Christmas finale at the stretch class

Anna:
After hanging out in deepest sidesplit for the whole duration of 'Oh Holy Night' by Mariah Carey (ha ha ha, it's true) it was time to evaluate our progress over the past three months. The measuring method was putting the heels up to a line in a split. Then folding over as far as possible (with control) with a pen in your hands and putting it down as far away from the line as possible and then measuring the distance between the line and the pen.

Unfortunately I wasn't there the day when we measured the initial data so I had nothing to compare to. But now I have a measurement for the next check up. Some of the less flexible people had massive improvements, up to a 20 centimetre difference in reach! Although everyone but one had improved their reach singificantely. Around six centimetres in 2 months must be regarded as a pretty good increase for an already flexy person.



My flexy status have been very turbulent lately. Or perhaps it's always been like that. (Note to self: must learn to keep a flexy diary.) By the end of the summer I reached a "touch-down" in my front splits in one of Marinas of North Pole Studio amazing (think russian gymnast coach style) stretch class. I was happy as a schoolgirl with full score in a spelling competition but pretty soon after that I could feel how I started to stiffen up. Of course I refused to acknowledge it and kept going beyond my limits and further in the stretch classes here in Bcn and I think I managed to pull both of my hamstrings slightly some 1 1/2 months ago. My legs have been felling like logs and stretching for splits have been out of the question for a while.

When we are trying to improve ourselves, be it in flexibility, strenght or whatever I think there are two very common mistakes most of us make. At least I know I keep doing them over and over again! One is thinking that someone elses road to succes is the path for you. The other is being way to eager trying to get where we want that we are running the risk of hurting ourselves while focusing too much on the goal and forgetting the journey which is half of the fun.

These both two things are certainly applicable on me when it comes to stretching. I've been strecthing for a long time. Well, at least in one way or another for the past - say - 12 years. There's been dancing, yoga, yoga again, poledancing, and now dancing and yoga again and I think that it might be that it's only now that I'm starting to get the hang of what type of stretching is right for me. And I think that it's only now that I'm learning not to rush myself too fast forward because I know it's gonna hit me like a ton of bricks the day after.

To post exactly the kind of stretching that I think is right for me is perhaps a bit contradictory scince I'm advocating to try and find your own path and keep away from other peoples succes stories. (Although - with my, in comparison, lacking flexibility - this is of course not a succes story.) But if I weren't writing about my own experiences of the shit I'm trying out and thinking about, why then keep a blog in the first place?

I've found that for me, number one when stretching is not to go too far. I have a pretty high pain tolerance when it comes to that kind of agony and going beyond the point where I probably should stop happens easily. I guess for some people it's the opposite. They have to learn to push themselves further but for me it's about holding back and never ever try to impress someone and go a liiitle bit further than you know you should (ehhh, yes it's happened).

Number two is to alternate light and hard practice. The periods when I'm more flexible than ever is when I'm doing yoga (i.e. light stretching) more or less every day and then have one or maybe two hardcore days per week. No more.

And number three is to be really warmed up when working. I know some people don't really need it or they do a quick little warm up before they leap into a stag-jump. I need to be so warm that there's sweat dripping down from my nose before I spread my legs. Ha ha.

Yours truly with a very rounded back, and Gegelys skinny feet!

Now that I've come so far as to write down the rules for my elongating program I'm hoping I can be so mature as to follow them, (especially the holding back part) that I can enjoy the journey and that I will learn even more from my body from doing that.

Let me finish with a last disclaimer. This is, like I said earlier, what I've found works for me, (through years of trail and error - mostly error) when working leg/hip flexibility for splits. I shall post some thoughts on what I belive is right for people who need to learn reach their toes or release their tight hip flexor some other day.

Thank you for reading this lenghty post!
(no pun intended)