Daily Flow
Is stretching good for you?
There are many benefits to regular stretching. Not only can stretching help increase your flexibility, which is an important factor of fitness, but it can also improve your posture, reduce stress and body aches, help relieve anxiety and recharge your body. Stretching first thing in the morning can relieve any tension or pain from sleeping the night before. It also helps increase your blood flow and prepares your body for the day ahead.
Stretching before bed relaxes your muscles and helps prevent you from waking up with more pain.
More blood flow contributes to a clearer mind and a more cheerful mood. After stretching, you will find yourself ready to rethink situations and decisions that may have been cloudy earlier.
Let’s say your day started out bright and cheery. No rush. No stress. No unnecessary tasks or jobs.
Then you experience the rest of the day…
Stress compounds and soon enough your attitude, like most of those ‘tasks’ starts to crumple. You can feel the tension claiming the muscles of your body. Your neck, shoulders, and upper back tighten. You know you’re just one comment away from a burning headache.
The best thing to do in this situation is take a time out… just a couple minutes to stretch!
Stretching stimulates receptors in the nervous system that slow the production of stress hormones. It can increase flexibility, range of motion, and blood flow, and improve your posture. But did you know that stretching can also help your mind?
Fatigue, stress, and anxiety can cause the brain to slow down, make you think more slowly, react more harshly, and find it more difficult to make decisions. Stretching can help conquer these moments and give you the lift you need.
Stretching benefits for your body and mind —
Releases hormones for mood and emotions. Stretching affects your brain as well as your muscle system. Hormones are delivered throughout your body to help regulate metabolism and insulin as well as your attitude. A great stretch may be the way to a new outlook.
Increases blood flow and circulation to your muscles and your brain. More blood flow contributes to a clearer mind and a more cheerful mood. After stretching, you will find yourself ready to rethink situations and decisions that may have been cloudy earlier.
Encourages a relaxed awareness of your body and mind. Allow your mind to drift away from the day. Stretching brings your mind to your body, the muscles you are moving, and the breath you inhale and exhale. Becoming aware of your movements, no matter how small, can help you refocus on you.
Improves balance, flexibility, range of motion, and strength. Muscles that are inflexible tire easily which may then lead to injury. Keeping your body stretched can help you perform daily activities with more ease and less pain.
Focuses your awareness to the present. So often we let the present slip away as we worry about the mistakes of the day or what needs to be done. Taking a few moments to refocus on yourself can pull your mind back to the here and now and prepare you for what’s happening in the moment.
Daily Flow —
Below are two daily flow sessions. One for when you wake up and one for when you go to bed. Each pose should be held for a minimum of 20 seconds, focusing on clearing your mind by taking deep breaths in to expand your chest and deep breaths out to empty it.
