I did some upper body stretching today. My journey with stre..
🕑 Added 2024-08-30 07:32:43 +0000 UTC
I did some upper body stretching today. My journey with stretching began 10 years ago when I started pole dancing. Over the years, I progressed from beginner-level stretching classes, where we followed a set list of stretches for a specific amount of time, to experimenting with active, passive, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, and fascial stretching. I used to push myself—sometimes too hard—to get flexible faster, but over time, I learned and evolved. Now, I draw from some or all of these techniques while exploring every possible range of motion I’m capable of. I first identify restrictions, then work on deepening the stretch through further exploration. No single session can address the entire body. I don’t practice with specific flexibility goals anymore; instead, I practice to feel better, prevent injuries, reduce mental and physical stress, and, most importantly, to get lost in the moment and the music. However, goals are great to have, so I’ll also share routines for splits. I’ve been brainstorming everything I want to share, the difficult concepts to explain, and what order to present them in, as some ideas overlap. This will take time to organize, so I will start with: Stretching September – Not only because it’s the easiest topic for me as I gather my thoughts on other aspects of the inward journey, but also for you. Actually, as I write this, I just realized how I’ll present everything. I’ll do it in the order things came into my life. So yes, stretching for sure to begin. And now, after that realization, I’m going to go harder than I initially planned because I believe stretching teaches patience, perseverance, and the discipline of relaxing through discomfort—skills that will be crucial in other practices and a skill that will seem easy compared to the mental gymnastics I want to later share with you. We’ll start easy with stretching and gradually progress to methods that will challenge you mentally and with some overlap with the month of October which will be Somatics. Again, this is a practice. You’ll notice benefits over the course of a month, but the mental aspect—learning what true relaxation is, especially through discomfort—surpasses the goal of improving flexibility. This will take time and dedication. October– Somatics November – Breathwork December – Meditation January – Bringing it all together February – Tantra In the meantime, I’ll share my own self-practices so you can get a sense of what’s to come. I’ll also post yoga practices and meditation sessions you can follow along with, if you’d like. Additionally, I’ll share biohacks, quotes, and highlight fascinating and inspiring people I’ve come across. 🧘🏻♂️
