The Stretching Solution
A different approach is sometimes all it takes to make
Thursday, May 2, 2024
In a world where everything always seems to come down to the second, stretching may seem:
- Boring
- Like it slows you down
- An unrealistic luxury
As you age and the body isn’t as supple as it once was, stretching becomes a more important part of your overall health regimen as you start to focus not only on fitness but on injury prevention. However, even for the young, stretching and flexibility is its own independent form of fitness, another instance of use-it-or-lose it.
However, if you would like the benefits of a little stretching, there is a solution that may feel more manageable than counting out the full 20 – 30 seconds, the standard instruction. Instead, at each point of focus, take four slow breaths, feeling yourself releasing deeper and deeper into the stretch with each exhale.
Because you’re only counting to four and
are actively getting somewhere with each breath it feels faster. At the same time, because the breath is slow -- you can’t rush the release on the exhale because this is what allows you to go deeper -- it also feels luxurious and even delicious. It’s the fast slow stretch and might just be the stretching solution for you.
Off we go into a brave, new day.
E