Obviously I am too easily confused…once again, I am finding inconsistent use of terms throughout the yoga literature. Now it’s “strengthen” vs “stretch” that’s giving me headaches. Is it possible for the same movement to accomplish one or the other based on the way it’s done (ie contract and hold vs repetition)?
Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
Some poses are for stretching and some are for strengthening. Also depends on the style. I prefer the terms active and passive.
Many poses in Yin are passive, while the anusara philosophy encourages to always have muscles engaged even in passive poses.
Does this help?
Dynamic (repetitious) verses static (contract and hold) movement - These do have different effects. Dynamic repetitions move the muscle gradually and provide circulation in area which enhances a stretch, increases flexibility and can help prevent damage is performed correctly. Static posture where you hold yourself still for a length of time will increase strength over flexibility because the muscles are contracted and there is pressure and weight at play. These concepts are not isolated fixedly to each other though, as a dynamic posture also brings strength and you can hold yourself in a statically in a way which stretches the muscles out.
It should also be noted that function is not isolated to the pose or movement, as a posture can be tailored to strengthen or stretch depending on instruction from the teacher, and the capacity of your body. One can practice a static downward dog to strengthen the arms, legs, and back. One can also practice it in a passive way which focuses mostly on stretching. I don’t think that is always that case that literature is being inconsistent, it is just that many schools have preferences on the way that you practice, and their method determines whether the asana has a certain quality.
Thanks Suryadaya and JSK. I just wasn’t seeing it. I guess it’s mostly about identifying my goals more clearly before deciding how to do a pose.
I just want to add, that many yoga sources recommend to develop strength before developing flexibility…since excessive stretching can demadge joints and ligaments
Another point to mention is that you can stretch a muscle while it is passive and while it is active.
For example, when you are doing a standing forward fold, such as you would do to begin surya namaskar, your lower back and hamstring muscles need to work to hold the upper body up while bending forward. And at the same time, they will also move into a stretch. So essentially the hamstrings and lower back muscles are contracting and stretching at the same time.
Some believe that you cannot stretch a muscle while it is being contracted… others believe you can.
An example of a passive stretch is Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose). It’s passive because the muscles you are stretching, the hamstrings and lower back muscles, are not contracting while in the pose.
My experience in my own body is that both are beneficial. The first provides strength and tone to the muscle, while reinforcing length, while the second improves flexibility.