Are We Wrong About Stretching?
And do bicep curls really exist?
In a tacit attempt to undo the modern man’s posterior pelvis, there is a lot of brogaing, bendying and magic assing. In the religion of tight, asanas have become gods.
Somehow, we got it into our heads that if we pull at what is tight, we will soften it. If only we keep tugging the rubber band, it will become more elastic.
But have you noticed how rubber bands dry out with time? It really is quite the dissappointment to find an old rubber band, feel the impulse to play with it — shoot it off — only to have it crack or crumble between the fingers.
Tendons, dear friends, are not entirely different from rubber bands. They run on blood and water and too much tugging and yanking creates lesions which prevent the fluids from moistening them.
We can start with yoga asanas. To most western people, yoga asanas mean stretching, i.e. elongating or extending to full reach. This is a misunderstanding. The meaning of asana is far from “stretching”; the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali define “asana” as “a steady, comfortable position”. Another interpretation of the word “āsanam” is “the act…
