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ZEN STRETCHING IN ALBUQUERQUE & SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
Zen Stretching as theorized in literature is deliberate lengthening of muscles, ligaments, and tendons, in order to increase flexibility and range of motion. Stretching is a natural activity often performed without thinking by people and many animals, and can simply be pleasurable.
By changing to the parasympathetic nervous system mode you intentionally activate the pineal and pituitary glands commanding your cells to reproduce in an intentional manner. This is the key to taking control of your body, mind and spirit making you healthy and beautiful from the inside-out.
Stretching improves range of motion, reduces risk of injury, prevents post-exercise muscle soreness, slows delayed-onset muscle soreness, elongates muscles, increases individual performance, increases awareness, improves coordination, improves elasticity and contractibility of muscles, creates greater efficiency of the respiratory, cardiovascular and lymphatic systems, quiets down the mind, and activates the energy centers of the body.
Stretching has three phases: general warm-up, static stretching, static stretch posture and dynamic stretching.
GENERAL WARM-UP
General warm-up begins with joint-rotations, starting at the upper body working your way down. This facilitates joint motion by lubricating the entire joint with synovial fluid. Such lubrication permits your joints to function more easily. You should perform slow circular movements, both clockwise and counter-clockwise, until the joint seems to move smoothly allowing energy to flow. In addition, warm-up exercises further open the energy centers called Chakras. Energy flow through meridians is vital to support health. Rotate the following:
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1. Neck
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6. Trunk and Waist
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2. Shoulders
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7. Hips
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3. Elbows
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8. Legs
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4. Wrists
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9. Knees
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5. Fingers and Knuckles
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10. Ankles and Toes
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STATIC STRETCHING
Static stretching are performed holding the stretch to allow the muscle and ligaments to gently stretch. This sends a message through your body to communicate the need for cells to multiply making the area longer, more flexible and stronger.
It begins with your back, followed by your upper body and lower body, stretching your muscles in the following order:
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1. Back
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7. Buttocks (Gluteus Maximus)
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2. Sides (external obliques)
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8. Groin (Adductors)
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3. Neck
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9. Thighs (Quadriceps & Abductors)
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4. Forearms and Wrists
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10. Calves
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5. Triceps
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11. Shins and Hamstrings
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6. Chest
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12. Instep
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STATIC STRETCH POSTURE
Static Stretch Posture consists of body postures design to stretch and strengthen muscles, ligaments and joints. Once you come into a posture, the posture is held allowing time to command the body regenerative component to initiate creation of new cell growth.
Following are some beneficial Static Stretch Posture:
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1. Horse Stance
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3. Lunge Stance
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2. Front Stance
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4. Warrior Stance
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DYNAMIC STRETCHING
Dynamic stretching consist of body motion in all directions doing as many sets as it takes to reach your maximum range of motion in any given direction, but do not work your muscles to the point of fatigue.
According to Kurz, dynamic stretching exercises should be performed in sets of 8-12 repetitions. Be sure to stop when and if you feel tired. Tired muscles have less elasticity which decreases the range of motion used in your movements. Continuing to exercise when you are tired serves only to reset the nervous control of your muscle length at the reduced range of motion used in the exercise and will cause a loss of flexibility. Once you attain a maximal range of motion for a joint in any direction you should stop doing that movement during that workout. Tired and overworked muscles won't attain a full range of motion and the muscle's kinesthetic memory will remember the repeated shorted range of motion, which you will then have to overcome before you can make further progress.
BREATHING DURING STRETCHING
Breathe control is important for a successful stretch. Proper breathing helps to relax the body, increases blood and lymphatic flow throughout the body, helping to mechanically remove lactic acid and other by-products of exercise. The additional oxygen makes the body alkaline reducing inflammation of body tissues.
Take slow, relaxed breaths when you stretch exhaling as the muscle is stretching. It is recommend to increase the intensity of the stretch only while exhaling, holding the stretch for a moment.
 The proper way to breathe is to inhale slowly through the nose, expanding the abdomen (not the chest); hold the breath a moment; then exhale slowly through the nose or mouth. Inhaling through the nose has several purposes including cleaning the air and insuring proper temperature and humidity for oxygen transfer into the lungs. The breath should be natural and the diaphragm and abdomen should remain soft. There should be no force of the breath, except in some dynamic stretches.
The rate of breathing should be controlled through the use of the glottis in the back of the throat. When inhaling think of the sound “Sooooo”, as you exhale think of the sound “Hammmm”. If you are exhaling through the mouth, the sound produces a very soft “Hammmm” inside the throat as opposed to a sniffing sound in the nasal sinuses.
As you breathe in, the diaphragm presses downward on the internal organs and their associated blood vessels, squeezing the blood out of them. As you exhale, the abdomen, its organs and muscles, and their blood vessels flood with new blood. This rhythmic contraction and expansion of the abdominal blood vessels is partially responsible for the circulation of blood in the body and the lymphatic system. Also, the rhythmic pumping action helps to remove waste products from the muscles. The respiratory pump is important during stretching because increased blood flow to the stretched muscles improves their elasticity, and increases the rate at which lactic acid is purged from them. Slow, deliberate, deep breathing can, over time, improve pulmonary functions and oxygen delivery to the tissues while removing excess acidity and helping to balance pH of the blood and cellular fluids. Deep breathing―moving the abdomen, not the chest―also produces marked relaxation of the Central Nervous System (CNS), putting you in a calmer, more focused mental, and self-healing state.
EXERCISE ORDER
Many people are unaware of the fact that the order in which you perform your stretching exercises is important. Quite often, when we perform a particular stretch, it actually stretches more than one group of muscles: the muscles that the stretch is primarily intended for, and other supporting muscles that are also stretched but which do not receive the "brunt" of the stretch. These supporting muscles usually function as synergists for the muscles being stretched. This is the basis behind a principle of interdependency of muscle groups.
 Before performing a stretch intended for a particular muscle, but which actually stretches several muscles, you should first stretch each of that muscle's synergists. The benefit of this is that you are able to better stretch the primary muscles by not allowing the supporting muscles the opportunity to be a limiting factor in how "good" a stretch you can attain for a particular exercise.
Ideally, it is best to perform a stretch that isolates a particular muscle group, but this is not always possible. Therefore, by organizing the exercises within a stretching routine according to the principle of interdependency of muscle groups, you minimize the effort required to perform the routine, and maximize the effectiveness of the individual exercises. This is what Health For Life (in all of their publications) calls synergism: "combining elements to create a whole that is greater than the mere sum of its parts."
As a general rule, you should usually do the following when putting together a stretching routine:
- stretch your back (upper and lower) first
- stretch your sides after stretching your back
- stretch your buttocks before stretching your groin or your hamstrings
- stretch your calves before stretching your hamstrings
- stretch your shins before stretching your quadriceps (if you do shin stretches)
- stretch your arms before stretching your chest
WHEN TO STRETCH
The best time to stretch is when your muscles are warmed up. If they are not already warm before you wish to stretch, then you need to warm them up yourself, usually by performing some type of brief aerobic activity. Obviously, stretching is an important part of warming-up before, and cooling-down after a workout. If the weather is very cold, or if you are feeling very stiff, then you need to take extra care to warm-up before you stretch in order to reduce the risk of injuring yourself.
Many of us have our own internal body-clock, or circadian rhythm as, it is more formally called: Some of us are "early morning people" while others consider themselves to be "late-nighters". Being aware of your circadian rhythm should help you decide when it is best for you to stretch or perform any other type of activity. Most people are more flexible in the afternoon than in the morning, peaking from about 2:30 - 4:00 pm. Also, evidence seems to suggest that, during any given day, strength and flexibility are at their peak in the late afternoon or early evening. If this is correct then it would seem to indicate that, all else being equal, you may be better off performing your workout right after work rather than before work.
EARLY-MORNING STRETCHING
On the other hand, according to Kurz, "if you need [or want] to perform movements requiring considerable flexibility with [little or] no warm-up, you ought to make early morning stretching a part of your routine." In order to do this properly, you need to first perform a general warm-up. You should then begin your early morning stretching by first performing some static stretches, followed by some light dynamic stretches.
Basically, your early morning stretching regimen should be almost identical to a complete warm-up. The only difference is that you may wish to omit any sport specific activity.
STRETCHING TO INCREASE FLEXIBILITY
When stretching for the purpose of increasing overall flexibility, a stretching routine should accomplish, at the very least, two goals:
- To train your stretch receptors to become accustomed to greater muscle length
- To reduce the resistance of connective tissues to muscle elongation
If you are attempting to increase active flexibility, you will also want to strengthen the muscles responsible for holding the stretched limbs in their extended positions.
Before composing a particular stretching routine, you must first decide which types of flexibility you wish to increase, and which stretching methods are best for achieving them. The best way to increase dynamic flexibility is by performing dynamic stretches, supplemented with static stretches. The best way to increase active flexibility is by performing active stretches, supplemented with static stretches.
If you are very serious about increasing overall flexibility, then adhere to the following guidelines:
- Perform early-morning stretching everyday.
- Warm-up properly before any and all athletic activities. Make sure to give yourself ample time to perform the complete warm-up.
- Cool-down properly after any and all athletic activities.
- Always make sure your muscles are warmed-up before you stretch.
- Don't try to increase flexibility too quickly by forcing yourself. Stretch no further than the muscles will go without pain.
PAIN AND DISCOMFORT
If you are experiencing pain or discomfort before, during, or after stretching or athletic activity, then you need to try to identify the cause. Severe pain, particularly in the joints, ligaments, or tendons, usually indicates a serious injury of some sort, and you may need to discontinue stretching and/or exercising until you have sufficiently recovered.
COMMON CAUSES OF MUSCULAR SORENESS
If you are experiencing soreness, stiffness, or some other form of muscular pain, then it may be due to one or more of the following:
Torn Tissue
Overstretching and engaging in athletic activities without a proper warm-up can cause microscopic tearing of muscle fibers or connective tissues. If the tear is not too severe, the pain will usually not appear until one or two days after the activity that caused the damage. If the pain occurs during or immediately after the activity, then it may indicate a more serious tear which may require medical attention. If the pain is not too severe, then light, careful static stretching of the injured area is supposedly okay to perform. It is hypothesized that torn fibers heal at a shortened length, thus decreasing flexibility in the injured muscles. Very light stretching of the injured muscles helps reduce loss of flexibility resulting from the injury. Intense stretching of any kind, however, may only make matters worse.
Metabolic Accumulation
Overexertion and/or intense muscular activity will fatigue the muscles and cause them to accumulate lactic acid and other waste products. If this is the cause of your pain, then static stretching, isometric stretching, or a good warm-up or cool-down will help alleviate some of the soreness. Massaging the sore muscles may also help relieve the pain. Eating a more Alkaline diet has been shown to help increase the body's buffering capacity and reduce the output of lactic acid.
Muscle Spasms
Exercising above a certain threshold can cause a decreased flow of blood to the active muscles. This can cause pain resulting in a protective reflex which contracts the muscle isotonically—of equal tension. The reflex contraction causes further decreases in blood flow, which causes more reflex contractions, and so on, causing the muscle to spasm by repeatedly contracting. One common example of this is a painful muscle cramp. Immediate static stretching of the cramped muscle can be helpful in relieving this type of pain. However, it can sometimes make things worse by activating the stretch reflex, which may cause further muscle contractions. Massaging the cramped muscle and relaxing it may prove more useful than stretching in relieving this type of pain.
STRETCHING WITH PAIN
If you are already experiencing some type of pain or discomfort before you begin stretching, then it is very important that you determine the cause of your pain. Once you have determined the cause of the pain, you are in a better position to decide whether or not you should attempt to stretch the affected area.
It is important to remember that some amount of soreness will almost always be experienced by individuals that have not stretched or exercised much in the last few months—this is the price you pay for being inactive. However, well-trained and conditioned athletes who workout at elevated levels of intensity or difficulty can also become sore. You should cease exercising immediately if you feel or hear anything tearing or popping. Remember the acronym RICE—Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation—when caring for an injured body part. This will help to minimize the pain and swelling. You should then seek appropriate professional medical advice.
OVERSTRETCHING
If you stretch properly, you should not be sore the day after you have stretched. If you are, then it may be an indication that you are overstretching and that you need to go easier on your muscles by reducing the intensity of some or all of the stretches you perform. Overstretching will simply increase the time it takes for you to gain greater flexibility. This is because it takes time for the damaged muscles to repair themselves, and to offer you the same flexibility as before they were injured.
 One of the easiest ways to "overstretch" is to stretch "cold"—without any warm-up. A "maximal cold stretch" is not necessarily a desirable thing. Just because a muscle can be moved to its limit without warming up doesn't mean it is ready for the strain that a workout will place on it.
Obviously, during a stretch—even when you stretch properly—you are going to feel some amount of discomfort. The difficulty is being able to discern when it is too much. If you feel like saying "ouch!", or perhaps something even more explicit, then you should ease up immediately and discontinue the stretch. You should definitely feel the tension in your muscle, and perhaps even light, gradual "pins and needles", but if it becomes sudden, sharp, or uncomfortable, then you are overdoing it and are probably tearing some muscle tissue—or worse. In some cases, you may follow all of these guidelines when you stretch, feeling that you are not in any "real" pain, but still be sore the next day. If this is the case, then you will need to become accustomed to stretching with less discomfort.
Quite frequently, the progression of sensations you feel as you reach the extreme ranges of a stretch are: localized warmth of the stretched muscles, followed by a burning or spasm-like sensation, followed by sharp pain or "ouch!" pain. The localized warming will usually occur at the origin, or point of insertion, of the stretched muscles. When you begin to feel this, it is your first clue that you may need to "back off" and reduce the intensity of the stretch. If you ignore, or do not feel, the warming sensation, and you proceed to the point where you feel a definite burning sensation in the stretched muscles, then you should ease up immediately and discontinue the stretch. You may not be sore yet, but you probably will be the following day. If your stretch gets to the point where you feel sharp pain, it is quite likely that the stretch has already resulted in tissue damage which may cause immediate pain and soreness that persists for several days.
SOME RISKY STRETCHES
The following stretches (many of which are commonly performed) are considered risky due to the fact that they have a very high risk of injury for the athlete that performs them. This does not mean that these stretches should never be performed. However, great care should be used when attempting any of these stretches. When performed correctly with the aid of an instructor however, some of these stretches can be quite beneficial. Each of these stretches is illustrated in detail:
Yoga Plough
In this exercise, you lie down on your back and then sweep your legs up and over, attempting to touch your knees to your ears. This position places excessive stress on the lower back, and on the discs of the spine. Not to mention the fact that it compresses the lungs and heart, and makes it very difficult to breathe. This particular exercise also stretches a region that is frequently flexed as a result of improper posture. This stretch is a prime example of an exercise that is very easy to do incorrectly. However, with proper instruction and attention to body position and alignment, this stretch can be performed successfully with a minimal amount of risk and can actually improve spinal health and mobility.
Traditional Backbend
In this exercise, your back is maximally arched with the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands both flat on the floor, and your neck tilted back. This position squeezes (compresses) the spinal discs and pinches nerve fibers in your back.
Traditional Hurdler's Stretch
This exercise has you sit on the ground with one leg straight in front of you, and with the other leg fully flexed (bent) behind you, as you lean back and stretch the quadricep of the flexed leg. The two legged version of this stretch is even worse for you, and involves fully bending both legs behind you on either side. The reason this stretch is harmful is that it stretches the medial ligaments of the knee (remember, stretching ligaments and tendons is bad) and crushes the meniscus. It can also result in slipping of the knee cap from being twisted and compressed.
Straight-legged Toe Touches
In this stretch, your legs are straight (either together or spread apart) and your back is bent over while you attempt to touch your toes or the floor. If you do not have the ability to support much of your weight with your hands when performing this exercise, your knees are likely to hyperextend. This position can also place a great deal of pressure on the vertebrae of the lower lumbar. Furthermore, if you choose to have your legs spread apart, it places more stress on the knees, which can sometimes result in permanent deformity.
Torso Twists
Performing sudden, intense twists of the torso, especially with weights, while in an upright (erect) position can tear tissue (by exceeding the momentum absorbing capacity of the stretched tissues) and can strain the ligaments of the knee.
Inverted Stretches
This is any stretch where you "hang upside down". Staying inverted for too long increases your blood pressure and may even rupture blood vessels (particularly in the eyes). Inverted positions are especially discouraged for anyone with spinal problems.
Please contact Miguel Sarria for classes and training information.
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