Be Flexible. Be Free.
"Inhale the Future, Exhale the Past. Do it now to be free" -
Breath may as well be a subheading for today's episode because during this post I will also be talking about how important it is to be aware of the breath.
However in this edition of Yin Yoga, or passive stretching, I will be outlining and demonstrating how to easily perform the Needle stretch, or Needling.
This is 1 out of only 2 of the most beneficial precursory exercises for full front splits and beyond. The other focuses in more on the front of the leg, going deeper into stretching that area. This is done against a vertical surface behind ones back leg, and I will cover this in the next installment.
I will include two versions of me performing Needling. Here is my first warm up:
As you can see the primary idea of the Needle Stretch is to stagger various angles. I may perform one stretch with the front leg extended at 40 degrees, then at 90, 130 and even as close to the floor as 160 degrees. After that it is right down to 180 degrees where both legs are horizontally parallel with the floor in full frontal splits. You can include more increments or less, it’s entirely up to you. Experiment and see for yourself.
I like to place my hands to the side of me every now and then to even my posture, to re-balance and also to push forward so that my back leg is pushed into the floor more. This calibration allows for a more effective stretch. Try it and you will see what I mean. When you get lower however it is just the body weight alone that will be all that can make you go deeper. The hands can still be used to even up the posture and re-balance.
You can also use yoga blocks if you cannot move the front leg too far in an obtuse angle (past 90 degrees). They are helpful for the extra height and balance. They can be picked up on Amazon for a few pounds or bucks: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yoga-Blocks/b?ie=UTF8&node=671760011
I also like to add a Back Bend while Needling. This can be seen better in the following video. I can reach backward with arms outstretched, tilting the head and spine as far back as possible, using the arms as weight to pull my torso back and down. I also sometimes lean forward as well. This shifts the focus of the stretch to the hamstrings or back/underside of the leg that is facing forward out in front of you.
Here is the second video of me doing these stretches with more light and from a different angle:
There is only so much I can say about this stretch, and I think I have covered all the main points surrounding the stretch itself sufficiently. When I was looking to see what the best exercises were I just at observed closely what people were doing and then tried it for myself.
After you have been training your flexibility for a while your body awareness will increase as you get to know your body on deeper and deeper levels, then what I talk about will just be obvious and part of your being naturally.
Generally, after you have been stretching for some time it is possible to feel the muscles you are stretching very acutely. If one pays close attention, one can see how slight changes in posture and breathing go a long way toward getting a deeper stretch and thus more from ones practice. This brings me to the topic of breathing.
Cultivating the Breath
It is vital to always be aware of the breath. Try to focus on breathing through the nose, being conscious of each inhalation and each exhalation. I really cannot emphasis how much easier and enjoyable it becomes one you can do this easily. It may take some getting used to. But after some time your body will start to breathe in long, even, deep breathes during practice, mostly through nose and although you will be aware of it, it will be happening in the background without conscious effort needing to be applied.
It is even possible to become aware of every breath throughout the day. If you are aware of your breath you are far less likely to be swayed by negative thoughts, feelings and emotions and as a result the physical constitution becomes robust, full of vitality.
Developing ones breath is an ongoing journey. I am always surprised about how much more I can breathe. How much more it pervades my being. You see breathe is not just something to be forgotten about. It is something to be exhilarated by and nurtured carefully. You may have heard people say they get high of life or the breath alone. It is very true. Proper breathing allows the body to relax deeper so that one can experience a greater energy flow in ones being and become 'blissed out'.
Furthermore, ones breath is not just the lungs, mouth and nose and associated tubes that connect them. It is much more than that. Breath extends through the whole body. There is a term called ‘whole body breathing’. This is where you experience you breath permeating throughout the entire body, noticing how it moves, where it expands, where it contracts, how its flows around the muscles and joints.
Breath is very subtle. Our entire being is very subtle. So exercises that are as low impact and done in the most conscious way are the most preferable for becoming more relaxed and balanced. Yin Yoga as passive stretching is perfect for this. I hope you will join me in future episodes where I will explore more flexibility training methods.
If you would like to view previous installments to this series then they are available here:
https://steemit.com/life/@onesunbeingnow/yin-yoga-passive-stretching-part-1-the-best-way-to-front-bend
https://steemit.com/life/@onesunbeingnow/yin-yoga-a-precursive-essay-to-a-practical-series
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