Learning How to Relax as you Stretch

Reading the above title may seem a little ambiguous.  Does Jonathan mean spiritual stretching or physical stretching?  And the answer is:  Yes.

As some of you may know, before I embarked upon the path of a Healer I used to be a personal trainer and Yoga & Pilates instructor.  And it's amazing how much of my philosophy as a fitness professional crosses over to my philosophy as a spiritual Guide.  And stretching is a perfect example.

When you stretch, you will necessarily encounter resistance.

In stretching muscles, that resistance is known simply as the "stretch reflex," where the nervous system detects that muscle fibers are lengthening and automatically triggers the same muscle fibers to contract to protect you from injury. So especially at the start of the stretch, you will experience the most resistance and discomfort as the stretch reflex engages and resists your desire to stretch.

Many will back off the stretch or just simply stop the stretch altogether to avoid this feeling.  But in order to actually gain sustainable flexibility and range of motion, you must learn how to relax as you stretch. To breathe and calm the mind as the reflex fires and the discomfort escalates.  And to learn how to be consistent, focused, and patient in order to disarm the stretch reflex and reprogram your mind to assign a new, more constructive meaning to the sensation and feeling of stretching.

See the crossover?

In my group exercise classes, I encouraged my students to seek this discomfort as their goal for each class. 

And when they found that edge, to simply explore taking just one more full breath within that discomfort to bring themselves to the other side.  From "I can't" to "I can."  And today, I will encourage you to do the same.

Where do you have an opportunity to lean more deeply and deliberately into your stretch? 

Where can you bring yourself through the discomfort and fear of stretching to break through to more flexibility and freedom?

Whether it's a physical or a spiritual stretch, it doesn't matter as they both reflect one another as gains made in one will show up as gains in the other. But why choose?  Why not try both.

And see just how far one full breath can take you.