How to Get the Most Out of Stretching (and Out of Life)!
by Mary Maddux for www.SixWise.com
Almost a year to the day from when stretching expert Jacques
Gauthier first visited my California town on his walk across
the US, he returned. He didn't look a day older, but he was
most definitely, as the saying goes, "a year wiser".
Having taught stretching to hundreds of people in Europe during
the past year, he has continued to refine his art.
"I love to teach stretching because it helps me learn
more about stretching", Jacques stated, explaining that
in the past year he has found how to make the stretching even
more effective.
As always, he tells people to move slowly into each stretch,
but now asks them to stop stretching at the first sign of
resistance.
"Your body knows its limits. If you try to stretch past
the point of resistance, the muscle will contract to protect
itself. As soon as one muscle contracts, all its neighbors
will contract as well." You may feel that you have to
push the body to stretch further, but in fact that only causes
the body to tighten up. Effective stretching comes from cooperating
with the body.
Jacques instructs students to hold the stretch once the point
of resistance is reached. During this time, they are instructed
to shift their attention to their breathing and count their
breaths -- "Start counting your breaths and before you
know it your muscles will naturally lengthen and your body
will go a little further in the stretch." When we do
not push our body, it relaxes and the stretching happens naturally.
(According to Jacques, holding a stretch for about 30 seconds
seems to bring the best results. You can time yourself to
find out how many breaths you naturally take in 30 seconds.
That way, rather than counting 30 seconds while holding the
stretch, you can count your breaths.)
Bringing Awareness to Your Breathing
When you bring your awareness to your breathing, it is not
possible to be caught up in your mind. Your focus is more
on your body. Not only is this relaxing, but it keeps you
from ignoring your body's signals. It is essential in stretching,
and in all we do, to pay attention to the messages from our
bodies.
When we listen to our body and give it what it needs, we
are rewarded with a pleasurable sense of well-being. Stretching,
when done properly, should feel good, and it will feel pleasurable
if we do not force the body to go beyond its limits.
This approach -- going to the point of resistance, stopping
and counting your breaths -- sounds so simple, but actually
doing it may not be so easy. In fact you may find that it
is quite difficult! Just try it and see if you can move slowly
into a stretch, notice the first sign of resistance and then
stop pushing. Chances are you'll start to stretch and before
you know it you've gone as far as you possibly can without
causing yourself great pain. All of a sudden you're past the
body's natural resistance and didn't even notice it happening.
Many of us are in the habit of pushing ourselves in a way
that is counter-productive, and our culture of "no pain,
no gain" reinforces this habit. We feel that success
will come through "overcoming" the natural limitations
of our bodies and minds rather than cooperating with them.
Jacques' new instruction in stretching is actually a lesson
in living.
Our bodies will not only tell us how far to stretch, but
what to eat, when to rest, etc. Our bodies are constantly
giving us vital information about how to care for ourselves,
but we need to learn to listen.
5 Reasons Why the "Stretching
Toward a Healthier Life" DVD by Jacques Gauthier
Gets SixWise.com's TOP Recommendation:
1.
It presents 15 stretches that stretch all the key
muscles groups throughout your entire body (something
we did not see with several other guides we reviewed)
2. It only takes about 15-20 minutes per day
total to do the complete stretching
3. Stretching expert and host Jacques Gauthier and
his wife Dorothee Lavoie demonstrate each stretch in
their entirety, including insights on what NOT to
do
4. In addition to stretching nearly 100% of the
muscles in your body, Gauthier chose 15 stretches
that you'll find actually feel good and are easy to
do (many stretches in other programs are not)
5. The production quality of the video and sound is
excellent. (Many other DVD productions on stretching
are not.)
6. (BONUS REASON: FREE SHIPPING
for a limited time no matter how many copies you order!)
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Our culture is so focused on productivity and performance
that we tend to drive ourselves in a way that causes stress,
injury and disease. Not only does this ultimately undermine
reaching our goals, it destroys our quality of life.
Enjoying Something Produces Better Results
The lesson we can learn from Jacques' method of stretching
is that doing things in a way that is relaxing and enjoyable
actually produces better results. Taking care of ourselves
-- physically, emotionally, and spiritually -- is the foundation
for true success, not to mention enjoyment, in life.
Stretching is a wonderful way to care for ourselves, and
practicing stretching in the way Jacques teaches is great
practice for enjoyable and successful living.
Jacques recently told me, "I try to get people to forget
about performance and to enjoy themselves. It's not important
how far you stretch compared to yesterday or compared to someone
else. It's not about performance. The body loves to move and
the activity of stretching gives the body the movement it
needs for health and well-being. The funny thing is you actually
will stretch further when you forget about performance. It
just happens naturally when you are relaxed."
So here's my challenge to you. Try stretching Jacques' way
-- go just to the point of resistance and count your breaths.
See what happens, and keep at it until you are having fun.
When you can stretch and really enjoy it, you've mastered
the art of stretching. When you can really enjoy life, with
all its inevitable ups and downs, you have mastered the art
of living!
A Recent Letter to Jacques and Dorothee Gaultier
about Their Top-Recommended Stretching Guide on DVD
Tue, 18 Apr 2006
Dorothee and Jacques,
"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart
for sharing this with the world!!!
Two years ago--January 6th--I fell from the top of
a cattle feeder (only about 10 feet most) and hit the
metal step of the tractor twice before ending face down
on frozen ground; I could not get up (due to a concussion)
and had to crawl fifty yards to the fence to pull myself
up and it took approximately 1 1/2 hours to eventually
make it another 150 yards to my truck to call my daughter
to come and close the gate before the cattle got out
of the lot.
I
could hardly move for the next week and could not sleep
well for the next 4 months. Chiropractors and massage
therapists only brought temporary relief. Three weeks
ago I was waiting for my daughter at my chiropractor's
office and came across an article from notebooks he
had put together for his patients to read...it was about
stretching and how it helps to slow the aging process
and relieve pain.
I ordered the DVD and have been doing the stretches
for about 3 weeks now...I HAVE NO PAIN IN MY LEFT HIP
AND THE RIGHT IS MUCH BETTER!!!! It was very hard (and
painful!!) at first, but each day is easier and I can
honestly feel/see improvement!!! Even my daughter, who
is a beautiful ballerina, is amazed at the improvement
of my flexibility in this short time and for some of
the stretches I am more flexible than she is! She has
had to take it very easy though, because she pulled
two muscles in the groin area in each leg recently and
it must heal before she can go all out for dance.
This is just so awesome it is hard to explain...but
you both know exactly what I mean!!!! I just had to
thank you and I so wish you would hold a conference
in the US particularly the Midwest, and specifically
the Kansas City Missouri area...Thank you again."
-- Susie White, Hardin, MO
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