Thursday, September 10, 2009

Stretching Tip #8 Keep Breathing

As mentioned in a previous post, breathing throughout your stretching sessions is absolutely necessary! The tendency is to hold your breath as you try and extend your stretch. In reality, exhaling helps you deepen the stretch or focus the stretch in the tightest area. I recently started doing Viniyoga and the breath is extremely important--the inhale helps to expand the chest, pull your ribs away from your belly and lengthen the spine which produces better posture. On the exhale, you tighten the belly while keeping the length in your spine--which helps you stabilize your core throughout the stretch. Whether you use this technique or some other breathing method, make sure you do it while you stretch.

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