Stretching: Benefits, Types, and Techniques for Flexibility and Posture Improvement, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Yoga

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STRETCHING

Benefit of stretching

• 1. Increases your flexibility Improve flexibility helps you to perform everyday activities with relative ease, and help delay the reduced mobility that can come with aging.
• 2. Increases your range of motion Being able to move a joint through its full range of motion gives you more freedom of movement.
• 3. Increases blood flow to your muscles Improved circulation increases blood flow to your muscles, which can shorten your recovery time and reduce muscle soreness; DOS
• 5. Improves your posture Muscle imbalances are common and can lead to poor posture.
• 6. Prevent back pain Tight muscles can lead to a decrease in your range of motion. When this happens, you increase the likelihood of straining the muscles in your back.
• 7. Stress relief When you’re experiencing stress, your muscles get tense. That’s because your muscles tend to tighten up in response to physical and emotional stress. Focus on areas of your body where you tend to hold your stress, such as your neck, shoulders, and upper back.
• 8. Can calm your mind While you stretch, focus on mindful & mediation exercises

Active Static Stretches

1. A. Active static stretching involves contraction of the muscle group

(agonist) that is in opposition of the muscles that you are stretching

(antagonist)

• Active static stretching requires the strength of the opposing

muscle groups to hold the limb in position for the stretch.

• Rather than holding for long periods of time as you would

with a static passive stretch, these are going to be much

shorter holds, usually ranging from 4-10 seconds for several

reps. Sound familiar? Most yoga routines are filled with

awesome active stretching exercises.

• One of the main benefits of active stretching is that carries

(relatively) fewer risks than passive stretching. Since there’s no

external force, and a stretch is performed completely under one’s

own muscle strength, then there’s less chance of over-stretching.

1.Start with both legs straight and feet together. Raise one leg up, and prop it in a straight, relaxed position. There should be a slight stretch. 2.Keeping your hips level, brace your core, squeeze your quadriceps on your elevated leg and flex your foot back into dorsiflexion. Exhale as you pull your leg towards your head until you feel a strong stretch. 3.Hold for 3 seconds. Relax and repeat for 10 reps, trying to slightly increase your range each time. 4.Repeat on opposite side

ACTIVE STRAIGHT LEG RAISE Targeting tight hamstrings and calves

1.Begin sitting on the heels (or a yoga block). 2.By squeezing the glutes, exhale and raise the hips up and forward to an arched position. Hold the shoulders back, not allowing them to move forward. 3.Hold for 10 seconds, squeezing the glutes throughout. Repeat for 5 reps.

TALL KNEELING HIP EXTENSION Targeting tight hip flexors

• Don’t stretch beyond what’s comfortable. A slight degree of discomfort is normal, but you shouldn’t feel any pain while you’re stretching. Stop right away if you feel sharp pain.
• Be gentle. Use smooth, slow movements. Avoid jerking or bouncing movements while you’re holding a stretch. Be extra cautious if you’re recovering from an injury.
• Don’t forget to breathe. Breathing can help relieve stress and tension in your body, and may also help you hold a stretch for longer.
• Start slowly. Start with just a few stretches at first, and add more repetitions and stretches as you build your flexibility.

Safety tips

Dynamic stretching

Dynamic stretching uses a controlled, soft bounce or swinging

motion to move a particular body part to the limit of its range of

movement. The force of the bounce or swing is gradually

increased but should never become radical or uncontrolled. Do

not confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching. Dynamic

stretching is slow, gentle and very purposeful. At no time during

dynamic stretching should a body part be forced past the joints

normal range of movement. Ballistic stretching, on the other

hand, is much more aggressive and its very purpose is to force

the body part beyond the limit of its normal range of movement.

These exercises often simulate functional movements and

help prime the body for more intense training.

• To prepare for a run, for example, a person may

perform a knee exercise that is a gentle simulation of

running, such as the “high knees”. A walking lunge, is

another example of a dynamic stretch

A common protocol is to apply a near maximal contraction for six seconds, followed by relaxation into the stretch for ten seconds — repeating the sequence for four total sets. For example, to stretch the hamstring muscle group, one can lie supine and reach one leg up toward the ceiling. A partner can hold the back of the heel to provide isometric resistance. Keeping the knee straight and the pelvis stable, press the heel into the resistance of the partner’s hand for six seconds. Apply near maximal force; be sure to continue breathing. Then relax into the stretch for ten seconds, while the partner applies gentle pressure to assist further stretching of the hamstring muscles. Repeat three more times.