Body Sense

SPRING | 2017

Issue link: http://www.bodysensemagazinedigital.com/i/801174

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 8 of 15

www.massagetherapy.com—your resource for all things bodywork 9 the connective tissue around the muscles and gets nerves prepared to reduce muscle tightness. Feel your sensations as you stretch. They will guide you toward the best results. Feel for the stretch point— where the amount of pull on the tissues is just enough for the muscle to let go. If the muscle tightens or is painful, you have gone beyond the stretch point. The stretch point is always less than your maximum. Genetics. How flexible you are has more to do with genetics than how much you stretch. Some people can stretch every day and never be able to do the splits. (Take it from me!) On the other end of the spectrum, hypermobile people have to be careful not to overstretch already loose ligaments. Hold. You only need to hold a stretch until you feel the tissues release. If you don't feel a release within 30 seconds, back off, as you've probably caused sensors in the tendons to tighten the muscles. Interoception is awareness of what is going on inside your body. While most of us ignore our innards unless there's something terribly wrong with them, it turns out that developing this awareness helps us self-regulate and increase pain tolerance. Stretching with awareness is one way to develop interoception. Jaw. Tension in your jaw while you stretch is a sign that something is not right. Envision your lower jaw being heavy and your upper jaw being light. Keep your joints in line when stretching to make sure you are getting to all parts of the muscle and connective tissue. For example, when stretching your hamstrings, if your knee turns to the side, you avoid lengthening the muscles on the side of your leg. Lift. It's easy—and counterproductive—to sink into a stretch. Instead, lift throughout the movement and

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Body Sense - SPRING | 2017