Stretching = Healthy

Recently, I started working with two new clients, both of which expressed interest in gaining flexibility in order to feel healthier.  They were stagnant in their life and exercise for fear of hurting themselves due to muscle stiffness.  Their simple request reminded me of how yogis and chiropractors alike talk about how one's age is not measured in chronological years per say, but rather, in the flexibility of your spine.

My chiro explaining my pain in the neck!

As a yoga practitioner who's sustained her fair share of car accidents (4 total), not to mention numerous falls and scrapes throughout my life, I'm always faced with physical limitations in my practice.  My chiropractor's x-ray shows that I have a condition called "military neck" -- the bones of my neck forming a perfectly vertical line, rather than a nice C-curve to help balance the weight of my skull.  The military neck constantly reminds me of its presence, be it through stiffness, or the inability to do a complete neckroll without cracking and twinging.  It's a feeling of awkwardness, and this feeling can sometimes translate into pain.  The yoga practice keeps my body in check, and pain at bay because I am constantly moving myself into different positions, lengthening and contracting muscles and rotating joints.

When our bodies tighten up (many times without us being aware), it sends a direct message to the brain of "It's not OK to do that. We shouldn't go there."  Even though this message may have started out as a valid signal (to save you from accident), over time, this message might turn into a stress reaction that gets repeated in a looping pattern that unconsciously ends up limiting our full potential.  We start to cave in to false message, without even realizing it, and incrementally restrict ourselves from achieve, exploring, and feeling the fullness and pleasure of life.

So it's a welcome pleasure to watch a new yoga student, upon even just doing warm-ups, say to me, "I feel healthier because I'm stretching!"  I see a change in her face, like a lightbulb went off, and an inner radiance shining.  Perhaps it's the blood circulating, perhaps it's the Guru working beside her.  Either way, it's a pleasure as a yoga teacher to be able to elevate someone's life for the better.  Even if you don't do yoga, I highly suggest finding some system of stretching: it is not just something you do here and there and expect results.  Maintaining your flexibility is like compound interest -- it adds up over time!