In a recent blog, I talked about increasing flexibility through yoga. If you are looking for exercises to increase flexibility, there is a book that may help. Relax into Stretch: Instant Flexibility Through Mastering Muscle Tension by Pavel Tsatsouline is a good place to start.
Often, tension in the muscles is responsible for reduced flexibility. The key, according to Tsatsouline, is to teach the muscles to relax. If you have trouble fully relaxing the muscles when stretching in yoga poses, the technique in this book may help you.
Key components to the methods in Relax into Stretch include mastering the emotions that get in the way of relaxing the muscles and moving further into the stretch. You will be instructed to wait out the tension and use breathing to enhance flexibility, similar to what is done in yoga.
This book is not specifically written for yoga students, but it is a great resource for students or teachers trying to help students increase flexibility. It has many applications for people who play sports, practice martial arts, take yoga classes, or just want to increase flexibility for better health.
There is a section in the book with drills for various muscles of the body. Relax into Stretch drills are included for the neck, chest, shoulders, upper back, hamstrings, hips, calves and more. Tsatsouline has included stretch drills for certain specific needs, such as headaches and drills to improve posture, such as the Anti Slouch Neck Stretch.
An illustrated guide is included for thirty six stretch techniques. One thing you will notice immediately is the similarity of some of his exercises to traditional yoga poses. This book is not for yoga students, but there is a yoga influence which works well for yoga students.
This guide is helpful for performing the exercises correctly without overstretching. As with yoga asanas, don’t push when doing any stretching exercise. There is a section on stretching with injuries. However, if you have injuries, check with your doctor first.