Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Posture and Stretches


Most people tend to hold in patterns of tension emerging from daily stress, lack of exercise, bad posture, or other dire habits. These patterns make us stiff and directly interfere with our movements. As everything in a human body is connected, stiffness and restricted movements can in turn affect our mental flexibility, interfering with our thoughts and our physical actions.

Regular stretching exercises not only allow us to think and act more freely, but can also help us move less restricted. In fact, by stretching ligaments, tendons and muscles, we make them stronger and more efficient. Furthermore, these lengthening actions also help us to walk and stand taller, and the joints, able to go through their full range of movements, will be much better supported.

Stretching will increase blood supply to the muscles and will give the body an improved physical edge.

Exploring yoga can start by practicing good posture, which will purify and generate an improvement in the overall functionality of a person, rather than just the form of the body. Body posture, also called “asana” consists of many different positions, some of them resembling those often used in everyday life. These positions can be held standing up, sitting, kneeling or lying down. These last ones are quite helpful for rest and relaxation, as well as recovering between more demanding postures.

During therapeutic situations, Yoga encourages a creative energy flow throughout a person’s system. This happens through emphasizing repeated movement into and out of posture, and holding a posture for a certain length of time. When holding a yoga posture or doing stretches, make sure you are able to breathe slowly and deeply. Always go to the edge in the posture and hold it where you feel a good stretch and/or your body working, but do not push it any further. If you feel pain, strain or fatigue, you are overdoing it.

About the Author

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