For alternative info on stretching Refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretching
I think I've found some way to help in the full stretch...
By making a slight change in technique combined with a combination of asanas may help to reduce pain totally and effort and possibly time also....
I've worked out the preliminary theory right now.... and applied it to paschimottanasan and mandukasana
Some key factors are Anatomical:
A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone as in your ham-string.
A ligament joins one bone to another bone as in your knee.
Fascia connect muscles to other muscles.
Tendons, ligaments and fascia are all made of collagen.
Example:
1) In a thigh flex the tendons and muscles in the thigh bicep work together with tricep tendons and muscles. The bicep contracts and the tricep elongates.
2) In a leg extension the opposite happens with the bicep elongating and the tricep contracting. This generates a pulling force extending the entire leg.
1) Removing stiffness:
Getting the Initial "Play" in joints i.e. stretching the ligaments (not muscles)
2) Stretching the muscles and
Using the Lever Principle (increasing stretching limits)
3) Using the Right Asana Combinations (for full range of flexibility)
Q1) Why are Joints stiff?
Short Answer - Due to shortened Tendons!
[Getting the Initial Play]
A Stiff Joint is held together by atrophied/shortened/inflexible Tendons.
This is similar to the cartilage that forms the Outer ear. Flexible to quite an extent.
But be careful as obviously its not "as" flexible as the ear!!
1) Take the example of a tree branch that you want to snap off.
It usually makes sense to bend it at the joint to the main trunk.
Some branches are dry and brittle and snap off with a snap.
But for our purposes imagine that this branch is tawny/unbending.
In such a case you try to weaken the joint by bending it in all 360 degrees.
If you only bend it in one direction you won't get the "give/play".
But you can increase the "play" by bending in all directions.
Once you get some freedom of movement the "play" becomes easier and easier to achieve.
2) Imagine a rusty nail which is stuck in the wall. You put oil to moisten the cement particles and then remove as much cement round it as possible. Then you try to bent the nail and rotate it in 360 degreess to free up the grip of the cement. Though you don't want to literally do this in case of your body.... I hope you get the basic analogy to loosen up and get play in atrophied tendons.
3) Imagine a joint made up of hard/stiff rubber strips.
These rubber strip joints connect 2 rods/bones.
The idea is to create a slight play in the Tendon, this gives us the ability to use the Lever Principle to increase the play in the Tendon.
To create the initial play go through entire range of motion in the joint i.e forward, backward and sideways bends. Taking turns at increasing give in the atrophied tendon. Mostly we concentrate on forward/backward bend ignoring the side stretch. If we also do the side stretch it gives a bit more additional play in the other stretches.
This is a non-linear process so you'll see the stretch becoming very easy suddenly with previous average stretching improvements.
Doing so without pain requires:
1) Minimum and focused use of force
This suggests a very gentle but strict method.
2) Use so-hum breathings to gently make the entire body expand and contract. You'll observe that in a fully relaxed position at the point of maximum tension in the stretch, the very act of breathing in and out will transmit extra stretch to the stretched muscles. Doing so for a few minutes will stretch the muscles to higher limits.
[Using the Lever Principle]
Ok. So now we've got enough play in the tendons to try for more stretching.
Let's take the example of a Equilateral Triangle for Paschimottanasana.
Keep back straight with Head thrown as far back as possible. This automatically makes your back straight and rigid
Mostly problem is when you move away from the strict triangle required to get the stretch.
Either you bend the back or bend the knee or bend the elbows. If you avoid any bends in these areas and only allow a bend in the tail bone area "S2" it will totally stretch the ham-strings "S3" area. Imagine that the rest of the body "S1", "S4", "S5" is made of flat and hard wooden boards.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever
[Focusing and limiting Stretch in precise muscles with different asanas]
1) Sarvangasana - increases body temp. and length-wise flexibility
2) Halasana - stretches the spine from neck to tail bone.
3) Bhoonamana padmasana - stretches thighs and coccyx area.
4) Dropping a Leg on the side while lying on back - stretch the outer thighs
Lying forward on single folded thigh with other leg extending bacward.
5) Mandukasana - stretches inner thighs.
6) Janu Shirasana - stretches hamstrings.
7) Trikonasana - stretches entire inner legs.
8) Paschimottanasan - stretches entire hamstrings.
I think I've found some way to help in the full stretch...
By making a slight change in technique combined with a combination of asanas may help to reduce pain totally and effort and possibly time also....
I've worked out the preliminary theory right now.... and applied it to paschimottanasan and mandukasana
Some key factors are Anatomical:
A tendon (or sinew) is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone as in your ham-string.
A ligament joins one bone to another bone as in your knee.
Fascia connect muscles to other muscles.
Tendons, ligaments and fascia are all made of collagen.
Example:
1) In a thigh flex the tendons and muscles in the thigh bicep work together with tricep tendons and muscles. The bicep contracts and the tricep elongates.
2) In a leg extension the opposite happens with the bicep elongating and the tricep contracting. This generates a pulling force extending the entire leg.
1) Removing stiffness:
Getting the Initial "Play" in joints i.e. stretching the ligaments (not muscles)
2) Stretching the muscles and
Using the Lever Principle (increasing stretching limits)
3) Using the Right Asana Combinations (for full range of flexibility)
Q1) Why are Joints stiff?
Short Answer - Due to shortened Tendons!
[Getting the Initial Play]
A Stiff Joint is held together by atrophied/shortened/inflexible Tendons.
This is similar to the cartilage that forms the Outer ear. Flexible to quite an extent.
But be careful as obviously its not "as" flexible as the ear!!
1) Take the example of a tree branch that you want to snap off.
It usually makes sense to bend it at the joint to the main trunk.
Some branches are dry and brittle and snap off with a snap.
But for our purposes imagine that this branch is tawny/unbending.
In such a case you try to weaken the joint by bending it in all 360 degrees.
If you only bend it in one direction you won't get the "give/play".
But you can increase the "play" by bending in all directions.
Once you get some freedom of movement the "play" becomes easier and easier to achieve.
2) Imagine a rusty nail which is stuck in the wall. You put oil to moisten the cement particles and then remove as much cement round it as possible. Then you try to bent the nail and rotate it in 360 degreess to free up the grip of the cement. Though you don't want to literally do this in case of your body.... I hope you get the basic analogy to loosen up and get play in atrophied tendons.
3) Imagine a joint made up of hard/stiff rubber strips.
These rubber strip joints connect 2 rods/bones.
The idea is to create a slight play in the Tendon, this gives us the ability to use the Lever Principle to increase the play in the Tendon.
To create the initial play go through entire range of motion in the joint i.e forward, backward and sideways bends. Taking turns at increasing give in the atrophied tendon. Mostly we concentrate on forward/backward bend ignoring the side stretch. If we also do the side stretch it gives a bit more additional play in the other stretches.
This is a non-linear process so you'll see the stretch becoming very easy suddenly with previous average stretching improvements.
Doing so without pain requires:
1) Minimum and focused use of force
This suggests a very gentle but strict method.
2) Use so-hum breathings to gently make the entire body expand and contract. You'll observe that in a fully relaxed position at the point of maximum tension in the stretch, the very act of breathing in and out will transmit extra stretch to the stretched muscles. Doing so for a few minutes will stretch the muscles to higher limits.
[Using the Lever Principle]
Ok. So now we've got enough play in the tendons to try for more stretching.
Let's take the example of a Equilateral Triangle for Paschimottanasana.
Keep back straight with Head thrown as far back as possible. This automatically makes your back straight and rigid
Mostly problem is when you move away from the strict triangle required to get the stretch.
Either you bend the back or bend the knee or bend the elbows. If you avoid any bends in these areas and only allow a bend in the tail bone area "S2" it will totally stretch the ham-strings "S3" area. Imagine that the rest of the body "S1", "S4", "S5" is made of flat and hard wooden boards.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever
[Focusing and limiting Stretch in precise muscles with different asanas]
1) Sarvangasana - increases body temp. and length-wise flexibility
2) Halasana - stretches the spine from neck to tail bone.
3) Bhoonamana padmasana - stretches thighs and coccyx area.
4) Dropping a Leg on the side while lying on back - stretch the outer thighs
Lying forward on single folded thigh with other leg extending bacward.
5) Mandukasana - stretches inner thighs.
6) Janu Shirasana - stretches hamstrings.
7) Trikonasana - stretches entire inner legs.
8) Paschimottanasan - stretches entire hamstrings.
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