Flexibility

[suba]

Blessings,

This week I am meditating on flexibility and I thought it would be cool to see what the community had to say on this topic. The following three questions are the central focus of my week’s meditation:

[B]What are the benefits of being flexible? [/B]
[ul]
[li]Physically[/li][li]Emotionally[/li][li]Mentally[/li][li]Socially[/li][li]Energetically[/li][/ul]
[B]What are some things we can do to promote flexibility?[/B]
[B]What relationship is there between flexibility and the Eight Limbs of Yoga?[/B]
[ul]
[li]Does flexibility help us with Yama and Niyama? [/li][li]What about concentration, meditation, Samadhi?[/li][/ul]

If you have any other questions that can help draw out the importance of flexibility please add them to the discussion – the more we exchange ideas, thoughts, and experiences – the deeper our practices get.
[B]

Here are a few things I have found to help encourage flexibility:[/B]

[ul]
[li]Stretching at least once if not twice a day[/li][li]Drinking a healthy amount of water [/li][li]Making sure the joints are lubricated and loved![/li][li]Warming up the body[/li][li]Holding the stretch for 30 seconds to a few minutes[/li][li]Pushing into the threshold[/li][li]Breathing into the muscles and breathing out while letting the tension go[/li][li]Deep breathing[/li][li]Moving into and out of the movements/postures slowly[/li][li]Massaging the muscles[/li][li]Rubbing the muscles while in the asana to increase the energy and blood flow[/li][li]Slow and gentle rocking [/li][li]Slight alterations while in the asana to stretch the different fibers of the muscles[/li][li]Move into the stretch until the point of tension and then tightening the muscles while breathing in, then as we exhale we release the tension while slowly moving deeper into the stretch – repeating this process until we reach the point of no more. We do this exercise slowly, respecting and listening to our bodies to ensure that we do not hurt ourselves.[/li][li]Eating good stuff for muscles and joints.[/li][li]Time of day will determine when our muscles are most receptive to stretching and when they are more resistant. For instance, in the morning our muscles are tighter. If we move right into a stretch without warming the muscles it can actually have adverse effects on our muscle fibers. [/li][li]Be attentive and aware of the process – visualizing the muscles relaxing, loosening, and becoming more flexible. We set our mind and will towards this end and it happens: imagine that! [/li][li]Getting enough sleep.[/li][li]Work with different asanas that stretch the same muscle but in subtly different ways rather than stick with just one asana.[/li][li]Do counter stretches to encourage the muscles overall health.[/li][li]End with relaxation: the most awesomest savasana![/li][/ul]
[B]What else can we do to promote flexibility?[/B]

Blessings Be…

[Fixed]

Pushing into the threshold might be better put …to surrender to the pose imho
Best of luck to you …I remember the most enlightened yogi I ever met could not touch his toes
cheers and namaste
Imho a mindful practice will result in flexibility as well as a deeper understanding of yourself it is a side effect of yoga

[kyogagirl64]

Suba, nice post on flexibility. I do have a question, how does one make sure that the joints are well lubricated? I try to be gentle and warm up the joints before practice, I drink a lot of water. Is this what you mean by lubricating joints? Thanks

[suba]

Blessings,

I am with you Fixed ? some of the most enlightened people I’ve met were not only unable to touch their toes, they did not practice yoga. I agree that physical flexibility is not a prerequisite for yoga ? as I said in an earlier post ? asanas are not necessary for yoga at all: Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, et cetera. And yet, I believe flexibility is important in all of them.

Kyogagirl64: drinking water, warming up the joints, including omega-3’s and other essential minerals, gentle exercises, massage muscles connected to joints, rub joints to heat them up, do joint rotation exercises, hot castor oil packs, ginger tea, and most of all ? loving them are all beneficial in joint health! I hope that answers you question. I found just paying attention, honoring, and giving them a little energy goes a long way?

[B]Inviting Flexibility[/B]
[ul]
[li]I like Fixed’s idea of surrendering to the pose
[/li][li]Another one I think is really important is to rest between intense asanas ? beyond the fact that this helps avoid stressing the joints, it also benefits the muscles by stabilizing the energy and blood flow.
[/li][/ul]

Blessings Be?

[Fixed]

Very nice post suba ,
loving ourselves and listening
to our bodies is important
Compassion to oneself
is a beautiful act .
Cheers

[suba]

Blessings,

Here are a few things i have learned about the benefits of physical flexibility:

? Helps the body (muscles, joints, bones, etc.) deal with and absorb shock, pressure, twisting, strain, weight, etc?
? Helps keep us physically balanced and to be balanced
? Slows down the negative effects of the body aging
? Helps mobility and increases range of motion in joints
? Helps lubricate joints
? Improves posture
? Helps regulate, tone, and invigorate body which in turn increase energy flow and overall energy
? Increases our ability to be present in whatever position we are in
? Invites being comfortable in our bodies
? Relieves pain, stagnation, sore muscles, etc.
? Strengthens immunity
? Systems of the body coordinate and function/work better together
? Helps with weight lose by burning calories, decreasing appetite, slimming the muscles, etc…
? Preventing unwholesome adhesion of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, etc?
? Helps soften fascia
? Increase mineral, nutritional, and oxygen absorption
? Improves body coordination
? Helps the body relax. Helps relieve tension.
? Helps us sleep.
? Increases spine buoyancy and movement
? Tones, stimulates, and strengthens digestion
? Stimulates and regulates the lymph and nervous systems
? Enhances quality of life
? Helps with muscle alignment
? Helps increase blood flow to the brain
? Stimulates and massages the internal organs
? Helps open the ear canal
? Improves liver function
? Regulate bowel movements
? Invites fluidity of movement
? Gives us spring in our step
? And of course ? Just feels good!

Blessings Be…

[suba]

Blessings,

Here are a few benefits of emotional flexibility:

[ul]
[li]Increases our ability to deal with the ups and downs of life ? softens the sharpness of life.
[/li][li]Keeps things fresh.
[/li][li]Helps us be present with our feelings.
[/li][li]Opens us to our depths.
[/li][li]Invites newness, spontaneity, and wonder.
[/li][li]Helps shift our way of relating, interacting, and connecting with the world.
[/li][li]Gives room for reacting in new ways to the same old things.
[/li][li]Improves our ability to integrate multiple emotional experiences, even those emotions in opposition to each other.
[/li][li]Strengthens our ability to deal with failure, loss, disappointment, and alterations in our perfect universes, etc…
[/li][li]Increases our ability to let things go.
[/li][li]Deepens our relationship with ourselves and others.
[/li][li]Widens our experience of the world.
[/li][li]Helps keep us balanced.
[/li][li]Teaches us the subtleties of emotions and their many colorful variations.
[/li][li]Improves our interactions with others.
[/li][li]Guides us towards utilizing emotions instead of being used by them.
[/li][li]Improves self-esteem.
[/li][li]Strengthens our immunity ? feeling good is a good thing!
[/li][li]Helps us relax.
[/li][li]Helps us sleep.
[/li][li]Enhances quality of life just as physical flexibility does.
[/li][li]Being able to move deeper into an emotion without it breaking us or having negative reactions because of it.
[/li][li]Helps us prevent scaring, tears, or storing these emotional traumas in the unconsciousness.
[/li][li]More tolerant and understanding of other people?s emotions.
[/li][li]Feel better about ourselves ? enjoy our lives more.
[/li][li]Able to get over emotional upsets quicker.
[/li][li]Things that upset us before no longer upset us.
[/li][li]Life becomes less scary, more tolerable, more exciting, and more beautiful.
[/li][li]Less stressed, less tense, less anxious!
[/li][/ul]
Blessings Be…

[suba]

Blessings,

Here are a few benefits of mental flexibility:

[ul]
[li]Helps strengthen the will
[/li][li]Helps with focus
[/li][li]Invites patience, perseverance, and endurance
[/li][li]Increases our capacity to let go
[/li][li]Weakens the obsessive mind
[/li][li]Encourages listening to, hearing, and considering multiple different perspectives
[/li][li]Helps keep us mentally balanced
[/li][li]Improves our ability to be present
[/li][li]Strengthens immunity
[/li][li]Helps us be flexible in other dimensions of our lives
[/li][li]Improves comprehension
[/li][li]Helps us relax
[/li][li]Helps us fall asleep and sleep deeper and more fully
[/li][li]Enhances quality of life
[/li][li]Invites clarity of mind
[/li][li]Decreases the amount and intensity of thoughts
[/li][li]Improves memory
[/li][li]Increases insight
[/li][li]Encourage learning ? even in horrible circumstances
[/li][li]Improves our outlook of life
[/li][li]Helps us learn about ourselves and what we really want in life
[/li][li]Weakens attachments, desires, fears, addictions, etc?
[/li][li]Helps us define ourselves
[/li][li]Decreases the likelihood of being dogmatic, rigid, judgmental, etc?
[/li][li]Helps us feel, understand, work with, and use prana more efficiently
[/li][li]Increases our ability and desire to learn and expand our world view
[/li][li]We tend to integrate more with other philosophies, religions, systems of thought, practices, etc?
[/li][li]More aware of the mind when it wanders and being able to bring it back
[/li][li]Helps us listen to the inner voice
[/li][li]Increases our ability to follow trains of thought
[/li][li]Ability to see from different perspectives
[/li][li]Less caught up in the mind
[/li][li]Handle stress, pressure, and life?s many u-turns better
[/li][li]Be able to sink into the mind better
[/li][li]The mind rests more
[/li][/ul]
Blessings Be…