SENSUOUS STRETCHING 1
Filed under: Essays — arlene @ 10:41 pm
Stretching needs to be done slowly and gently. You simply sink into a posture and then gradually let go, allowing gravity to pull as it will.
There is a wonderful sensuous feeling about doing this in the different positions, which will leave you feeling not only physically more alive and mentally clearer but also emotionally calm and still, much as meditation techniques do.
It is important to breathe normally while you do the postures and to let yourself relax as completely as you can in each one. The more you practice the postures the easier this becomes. If at first you are not fully relaxed, you may be inclined to hold your breath and to breathe spasmodically. Don’t. Neither should you impose any artificial way of breathing on yourself.
When you first begin the postures you may find you feel stiffness or soreness in your muscles as they start to let go their stored tension. This is a good sign that they are giving up tension. To release stiffness you first need to be aware of it, and it is normal for the awakening process to bring with it mild sensations of pain. But the pain is not the pain of doing something wrong. It is a good ache that comes from letting go. It is also something you are completely in control of in each posture. You can go only as far as is comfortable for you. Then, as your muscles let go a little more, you will find that you can go a little farther each time. But never strain—strain or effort to force anything will only work against the effectiveness of the postures.
Choose three postures at a time, spending fifteen to twenty minutes a day doing them three to five times a week. You can do them any time, but not immediately before bed or you may feel so invigorated by them that you won’t want to sleep. Doing three postures one day and another three the next and so on, you will soon learn them and may find the results and sense of enjoyment they bring give you a desire to spend more time on them. But you should never exceed thirty minutes a day. You don’t need more than that and it is far better to do less and have them be something you look forward to the next time than to glut yourself on them one day and skip them when the following session rolls around. There is never any rush, so go easy and learn to let gravity work for you. The postures are particularly useful when you are tired from work, in the early evening, and are most enjoyable when done with another person or with children. But there is never any sense of competition about how far you can go compared to someone else. Everyone is different and you are only working against yourself. What matters is the continuous releasing of tightness.
Hip Bends for Grace
The Rewards: This posture eases tension in your hamstring muscles at the backs of your legs and lengthens the back. Because it reverses the blood flow to the head, it is also good for your skin, face muscles, and overall circulation as well as bringing a feeling of being revitalized all over.
Here’s how: Standing straight, facing a wall, feet a few inches apart and parallel, bend your knees and bend at the hips, dropping your head and back down against the wall, letting your face go limp and your hands and arms hang free in front of you. Now straighten your legs, slowly coming back up with your back against the wall. Rest in this position for one minute (you can gradually work up to four as you get used to it). As a variation, bend one leg for thirty seconds to one minute to give added stretch to the hamstrings of the other leg. With practice, your trunk will gradually go lower and lower with your legs straight. This promotes a free movement at the hip joints for a more beautiful walk and also lengthens the spine.
