You have done your workout, could either be running, hiking, HIIT, boxing or weightlifting, and you have been advised to stretch afterwards so you are not too sore the next day.
Your trainer or chiropractor has given you a few examples of stretches you can do, so you go to the gym, do your stretches but you are still sore the next day and no matter how often you “stretch” you mobility and flexibility have not improved.
Have you been focusing on your breathing? Have you learnt how to breath, especially when stretching, to get the best out of those 5-10minutes you spend each day on them?
Deep breathing will help you to relax into the stretch and make the best out of your stretching session. Studies show that breathing deeply while stretching will help your breathing and pulse rates to return to normal much more quickly after your workout.
What happens when we breath?
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, when we
breathe in, “the diaphragm presses downward on the internal organs and their associated blood vessels, squeezing the blood out of them. As we exhale, the abdomen, its organs and muscles, and their blood vessels flood with new blood. During stretching the increased blood flow to the stretched muscles improves their elasticity, and increases the rate at which lactic acid is purged from them”.
How do I breath while stretching?
When setting up for the stretch, you are going to breath in through the nose and into the diaphragm, filling your belly with air, not your lounges, this will allow for a deeper breath.
Once your muscles are tensed, as you perform the stretch, you are going to slowly release the breath through your nose and relaxing into that nice deep stretch.
You want to focus your attention on the sensation of a breath out, each time you stretch. That way you can enhance the body’s natural action to relax.
Why do I want to relax my body?
The stress of day to day life as well as imbalances in the body can cause tension on our muscles. Chronic stress can have both emotional and physiological impacts on our bodies in the long term.
When we focus on proper breathing technique, that is breathing from the diaphragm, we allow our bodies to activate out parasympathetic system and to shut off the fight or flight response.
Watch the following video if you want to learn more about breath techniques for stretching:
Written by Florencia Otano
References:
https://www.flxme.ca/blog/2020/9/15/relationship-between-stretching-and-breathing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Stretching and Flexibility: Breathing During Stretching
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