Tag: stretching

Flexibility….For Life!

Do you ever feel like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz? As if you were left out in the cold, damp forest for so long that you can’t move, leaving you screaming for your oil can? Or have you ever tried stretching your tight muscles only to feel even worse afterwards? There is a physiological reason for it, and it is basically quite simple. Before I get all geeky about physiology, let me assure you that losing flexibility is NOT a “normal” part of the “aging process.” Who came up with that idea, anyway? The truth is, that we do not have to lose flexibility as we get older. Even more good news is that we have our own internal oil can, which lubricates and nourishes our joints to keep them healthy and mobile during the entire course of our lifetime. So, how do...

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Why Feldenkrais® is better than stretching….

When we experience tight muscles or stiff joints, we stretch them to improve our flexibility and increase our joint range of motion. Unfortunately, most of the time, stretching does not correct the problem. As a matter of fact, stretching may actually make it worse. There is a simple physiological explanation for that. Muscles do not become tight on their own. Tight muscles and stiff joints are a result of faulty alignment of our skeletal structure. Poor posture, prolonged sitting, static standing, working at a computer, or sedentary lifestyle interferes with the natural forces of gravity going through our skeleton. As a result, our normal muscle balance and tone is interrupted, resulting in some muscles becoming short and tight. If you do not correct your faulty structure, you...

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