markuszellner

For the average level of body awareness in the classes I teach, the instruction to relax all muscles other than the antagonist of the muscle under stretch means very little. I have found that the instruction to stop the action that holds you out of the stretch means much more and is much more actionable. Even then there are some class participants who insist on having something to *do* (as opposed to *stop* doing). I have found humour and other positive distractions (like discussing the anatomy of the body part being stretched) are a very good way to circumvent the 'apprehension reflex' as are the use of supports (bolsters, blocks) to provide feedback. In partner stretching the apprehension reflex is reduced significantly if the assisting partner does not fidget and provides a persistent and insistent weight or force (good partnering is a crucial part of Stretch Therapy in my humble opinion). When all is said and done as a teacher the best you can do is provide a safe environment for effective stretching.

While reading this thread I was reminded strongly of the quote attributed to Antoine de Saint Exupéry. "It seems that perfection is attained, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away." While the quote is misinterpreted (at least originally by me) as encouraging minimalism I actually think that the quote encourages doing less and allowing the fundamental nature of things to exhibit themselves. The practical example is during class when performing particularly challenging hip flexor stretches. I have stopped encouraging people to do something to pull themselves further into the stretch and started to encourage people to stop doing whatever holds them out of the stretch and allowing themselves (giving themselves permission) to drop lower into the stretch. At the least people question *what* they are doing that prevents them from dropping further into the stretch. Eventually I hope that people figure out *why* they are doing the *what* that prevents them from dropping further into the stretch. In my own stretch practice this has made a significant difference to my range of motion as well as the sensation experienced during the stretch. While I have been at this stretching thing for quite a while now it still surprises me that I have only made these discoveries recently. But then again I am a slow learner ;-).