Stretching & Strengthening Options
Strengthening lats, traps. pecs... with resistance band
Resistance bands are a wonderfully convenient way of toning & strengthening. All we need is ourselves, a resistance band and something to connect them to, which can simply be our own body.
I love including them along with my core tai chi, zhan zhuang & bagua qigong processes.
The kind of strengthening they help create is a welcome balancing compliment.
Resistance bands are a wonderfully convenient way of toning & strengthening. All we need is ourselves, a resistance band and something to connect them to, which can simply be our own body.
I love including them along with my core tai chi, zhan zhuang & bagua qigong processes.
The kind of strengthening they help create is a welcome balancing compliment.
A simple traction - stretch option using a resistance band.
A simple traction - stretch option using a resistance band.
One way to create traction by looping a resistance band.
One way to create traction by looping a resistance band.
A few traction options for shoulders, pectorals, neck, lats...
using a resistance band.
A few traction options for shoulders, pectorals, neck, lats... using a resistance band.
These help release tight, overly contracted muscles & fascia of shoulders, chest - pectorals, neck, latissimus dorsi, intercostals.
This video is sped up over 4x. Allow yourself plenty of time to release, relax & open. Minutes per release position is great.
Ahhhh.....
These help release tight, overly contracted muscles & fascia of shoulders, chest - pectorals, neck, latissimus dorsi, intercostals.
This video is sped up over 4x. Allow yourself plenty of time to release, relax & open. Minutes per release position is great.
Ahhhh.....
A few fascial & muscle release options using a foam roller.
Warming / cooling pads provide some additional nurturing support.
Hip adductor & root strengthening with resistance band.
Hip adductor & root strengthening with resistance band💙☯️
Integrating an additional way of nourishing a strong grounding root with earth, strengthening adductors, refining smooth movement with slow focused controlled movement.
Slow, controlled movement helps hone focus, mind - body unity and sensitivity.
So it's not technically tai chi, bagua, zhan zhuang qigong.
But what is core is essence, not rigid clinging to dogmatic ideas & rigid limiting definitions.
We have a body & consciousness to nurture in whatever ways are helpful, harmonious, honest, healthfully pleasurable & we enjoy.
Variation strengthening lats, triceps, biceps, pectorals...with a resistance band.
Downward slanting brush knee push resistance band flow.
Downward slanting brush knee push resistance band flow.
Using a resistance band to help strengthen root, pectoral, anterior deltoid, abdominal obliques.... A variation of tai chi brush knee
Using a resistance band to help strengthen root, pectoral, anterior deltoid, abdominal obliques.... A variation of tai chi brush knee
A basic anterior hip opening, glute strengthening option.
Sitting long hours? Tight psoas? Weak glutes?
This basic movement helps tone the gluteal ( butt ) muscles, release constricted anterior hips, support standing stability among other benefits.
Can do this without the resistance band, of course.
Avoid arching the lumbar area. Focus on using glutes, not the hamstrings.
This basic movement helps tone the gluteal ( butt ) muscles, release constricted anterior hips, support standing stability among other benefits.
Can do this without the resistance band, of course.
Avoid arching the lumbar area. Focus on using glutes, not the hamstrings.
A few anterior hip, psoas tension releasing options.
Most people tend to be tight, contracted in the anterior hip, chest & shoulder areas. Partly from much time spent sitting, and posture lapses while looking at phones, holding babies, reading and many other activities involving forward movement and posture.
Some causes of lower back pain, hip pain, even discomfort & tension in other areas from compensation, can involve psoas, anterior hip & thigh fascia & muscles being overly contracted & tight. Sometimes that is also caused by weakness in those areas, in which case strengthening these muscles is as important as stretching for balance.
This video shows a few simple options for opening & releasing fascial & muscular contraction in psoas and anterior hip & thigh region.
Some causes of lower back pain, hip pain, even discomfort & tension in other areas from compensation, can involve psoas, anterior hip & thigh fascia & muscles being overly contracted & tight. Sometimes that is also caused by weakness in those areas, in which case strengthening these muscles is as important as stretching for balance.
This video shows a few simple options for opening & releasing fascial & muscular contraction in psoas and anterior hip & thigh region.
Open chest, pectoral & deltoid muscles & fascia 💗.
Simple as these stretches may be, they are very supportive of maintaining healthy alignment and resolving & preventing some causes of neck, shoulder, back, chest & hip excess tension & pain.
Breathing can deepen, partly through increasing mobility through ribs, diaphragm & chest.
Allow at least a minute to release in each stretch position.
And explore variations of angles of your stretching arm and hand position being externally or internally rotated.
Generally externally rotating while stretching arm will provide more stretch - lengthening of pectorals and anterior deltoid. And biceps brachii to an extent.
Breathing can deepen, partly through increasing mobility through ribs, diaphragm & chest.
Allow at least a minute to release in each stretch position.
And explore variations of angles of your stretching arm and hand position being externally or internally rotated.
Generally externally rotating while stretching arm will provide more stretch - lengthening of pectorals and anterior deltoid. And biceps brachii to an extent.
Hip adductor strengthening & hip opening options.
A couple thigh adductor strengthening exercises & a hip opener option. These can help balance an overly tight iliotibial band, prevent & release some causes of low back, hip & thigh pain.
Anterior Hip Opening & Adductor Strengthening Option.
Anterior hip opener, abductor & adductor strengthening exercise.
These can help balance overly tight & shortened hip flexor muscles & fascia, tight & long hamstrings, prevent & release some causes of low back, hip & thigh pain.
Especially useful if sitting for long periods of time & often.
Just stretching hip flexors is only part of what is useful if they are short & tight. Equally useful is to nurture strong hip extensors, gluteus medius & maximus. And strong thigh adductors & abductors.
Make sure to not fall into using lower back muscles or hamstrings as primary mover. Instead prioritize using gluteus ( butt ) muscles.
These can help balance overly tight & shortened hip flexor muscles & fascia, tight & long hamstrings, prevent & release some causes of low back, hip & thigh pain.
Especially useful if sitting for long periods of time & often.
Just stretching hip flexors is only part of what is useful if they are short & tight. Equally useful is to nurture strong hip extensors, gluteus medius & maximus. And strong thigh adductors & abductors.
Make sure to not fall into using lower back muscles or hamstrings as primary mover. Instead prioritize using gluteus ( butt ) muscles.
A few hip opening exercises.
An anterior hip opening exercise. Mostly 1 anterior hip opening, 1 lumbar, gluteus maximus & minimus opening & a hip adductor passive opening option. Gluteal strengthening & hip opening option.
With the 2nd exercise, keeping posterior pelvis more horizontal with floor and bringing leg down & over focuses stretch more into piriformis. If bringing leg over in such a way that pelvis on stretching side rises up, the stretch will focus more in the lumbar area.
These exercises can help balance overly tight & shortened hip flexor muscles & fascia, tight & long hamstrings, prevent & release some causes of low back, hip & thigh pain.
Especially useful if sitting for long periods of time & often.
Just stretching hip flexors is only part of what is useful if they are short & tight.
Equally useful is to nurture strong hip extensors, gluteus medius & maximus.
Make sure to not fall into using lower back muscles or hamstrings as primary mover of the bridging movement.
Prioritize using gluteus ( butt ) muscles.
With the 2nd exercise, keeping posterior pelvis more horizontal with floor and bringing leg down & over focuses stretch more into piriformis. If bringing leg over in such a way that pelvis on stretching side rises up, the stretch will focus more in the lumbar area.
These exercises can help balance overly tight & shortened hip flexor muscles & fascia, tight & long hamstrings, prevent & release some causes of low back, hip & thigh pain.
Especially useful if sitting for long periods of time & often.
Just stretching hip flexors is only part of what is useful if they are short & tight.
Equally useful is to nurture strong hip extensors, gluteus medius & maximus.
Make sure to not fall into using lower back muscles or hamstrings as primary mover of the bridging movement.
Prioritize using gluteus ( butt ) muscles.
Nourishing healthy loving sensual embodiment ☯️💙.
Nourishing healthy loving sensual embodiment.
Slowing down & focusing on being honestly, appreciatively unitively present & feeling in & with our whole being nourishes loving, authentic harmonious embodiment.
Feeling ourselves as a channel between earth & expansive spaciousness, we embody natural divinity.
Slowing down & focusing on being honestly, appreciatively unitively present & feeling in & with our whole being nourishes loving, authentic harmonious embodiment.
Feeling ourselves as a channel between earth & expansive spaciousness, we embody natural divinity.
Glute strengthening. Relief of low back, hip pain & long periods of sitting ☯️💙.
Sitting often? Low back pain? Weak glutes?
This option helps strengthen glute medius & maximus. Helps improve hip stability & balance.
Balances postural conditioning from frequent sitting and hip flexion.
Avoid arching & relying on lower back muscles.
Use glute maximus & medius to raise legs to horizontal.
Then slowly abduct outward to the sides & adduct back to midline. Repeating for a minute or longer.
If you feel lumbar - lower back pain, make sure you are not arching your lower back. Use your glutes to control - move legs.
This option helps strengthen glute medius & maximus. Helps improve hip stability & balance.
Balances postural conditioning from frequent sitting and hip flexion.
Avoid arching & relying on lower back muscles.
Use glute maximus & medius to raise legs to horizontal.
Then slowly abduct outward to the sides & adduct back to midline. Repeating for a minute or longer.
If you feel lumbar - lower back pain, make sure you are not arching your lower back. Use your glutes to control - move legs.
Nourishing strong & pliable feet option.
A couple simple, effective options to help develop & maintain strong, pliable feet. And feet arches.
Weakness, imbalances, flat arches, stiffness in feet can contribute to postural & muscular imbalances, pain & inefficient movement throughout the body. This can help maintain strong & pliable muscles & fascia in feet.
Thereby also contributing to healthy posture & movement of whole body.
The 1 leg standing twirling towel is partly playfulness, but is also useful in nurturing balance & strong & flexible feet.
Weakness, imbalances, flat arches, stiffness in feet can contribute to postural & muscular imbalances, pain & inefficient movement throughout the body. This can help maintain strong & pliable muscles & fascia in feet.
Thereby also contributing to healthy posture & movement of whole body.
The 1 leg standing twirling towel is partly playfulness, but is also useful in nurturing balance & strong & flexible feet.
A few more options nourishing strong & pliable feet & ankles.
A few more simple, effective options to help develop & maintain strong, pliable feet & ankles.
Torso, lats, chest, neck-back, shoulder & hip pain release option.
Torso, lats, chest, neck-back, shoulder & hip pain release option.
These stretches help release overly contracted - painfully tight pectoral, latissimus dorsi, intercostal, teres major & minor, anterior deltoid & infraspinatus muscles & fascia. And to a degree some hip & lumbar contraction through fascial release.
This helps release & prevent some causes of hip, back, shoulder & neck excess tension & pain. And related headaches.
It also facilitates fuller, easier contraction & expansion of rib cage and breathing.
Enjoy opening into each for a few minutes at least. Exploring variations in angles to more fully focus in specific areas benefiting from release.
The deer do what they want.
These stretches help release overly contracted - painfully tight pectoral, latissimus dorsi, intercostal, teres major & minor, anterior deltoid & infraspinatus muscles & fascia. And to a degree some hip & lumbar contraction through fascial release.
This helps release & prevent some causes of hip, back, shoulder & neck excess tension & pain. And related headaches.
It also facilitates fuller, easier contraction & expansion of rib cage and breathing.
Enjoy opening into each for a few minutes at least. Exploring variations in angles to more fully focus in specific areas benefiting from release.
The deer do what they want.
TFL stretch. Foam rolling is not a cure-all.
Tight hips, it band, hip & knee pain? Foam rolling everything is not always the helpful answer.
Foam rolling, using massage tools & pounding away on iliotibial band is something many people assume will help and try to use to resolve hip & thigh pain.
Sometimes some people will attack the iliotibial band with deep pressure, massage guns & foam rolling. However the iliotibial band is mostly dense fascia connective tissue. With the actual musclular portion of the tensor fascia latae connecting at the top anterior - lateral portion of pelvic bone and the gluteus maximus posteriorly.
Using foam rolling & percussive tools on the iliotibial band can aggravate it, creating more pain, soreness, inflammation and tension than it resolves.
Focusing massage, stretching, strengthening, foam rolling & using tennis balls into the muscles rather than the dense fascial it band will usually provide more effective treatment. Especially focusing on the tfl, gluteus maximus and gluteus medius. And strengthening the gluteus maximus & medius.
Foam rolling, using massage tools & pounding away on iliotibial band is something many people assume will help and try to use to resolve hip & thigh pain.
Sometimes some people will attack the iliotibial band with deep pressure, massage guns & foam rolling. However the iliotibial band is mostly dense fascia connective tissue. With the actual musclular portion of the tensor fascia latae connecting at the top anterior - lateral portion of pelvic bone and the gluteus maximus posteriorly.
Using foam rolling & percussive tools on the iliotibial band can aggravate it, creating more pain, soreness, inflammation and tension than it resolves.
Focusing massage, stretching, strengthening, foam rolling & using tennis balls into the muscles rather than the dense fascial it band will usually provide more effective treatment. Especially focusing on the tfl, gluteus maximus and gluteus medius. And strengthening the gluteus maximus & medius.
2 basic adductor openers. Can help relieve hip tension.
2 basic adductor openers. Can help relieve hip tension.
One cause of hip tension & pain, including in the periformis muscle(s), is tight hip abductors. Of course there can be other causes. This is just one.
When hip adductors are overly contracted & tight, they can cause hip external rotaters like the periformis to be overly stretched. Which creates discomfort & strain often felt in the hip, thigh area.
These 2 inner thigh opening variations help release hip adductors. Releasing some of the strain on periformis, gluteal area.
This video is sped up multiple times to fit in shorter video.
Allowing at least a couple minutes to open through each opening positions creates deeper benefits.
One cause of hip tension & pain, including in the periformis muscle(s), is tight hip abductors. Of course there can be other causes. This is just one.
When hip adductors are overly contracted & tight, they can cause hip external rotaters like the periformis to be overly stretched. Which creates discomfort & strain often felt in the hip, thigh area.
These 2 inner thigh opening variations help release hip adductors. Releasing some of the strain on periformis, gluteal area.
This video is sped up multiple times to fit in shorter video.
Allowing at least a couple minutes to open through each opening positions creates deeper benefits.
A few basic hip - lower back release options. 💙
Gentle thoracic - chest 💗 opening.
Gentle chest, mid thoracic, heart 💗 opening passive release.
Relaxing into this position with a bolster or pillow folded underneath spine, allows fascia, muscles & mind to gradually release excess holding & forward hunching. Breathe slowly & deeply.
This allows emotions & physiology to calm. And gently massages thoracic cavity from the inside.
This also supports a gradual reversal of forward rounding of shoulders, caving inward & over contraction - shortening of pectoral & anterior torso muscles & fascia. Improving whole body alignment, deepening of breathing.
Which allows other areas of body to release excess compensatory excess tension.
Some sources of neck pain & jaw tension & pain can also be alleviated with consistent opening of chest and resulting improved alignment through body, when forward head positions are brought back into neutral by this.
Nourishing a smoother, whole being unity, loving & harmonious energy flow through ones whole being. 💗☯️
Bolster can also be aligned vertically from midline under pelvis, spine to head for a modification.
Relaxing into this position with a bolster or pillow folded underneath spine, allows fascia, muscles & mind to gradually release excess holding & forward hunching. Breathe slowly & deeply.
This allows emotions & physiology to calm. And gently massages thoracic cavity from the inside.
This also supports a gradual reversal of forward rounding of shoulders, caving inward & over contraction - shortening of pectoral & anterior torso muscles & fascia. Improving whole body alignment, deepening of breathing.
Which allows other areas of body to release excess compensatory excess tension.
Some sources of neck pain & jaw tension & pain can also be alleviated with consistent opening of chest and resulting improved alignment through body, when forward head positions are brought back into neutral by this.
Nourishing a smoother, whole being unity, loving & harmonious energy flow through ones whole being. 💗☯️
Bolster can also be aligned vertically from midline under pelvis, spine to head for a modification.
One option to help people who sit for long durations.
Sitting is obviously common for most people.
Given sitting for hours a day can compress lumbar vertebrae, shorten psoas, stiffen fascia and contribute to or cause back, hip, thigh...pain & weakness, it is helpful to support balancing such with movement & opening of pelvis, thighs & lower back.
This is 1 option to help with this.
Given sitting for hours a day can compress lumbar vertebrae, shorten psoas, stiffen fascia and contribute to or cause back, hip, thigh...pain & weakness, it is helpful to support balancing such with movement & opening of pelvis, thighs & lower back.
This is 1 option to help with this.
An alternative to hours of sitting.
Pain & strain from sitting too much?
One option that can help provide some balance in our daily postural choices is simply lying on a flat surface.
Or as shown in this video, using pillows, blankets, bolsters, etc., to prop the body into a gently posterior flexing position.
Which counterbalances the common tendency of forward contraction of chest - torso & pelvis, slouching of shoulders, neck & head forward and down. Forward hunching & contraction of chest, shoulders, abdomen & head contribute to neck, shoulder & back pain.
We can use an arm or more cushions to hold the head in a gentle arching angle aligned with torsos chest 💗 opening arch as well.
Also helpful is not remaining static in one position for hours at a time.
Changing positions is useful, even if simply getting up and moving for a few minutes every 30 minutes or so.
Or alternating standing in a neutral balanced position, sitting & reclining.
One option that can help provide some balance in our daily postural choices is simply lying on a flat surface.
Or as shown in this video, using pillows, blankets, bolsters, etc., to prop the body into a gently posterior flexing position.
Which counterbalances the common tendency of forward contraction of chest - torso & pelvis, slouching of shoulders, neck & head forward and down. Forward hunching & contraction of chest, shoulders, abdomen & head contribute to neck, shoulder & back pain.
We can use an arm or more cushions to hold the head in a gentle arching angle aligned with torsos chest 💗 opening arch as well.
Also helpful is not remaining static in one position for hours at a time.
Changing positions is useful, even if simply getting up and moving for a few minutes every 30 minutes or so.
Or alternating standing in a neutral balanced position, sitting & reclining.
Shoulder, neck & torso release option. 💙
Shoulder, neck & torso release option. 💙
Allow more time than sped up video shows, to move slowly & pause in places desired to release excess holding - tension deeply.
You may also notice after doing these, that breathing is deeper & easier. Especially when doing variation of rotating spine - torso inward toward wall & back as well.
Allow more time than sped up video shows, to move slowly & pause in places desired to release excess holding - tension deeply.
You may also notice after doing these, that breathing is deeper & easier. Especially when doing variation of rotating spine - torso inward toward wall & back as well.
Upper back stiff & painful? Tennis balls can help. ☯️💙
Tennis balls are a simple, helpful option for helping release excess muscular & fascial tension, constriction & pain in some instances.
The balance of some firmness with resilient springy quality of tennis balls provides effective pressure while still being comfortable.
Rolling slowly, attentively along outside ( not on ) spine, releasing spinal erectors, trapezoids, rhomboids, lats, elevator scapula, serratus & other muscles & surrounding fascia provides welcome relief.
Aiding release of stiffness, pain & adhesion's developed from poor posture, injuries, workout soreness, etc..
The balance of some firmness with resilient springy quality of tennis balls provides effective pressure while still being comfortable.
Rolling slowly, attentively along outside ( not on ) spine, releasing spinal erectors, trapezoids, rhomboids, lats, elevator scapula, serratus & other muscles & surrounding fascia provides welcome relief.
Aiding release of stiffness, pain & adhesion's developed from poor posture, injuries, workout soreness, etc..
