All of the technological advances of the 21st century lead to unpredictable changes to our daily lives. Change can be stressful. But resiliency is a tool we can develop to build our capacity to adapt to stressful situations and thrive in the long term. In the last few blogs, we have been exploring how to develop resiliency. According to Tom Myers, from Anatomy trains, the key to building resilience is a 5 pronged full body approach. Resiliency includes mindful movement, stretching, humor, service and pranayama!
It is important to stretch regularly. Stretching allows the fascia to maintain fluidity which will keep the joints functioning properly. A Harvard Health article explains the physical benefits of stretching. Another response to elastic fascia is healthy functioning organs. A study has shown that when you passively stretch you maintain a healthy heart.
Stretching does not mean you should be striving to get into the splits; rather stretching means finding a healthy lengthening of fascia. For example think of a piece of toffee. You want to stretch it so it comes back to neutral or a new neutral, but not so it stays based the functional level for stability and mobility. Stretching promotes elasticity fascia. As you stretch, you get out of postures that you typically spend a lot of time in. Our body has a tendency to repeat similar motions. We have a specific way that we hold our head and twist our body even if it is not an ideal posture, we have developed these habits in response to our lifestyle, emotions and our senses. Our normal operating posture can lead to uneven fascia; some parts might be too tight while others overstretched, some moved and some not. Stretching restores balance. It reminds the body that our typical movements aren’t the only ones that can be done. It reminds our system of balance also, mind, body, emotions. Every thought and emotion has a corresponding physical and thought response. The fascia system can hold onto past experiences. As we explore different motion (stretch the body in all directions within our range of movement) we can slowly release emotional hurt.
There isn’t one specific stretching routine that is best. Everyone holds their body in a unique posture, so your stretching routine might differ from someone else’s. As you learn to listen to your body, you will find where you are tight and how to counteract it. And if you don’t know where to start, attending a yoga class can provide a method to stretching the whole body. In a well-designed yoga class, the teacher will lead you to move in all directions within your range of motion, allowing you to stretch the entire body. The ancient yogis observed how different animals moved and found ways to move their body to copy what they saw. These sages of yoga noticed that when they did yoga, stretched and moved through different postures, they meditated better because their body didn’t hurt when they sat in the same position for a long period of time.
Join us for a yoga class today and explore what stretches your body needs. We have classes for all levels. Learn more about our class offerings or sign up for a class here. If you have any questions about our offerings, please email info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com.
Aviva Chaye Tulasi is a team member at Dogwood Studios. She is a certified yoga therapist (C-IYAT). She applies the teachings of classical yoga to reduce the effects of negative stress and to balance the nervous system. Aviva will be teaching Mindful Movement and Yoga Mondays at 10 am in January and is available for private sessions. Email Aviva at yogawithtulasi@gmail.com. She is here to help.
SAM Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online class in yoga as private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.