhalations going into the lengthening muscle fibers. As you exhale, you breathe out tension through the breath. Deep breathing helps to induce the relaxation response, thereby allowing our muscle fibers to release and lengthen. Ten (10)-Thirty (30) second holds are typical after that, you can hold as long as you like as long as it is pain free, and you continue deep breathing. By synchronizing the breath, the mind, with the muscles being lengthened it becomes a great focusing meditation, creating an even deeper relaxation response. The end of an exercise session would be perfect for a short Yoga session.