02-18-2012, 01:35 AM
As far as the physical body goes, stretching with strength is the best way to stretch. If you always have loose muscles when you stretch, and don't build strength, you may end up stretching ligaments and tendons too far without the necessary structure to keep your body free from injury.
Yoga is a good way to stretch and build strength, and has the added benefit of learning to focus and be meditative. There are many yoga poses that open the heart, such as the camel pose. You can probably get a book at the library, or if you have Netflix you could stream a good video to follow.
You can just stretch your body though. We hold tension--issues--in our joints for instance, so it is good to stretch to release the tension and get blood flow there (which also helps with the issues, and "clearing" the body). A couple of words of advice: 1. Don't stretch to the point of pain. 2. Never bounce into a stretch. 3. Always breathe.
Yoga is a good way to stretch and build strength, and has the added benefit of learning to focus and be meditative. There are many yoga poses that open the heart, such as the camel pose. You can probably get a book at the library, or if you have Netflix you could stream a good video to follow.
You can just stretch your body though. We hold tension--issues--in our joints for instance, so it is good to stretch to release the tension and get blood flow there (which also helps with the issues, and "clearing" the body). A couple of words of advice: 1. Don't stretch to the point of pain. 2. Never bounce into a stretch. 3. Always breathe.