Yoga is NOT Stretching & Stretching is NOT Yoga!

I have had so many people tell me that they don’t need to stretch because they do yoga.

I usually bite my tongue and say nothing in return, but my brain is saying, “YES YOU DO…YOU NEED TO STRETCH!”

Here’s why…

If you Google search these 3 things:

1. What is the meaning of yoga?

2. What is the benefit of yoga?

3. What yoga does to your body?

You will read that the answers from all 3 questions describe yoga as calming the mind, increasing body awareness, relieving stress patterns, allowing for inner peace and harmony through physical and mental health, and giving strength and flexibility to the body.

Yoga is an amazing exercise and its popularity has soared over the past decade…

But yoga is NOT stretching!

There is a big difference between yoga and stretching.

Yoga poses are great strength-building exercises, where one side of the body is loaded and the other is extended.

When we stretch, there should be no strain or load on the body as we allow our muscles to elongate while moving through ranges of motion that open up deep, tight muscle tissue.

Stretching also breaks down fascia and scar tissue in our bodies, which increases blood flow and circulation, leading to healing for damaged muscle tissue. Stretching also increases range of motion in our joints, reduces risk of injury, and keeps us active as we age.

Last year during a stretching workshop I attended in California, yoga was a popular topic of discussion. These are some of my notes from that workshop:

1. Yoga is not stretching.

2. Yoga poses can override ligaments and tendons and can put joints at risk and override ones natural reflex.

3. Although flexibility if a major benefit of yoga, one should be cautious not to hyper-extend joints.

When we stretch, we are putting our attention on elongating muscles and relieving joints of strain. We are taking time out to find out what is going on with our bodies and giving it a chance to heal from the inside… naturally!

Yoga lovers, think of it like this: yoga & stretching are like yin & yang to each other—they are opposite forces that are complementary to each other.

When we do yoga, we are exercising our body and relaxing our mind.

When we stretch, we relax and elongate our muscles, allowing them to open up and recharge. Through stretching, we can return to exercise and going through daily life without pain and restricted range of motion.

So yoga on… but stretch on, too!

More Stretches & Tidbits:

She Didn't Have to Quit Her Job + 2 More Stretching Success Stories

I’ve seen lives changed from Stretch Therapy.

My own life — and the lives of my students.

Here are a 3 success stories from my students:

From Feet Pain to Relief: A Stretching Success Story

Most everyone that I work with, privately or in a group class, has a story about how they wound up seeking Stretch Therapy to relieve some form of pain in their body.

For some, stretching is a last resort effort to avoid surgery.

Some want to avoid injuries so they can stay active.

Some just want to feel good in their body all the time.

Some of my students have become so tight that they can hardly move — so they move less and less.

I always know my private student’s stories because we spend a lot of time together. I don’t always know the stories of the many students who attend my classes at my studio or at the local YMCA that I teach at.

A few weeks ago, at the end of my stretch class at the Y, a man approached me to ask me if he could tell me his story.

4 Holiday Health Hints to Keep Your Body Happy

Holidays are here… and too often, in all the busyness, we can forget to take care of our bodies! Here are 4 easy ways to keep your body happy this holiday season.

It Doesn't Come in a Bottle

This is a really hard question to ask, but…

Are you addicted to Ibuprofen?

If the answer is “yes,” then you are in good company because so many people are.

I have decided to write about it in hopes that this will give people hope that they can find alternative ways to deal with pain and feel better in their mind and body!

I have students that tell me that they have to take Ibuprofen before they work out in order to go through movements without pain.

Could it be magic?

Could “it” be magic? I can’t seem to get this question out of my head. You see, I have a new private student who is an avid golfer. She loves it and seems to be a bit competitive with her fellow golfers.

At our first session, I told her that stretching would improve her golf game.

She looked a me with skepticism, but said “well, if you think so, I hope so, I’ll give it a try.”

She has been stretching with me for 4 weeks now. Yesterday, she casually mentioned to me that she had her best golf game ever the day before.

Hydrate... and then hydrate some more!

Hydration is essential to life!

Think about it…

Every human, every animal, every plant, every tree, every blade of grass needs water to survive. If it doesn’t get enough, it shrivels, dries up, and dies.

What does hydration have to do with stretching, you ask?

Where It is, It Ain’t: How the Point of Pain is Never the Source of Pain

“The point of pain is usually never the source.”

On my first journey to California searching for stretching guidance, research, and knowledge, my stretch workshop instructor said this to us as he began his session.

“That is crazy,” I thought.

So, if your back hurts, it’s not your back?

How could that be?

Feet: The Foundation Of Our Body

26 bones.

33 joints.

19 muscles.

100s of ligaments & tendons.

… are in each foot!

There are more of these in the foot than any other part of our body… and we put them in shoes all day!

In the “stretching world,” shoes are considered “coffins for your feet.”

Healing Your Body from the Inside: How My Stretch Student Avoided Foot Surgery

A student approached me this week with an incredible transformation story.

She told me she had suffered for years with foot pain.

She has had many visits to her podiatrist who only offers surgery as an option for treatment. She was determined not to have surgery, so she sought a different route.

One of those routes was Stretch Therapy. She has been attending my class for about 6 months now.

Health Tips, Stretch TherapyConnie WilliamsOctober 29, 2019

Yoga is NOT Stretching & Stretching is NOT Yoga!

Here’s why…

There is a big difference between yoga and stretching.

Yoga lovers, think of it like this: yoga & stretching are like yin & yang to each other—they are opposite forces that are complementary to each other.

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