(02) 8860 9430
Stretching
Stretching will expand your level of body awareness and help you to gain a deeper understanding of how you hold tension and stress within the body.
Free Your Movement
Our approach to Stretching
Everybody knows that they should stretch but often take the easy way out believing that it is just a quick preparation before they get into the real, physical component of their chosen sport or exercise.
Not taking the time to stretch properly before or after this physical activity is what can lead to injuries.
Stretching can be done by everybody. Young or old, athletic or not. There are multiple stretches for those of any flexibility, or those with re-occurring injuries. For those that sit behind a desk and have minimal movement throughout their day, to amateur athletes who feel tight after a workout or sporting event, stretching is an extremely beneficial way to keep the body in peak condition and feeling good.
Natural Balance uses the most effective stretching system known as Posture and Flexibility (P & F) created by Kit Laughlin. It is the safest, most efficient method to improve flexibility and unlike other forms of body maintenance you will see and feel positive results instantly.
This form of stretching uses a contract-relax technique which only needs to be done once a week. It will help to strengthen and re-pattern the muscles which will give you a wider range of movement and will increase your flexibility instantly.
Once in a comfortable stretch position the muscle is contracted or tensed to help you focus on the specific muscle that is being stretched. The contraction is held for a few seconds and then the stretch is increased.
Stretching will expand your level of body awareness and help you to gain a deeper
understanding of how you hold tension and stress within the body.
Understanding The
Benefits of Stretching
Aside from the sporting element of stretch, which is where most people associate it, having flexibility is a main part of our physical and mental wellbeing.
The advantages of stretching properly are countless:
- Improve mobility and flexibility: Improving flexibility improves the quality of how our body moves making everyday activities easier.
- Reduce chances of injury - Muscles that are overly tight or inflexible please greater strain of joints. Regular stretching reduces this pressure, decreasing the chances of injury.
- Improve Posture - Poor posture develops through repeated movements over time, for example; long periods of sitting. To change how our body holds itself, we need to change the demands we place on our body. Stretching helps to change poor movement patterns allowing our body to find it's natural balance.
- Improve Sports Performance - Improving range of motion will help us become more efficient and perform at our peak with less strain on our joints and muscles.
- Stress Relief - Chronic stress over time leads to increased muscle tension. In turn this increased muscle tension tells our brain we are in a stressful situation and to release more stress hormones. By releasing tight muscles we are also releasing the mental conditioning linked to that tension, leaving us feeling more relaxed and mentally clearer.
Regardless of your age or flexibility everybody wakes up of a morning, has a stretch and then they are ready to start their day. The most important part of stretching is that it makes us feel good. It opens us up, we breath deeper and we feel refreshed. It helps us to reconnect our mind to our body and to gain a deeper insight into ourselves and how we feel.
