There are alot of myths about flexibility out there. You might think that some people are born flexible? Some people may think women in particular are more easily able to be flexible (and this may be due to the fact that the 'pubic symphysis: A cartilaginous joint between the two bones of the pubis'. becomes soft during pregnancy giving women the ability to birth children). However in terms of flexibility your central nervous system (CNS) plays an important role.
If you've ever watched a Youtube of some these incredible yogis that can mindfully move their bodies into incredible positions, then you will have wondered, 'doesn't that hurt?' And the answer that you may not expect is pretty much, YES!
So if the yogi is feeling the pain, how is it they are not reacting to the pain? And here in lies a lifetime of practice. If you want to build emotional resilience to intense emotion I would say that becoming flexible is one of the very best ways of moving somatically through trauma. I've tried a few different types of therapy and I find yoga and developing flexibility to be the best in terms of after affects of therapy. After Yoga I always feels fantastic, I haven't often felt that way after talking therapy.
I would put down why I always feel fantastic after a yoga intervention to physically looking for, accepting, feeling, then working to release tension through inner communication during my yoga practice. '...this style of inner attention, in addition to the use of kinesthetic and interoceptive imagery, can lead to the resolution of symptoms resulting from chronic and traumatic stress.'
"Flexibility isn't about using physical force to lengthen muscles. It's about communication" I just love this explanation from (Movementum UK) What I absolutely love about long hold asanas and deeper release practices is that there is a communication going on between the brain, body and nervous system that is all felt in sensation. ' Developing flexibility through diligent stretching is primarily the result of increased tolerance to the sensation of stretching'. From my experience this is very true. This is called Stretch Tolerance.
So this communication, this tolerance to stretching that is happening during long hold postures between the brain, body and nervous system has a quality. And if you are mindful it will show you the quality of the relationship you have to yourself. For instance do you try to force yourself further into a posture or do you relax? Are you resisting the posture? How do you talk to yourself/your muscles/your spine/your nervous system?
Can you slow your breathing right dow, because you know that slowing your breathing helps with flexibility. Breathing slowly and evenly it tells the parasympathetic nervous system that the environment is calm and safe to relax. Without working to talk with your parasympathetic nervous system your body will not become as flexible as it could. For this reason alone I encourage you to relax into each yoga asana posture especially if you have a mental health issue.
In Yoga the yogis and sages teach us that this communication that is happening between the brain, body and CNS develops into compassionate gentleness and softness which spreads out to all beings. This quality is calming and loving, and supportive. And the more you practice like this the more resilient, happy and mentally calm you become. Of course no-one is perfect and everyone is on their journey...
So working on your flexibility is definitely going to have a wonderful affect on your mental health. I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow
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