What is “Mindfulness stretching”?

If I asked you, “Are you aware of your body and how it feels when you are resting, relaxing or stretching?”, you’d probably think I was a bit nuts, right? Or you may think, “Why should I be doing something when I am trying to relax and not do anything?”  The issue is when many of us “relax,” we are filling our overstressed minds with more, and not truly focusing or being mindful. Our relaxation is zoning out in poor postures in front of another screen (TV, video, computer or phone) in a sedentary position, forcing our body to contort to a space like a recliner.  Mindfulness simply means focusing and being present of your immediate surroundings. Listening to the feedback your body is sending and being attentive to that feedback and making adjustments.

If I asked you to make a list of how you relax, what would it include? TV or screen time - AKA mind numbing sedentary activity? Sitting on the couch or in the lazy boy (there’s a reason that chair is named “lazy” and not “great body and health chair” you know), which is detrimental to your posture (lung function as well), neck and your back. Or maybe it’s some other activity that distracts your mind, what’s on your current list of relaxation activities?

The point here is relaxation, are you truly relaxing mindfully? Or are you using forms of distraction and simply checking out to avoid your life? Activities that incorporate bright light for example (video games, YouTube on your phone, or phone games) and action with screen time or social media - ramp up your body even more, giving it less real relaxation. They also contribute to an already sedentary lifestyle and poor postures. Haven’t you heard, “Sitting is the new smoking”? There are many ways to relax that incorporate movement into your sedentary lifestyle. The body is tense and scrunched all day - sitting for a meal, sitting on the drive to work, sitting at work, sitting to drive home from work and then more sitting with a screen. The body is you listen is craving movement, opening or stretching and activity.

The mindful relaxation I am talking about in this post is stretching. I love to call it “active rest”.  Stretching is a way of unkinking the body from life’s sedentary hours.  Sitting creates areas of tightness that in time cause pain in the body because it is not moving as God designed it to. Even if you are moving a lot, life’s stressful situations sometimes keep us on the hamster wheel, learning to take a few minutes to stretch and relax is vital to elicit the relaxation responses in our bodies, and turn off the fire hose of stress hormones being dumped into the body.

Mindful stretching is as easy as getting up from your chair and taking time to focus on your breath – nice deep breaths to reduce the carbon dioxide you’ve built up from shallow breathing, and also allow the shoulders to drop from the tense hours in front of a screen – whether it is at work (in the home office or at an office) or home on a couch/recliner with social media; watching TV or video/phone games. Stretching is a way to re-oxygenate the whole body. When we sit in a hunched position we are unable to take deep breaths, and develop a pattern of shallow breathing. When your brain is deprived of oxygen, it becomes fatigued and lethargic. Instead of standing tall and reaching for the skies in a stretch, far too many people reach out to a vending machine, a snack drawer, or a calorie laden coffee drink “guaranteed to boost their energy”…and their waistlines. They remain fatigued and then crash from a sugar high and make things even worse.

Take time to stand up and stretch, following these principles.

·         Static stretches like the familiar hamstrings or quad stretches are meant to be a daily practice, or for after a workout – yoga is an example of a series of static or held stretches.  Pick a favorite stretch or do 1 yoga pose and focus on your breath for a few minutes.

·         Do repeated stretches to increase flexibility and sink into the stretch. Doing three repetitions of each stretch with either five breaths or a 15 to 30 seconds hold will give you time to relax. 

·         Do 3 of the same stretch. The first stretch will start the flexibility process and feel good, the second if time allows even better with a focus on breathing and if time allows do a third and really focus on where you are feeling it in the body; the breath – deep and diaphragmatic and your posture tall and upright.

·         Gravity and body weight can assist and do the work. Holding a stretch allows the muscles to reset themselves without the feeling of tearing or tightness the next time you go to that position and hold it. The body has “been there” and knows it’s a safe place to go.

·         Never force a stretch or bounce at the end range of motion. Stretch to a point that feels, “moderate”, some pull but not pain.  Something you can hold for 15-30 seconds.

·         Increasing flexibility will take time and consistent effort.  Creating a healthy habit of stretching daily will over time change the tissues elasticity or flexibility.  

·         The secondary goal of stretching is for relaxation.  They will also reinvigorate and reenergize the body.  You may want to repeat the stretch even more times or do 2-3 different stretches as a routine.  A yoga sequence for strength, endurance, and balance is also a great way to stretch and relax.  

Focusing on your body and breath verses the to do list for a few minutes (like in the Gimmie 10! Challenge) will allow you to regain focus and restore energy.  When you go back to your tasks, you will get more done on that list and be less stressed while doing it.  Over time this practice will build resilience and allow you to thrive as better human being because you have learned to take little breaks for self-care.