Yoga Profanity: The "S" Word

Stretching and flexibility often get questioned, or maybe the correct term is "poo-poo-ed" in the world of fitness and athletics. Articles and books questioning the importance of stretching and are released quite often. The funny thing is yoga often gets lumped in with stretching and seen as a one-dimensional activity. When I began my certification course to become a yoga instructor, the practicum instructor would not use the term "stretch". He was adamant that the word "stretch" should not enter our vocabulary as we instructed a class. Yes, stretch is the yoga world's "S" word.

Instead I like to use the word "lengthening".  In yoga we seek to lengthen the muscle fibers so that they can lie completely relaxed over the bones. When people work out with weights or even simply "stretch" without awareness they are breaking the muscle fibers, shortening them. When working with weights, you begin to "bundle" short fibers together to create a larger muscle. When you overextend the muscle fiber in a stretch, you break the fibers and shorten them permanently (the exact opposite of what we want!). No wonder stretching gets a bad rap! If you attempt to lengthen the muscle fibers without correct bone alignment, self-awareness, and breath work you are doing yourself a great disservice -- causing permanent tight muscles that, in their constant contracted state, begin to pull your bones out of alignment, which begins to pull your joints closed, which begins to seriously inhibit your range of motion and increase your risk of injury and/or disease.  A yogi's muscles are long and relaxed when not in use.  No tension builds in the body.  No joints begin to close as bones are pulled away from their homes.  And yet, still a yogi's muscles are strong.  They remain long and yet hold the body's weight in poses like plank and chaturanga dandansana.

Yoga is not a one-dimensional activity designed to only to target flexibility. I think this huge misconception stems from the fact that a large population of us have very tight body types that are always tense from our other workouts, sedentary work, or other lifestyle choices; and, thus, our "big reveal" (see previous post) equals: I'm not flexible. This is unfortunate because a complete yoga practice is about finding balance between our strength and flexibility. My personal big reveal was actually, "I'm not strong." 


The point is, a complete yoga practice helps us to discover and pay attention to not just our muscles (unlike a majority of workouts), but our spinal alignment, joint openings, bones, breath, thoughts, and our inner visceral body. That is what makes it so amazing! It is the complete package.  But it must be practiced with care and attention to detail under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor in order to be truly beneficial. This guidance may come from a class you attend, a book you are reading, or video you are watching (or better yet, all three) -- just make sure you have some reputable source to reference when you have questions.  Practice safe!

Namaste~

Tammie