A common question I receive from new students is “how are you so flexible?”. When I was in elementary school I wanted to be able to do the splits. Every night while I watched TV I would practice by stretching several different ways, and eventually, I achieved my goal! This achievement did two things, it improved my overall ability to do all stretches, and taught me that if I set a challenging goal I can achieve it.
I still set stretching goals for my self to achieve through continued practice. I stretch every morning after I get out of bed, and multiple times a day while I teach classes. But not everyone can spend hours of their day touching their toes, so how can you become more flexible?
Set a goal for your self. It could be as simple as touching your ankles in pike stretch, or as challenging as touching your chest to the ground in a straddle. Then set aside 2 – 5 minutes every day to practice that one stretch. Practice a few different ways like seeing how long you can hold the position or have someone assist in your stretch. Since your already on the floor stretching you might as well do the other normal stretches from class right? If you want to be more flexible this is a great way to go about doing it!
See you guys in class!