How to increase your flexibility quickly
Oof, I hate writing titles like this, because it’s a nod to the idea that yoga is all about flexibility. Which just isn’t true. Stretching (not flexibility) is just one part of it - there’s SO SO much more to this practice. But, that said, I’ve recently started working with students who are coming to yoga specifically to improve their flexibility, and yoga does do this very very well. So I’m inspired to share a few of my favourite tried and true methods of increasing flexibility quickly, safely and effectively.
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LET’S START WITH “WHY”
There’s a great question, asked of me by Sarah Lo, my Yin Yoga teacher, that really struck a nerve with me and that is, “how flexible do you need to be?”
Do you NEED to touch your toes when you bend over?
Do you NEED to be able to sit in lotus?
Do you NEED to be able to do a perfect box split?
For most of us, the answer is no. It certainly is for me. My life will not be inherently better if I can perform a perfect split. I’ll not sleep better because I can do a split, I’ll not live longer, have better relationships or find eternal bliss.
YES! I NEED TO INCREASE MY FLEXIBILITY!
That said, sometimes the answer is YES. Some of us do need to be able to bend down and touch our toes, because we want to be able to comfortably pick our babies off the floor without pulling a hammie, or we do need to be able to cross our legs so we can sit comfortably with our kids whilst they play. And some of us do need to be able to master a box split for a gymnastics competition. So before you continue reading, I’d love for you to take a second and ask yourself.
Do you NEED to be more flexible?
If the answer is yes, then welcome welcome!!!! I’m excited to share with you three tried and proven ways to increase your flexibility quickly and safely. Read on!
3 ways to increase your flexibility, quickly!
USING PROPS. I’ll always remember the moment this clicked for me. I was assisting on a YTT in Thailand and one of the lead teachers was talking to a student about their flexibility. He couldn’t touch his toes and, as a yoga teacher, he felt this was something he needed to be able to do. (He didn’t, by the way, but he felt he did to be confident yoga teacher and that’s an okay reason too!). So the lead teacher told him to forward fold and place his hands on a yoga block, and just relax, not actually stretching at all. Then he came up, and then he folded forward again after a few seconds and this time, the block was lower. He touched it, folding forward te furthest he had since he’d arrived at the training!
OKAY, BUT WHAT???? Our brains are very clever - they’re working hard even when we aren’t looking, and often times when you force yourself into a position your body isn’t ready for your brain perceives this position as a threat and it simply tenses up. It doesn’t think you can do it without injury so it goes into protection mode. Thanks, Brain! So when we use props and don’t force the pose we’re quietly sending messages to our brain to say, “Hey Boo, I got you.” And then your brain tells your body it’s in a safe space, and so it relaxes. Voila, fingers to toes!
PNF STRETCHING. PNF stretching works by contracting and relaxing the muscles groups in three different ways. And this contraction and release helps to improve your range of motion. PNF stretching also takes us back to the messages we send our brain - when we contract a muscle before we stretch it, I like to think we’re letting our brain know that we are strong enough to handle the stretch we’re trying to achieve. So it tells our body to relax and so we can move further into the pose. Contracting and then stretching the muscles, then stretching whilst they are contracted (to keep the body both strong and supple) is one of my favourite ways to increase flexibility, quickly and most noticeably.
WHAT’S STOPPING ME? Another great question posed by Bernie Clark in his book, Your Body, Your Yoga. If we’re not practising mindfully, it can be too easy to assume that our tight hamstrings are the reason we can’t do a split. And so we spend all our time focussing on stretching our hamstrings. But really, maybe, it was another muscles/ ligament/ nerve entirely that we’re putting under excessive strain and is causing our body to cease up. Thus stopping us from dropping effortlessly down into a split. Sometimes it might not even be something obvious but when we take the time to really feel into and observe our bodies and the way they move we’re in a much better place to correctly answer the question, “what’s stopping me?”
And there you have it. I hope these tried and tested tops tips help you increase your flexibility quickly, safely and effectively.
BUILDING LONG-LASTING FLEXIBILITY
For most of us, a long-term, open-hearted relationship with flexibility is (or should be) the real goal. Regularly putting the body under a healthy and manageable amount of strain will help keep us strong and mobile well into our golden years. And a committed yoga practice will absolutely help you do that!
PRACTICE YOGA & IMPROVE YOUR LONG-TERM FLEXIBILITY ON MOVIING
If you’re looking for somewhere to start then I’d LOVE for you to come practice with me, and hundreds of brilliant yoga teachers and wellness professionals on Moviing. You can start with a two week free trial, and then get 25% off your membership (just $9 a month) with my code KAT25.