Muscle Tightness and Yoga

by Baxter

I got this intriguing question recently from one of our readers and thought it a good one to address this week:

Baxter, I've been curious lately about the idea of differentiating between tightness due to activity and muscle engagement/contraction, tightness that results from tension or stress, tightness from inactivity and lack of varied movement, and tightness due to overstretching. I'm finding that there are many subtle differences and also different ways to approach these in my practice. Thoughts?

What follows are simply my personal observations of my self and my students as it relates to the “experience” or “perception” of tightness from different causes. My suggestions in no way represent a scientific explanation for the way I or you may experience tightness, but could influence your approach to changing that tightness, which could be by stretching the tight area so you have a greater range of movement at the joint that is restricted by the tightness, or by a regular yoga practice diminishing the intensity of sensation you experience at the point you previously would “feel” the tightness. The purpose of releasing physical tightness could include, but is not limited to, improving range of motion, diminishing physical discomfort brought on by the experience of tightness, or simply feeling generally more comfortable in your body in each moment.

Now I’ll go through each type of tightness our reader mentioned, one by one. I hope that the recommendations I provide for each type of tightness are helpful to you! 

Tightness Due to Activity and Muscle Engagement/Contraction

I’ve recently been doing a bit more aerobic activity than previously, as I am going on a trip soon to Peru where I expect to do some hiking at altitude. To get ready, I’ve been hiking up a pretty steep hill in a local park that takes about 25 minutes to crest. As an expected consequence, I am noticing that my hip and leg muscles are feeling tighter when I do my asana practice, and I have lost a bit of range of motion in certain joints, especially when I do forward bends and backbends. When new students attend class and tell me that their other physical exercises are activities like running, biking and such, I notice, in general, more limited range of motion in these students than in others, and they seem to “experience” the tightness sooner in their journey into certain poses. These students have plenty of drive and stamina, but need to be encouraged to go slow and let things release gradually. 

Tightness from Tension and Stress

This is a useful concept, as you can start to ask yourself: where to I hold physical tension or muscular tightness that I feel is a result of my perceived level of life stress? Many of my students, especially those who have sedentary jobs involving computers or driving, note that their tightness is in the upper back, shoulders and arms.  However, because they are sitting a lot, the lower back can also be a vulnerable area. They often complain about the tightness at the start of class, and will comment on the improvement (that they note as less tightness) by the end of class. I generally suggest that these students work with their tightness by doing short mini-practices at work, as well as taking frequent breaks to stand and walk a bit at work. 

Tightness from Inactivity and Lack of Varied Movement

This situation could apply to the group I just discussed, since sedentary work has a lack of activity for most of the body, as well as limited movement. But this could also apply to a variety of other situations. A common one is with people who are recovering from a significant injury, like a fractured limb, or a bout with serious illness, like cancer or a long-standing chronic illness. So, in addition to possible tight muscles from lack of putting the body’s joints through their full range of motion regularly, you will have underlying weakness of the muscles. Not only will these people experience tightness as they reach their stretching limits, but they may also tire quickly, experiencing shakiness in the limbs affected, and a need to rest frequently. The appropriate kind of practice for these people might include gentle classes and restorative poses mixed in with general all-level classes to give them time to physically recover and very gradually re-build their stamina as they work on diminishing tightness in the muscles and connective tissue. 

Tightness from Over-Stretching

I’d call this kind of experience “rebound” tightness that can occur after a particularly deep or focused asana practice. Sometime my teacher will be doing a class that focuses on backbends almost exclusively. I may not have been doing a lot of backbends in my home practice that week, but will decide to try to do everything offered in class. It is not uncommon for me to notice the next day that the areas that just the day before felt very open and more flexible at the end of class are now super tight and more inflexible. The muscle has a “stretch reflex” that works in a way that if you stretch with too much force or too quickly, the muscle contracts to fight or neutralize the stretch, so as to protect the muscle from tearing or injury. 

It almost feels like my body does a giant delayed “stretch reflex” by the way I feel after one of the classes. For me, the take-home message is to be more mindful while doing the practice for subtle or obvious signs, like pain, and not let my desires to “keep up with the Joneses’” lead to that unwanted side effect. And of course, over-stretching could lead to unwanted ligament damage, which can put joints at risk of injury—not the goal of a smart asana practice!

How Much “Stretch” is the Right Amount?

by Baxter

Last week I looked at the concept of “compression” both as a perceivable event in your body and as a potential problem for your body when doing asana (see Tension Versus Compression). After that post, one of our readers requested information about the other sensation producer, muscle tension, and the usually desirable event that occurs when we do asana, stretching in the muscle.

In the vast majority of our yoga classes in the US, we are continually asked to notice the sensations arising from the various yoga asana as we perform them. We are encouraged to find our “edge,” a place or perception of muscle stretch before which we don’t feel much, and beyond which we feel too much or begin to encounter pain. We are led to believe that stretching our tight muscles is highly desirable, but often are not clearly told where the “finish line” of this process might be. So how much stretch is the right amount? How much is too much? And how can we tell the difference? I have an opinion on all of these questions, but I took a look around to see if there was any objective evidence that might give more credence to my opinions.

The first interesting article I came across was How Necessary is Stretching? a New York Times article from 2009. Here Gretchen Reynolds reported on at some new information about stretching that had just been discovered. One study looked at a group of runners at a university in Nebraska. Researchers measured the runners' hamstring flexibility, then compared hamstring flexibility to a measure of their success as runners (known as “running economy”). They found that runners with tighter hamstrings were actually faster and stronger runners. Reynolds noted that, “In fact, the latest science suggests that extremely loose muscles and tendons are generally unnecessary (unless you aspire to join a gymnastics squad), may be undesirable and are, for the most part, unachievable, anyway.” She went on to quote a sports medicine expert:

“To a large degree, flexibility is genetic,” says Dr. Malachy McHugh, the director of research for the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and an expert on flexibility. You’re born stretchy or not. “Some small portion” of each person’s flexibility “is adaptable,” McHugh adds, “but it takes a long time and a lot of work to get even that small adaptation…””

This made me consider what purpose my yoga “stretching” was for. I tend to think that stretching is going to give me more success and less discomfort in performing my asana. The above article did mention one benefit of a regular stretching of the muscles. If done regularly, even if the length of your muscle does not change much, your perception of the intensity of the stretch sensation diminishes. In other words, you don’t feel so tight anymore. So stretching regularly will make your asana more comfortable, and if you are practicing asana to prepare for seated meditation or pranayama, you will also find it easier to sit comfortably on the floor.

Reclined Leg Stretch

For healthy aging, stretching is important for maintaining flexibility as you age. Without regular stretching, your muscles will become stiffer, potentially interfering with your ability to go about the normal activities of daily life, including dressing yourself, driving, walking unassisted and even getting in and out of a chair (see Transferring and Yoga), and can impact your ability to balance. For all these reasons, stretching is very beneficial for you whether or not your muscles actually become more flexible.

Before I go much further with that train of thought, let’s look at what else I found. When a muscle is stretched, it not just the muscle cells themselves that do the elongating, but also the connective tissue or fascia that surrounds and penetrates each muscle of the body. Where the muscle has pretty amazing ability to elongate and contract and change size dramatically, the ability of the fascia is more limited, even when it contains some elastic cells. And when the connective tissue is over-stretched, it can lose its supportive properties for the muscles and lead to increased chance of the muscle itself getting micro-tears that heal more slowly. In addition to the fascia, the other connective tissues, such as the tendons that attach the muscle to bone, are more vulnerable to injury as well.

So, I think common sense regarding stretching muscles is to work up to a point discomfort, but not into frank pain. Try to get the sense of stretch in the center of a long muscle and try to avoid sensation closer to its bony attachment at (or near) the joint.  On occasion, you will know you have overdone it by the sudden quality of pain that accompanies your stretch, but often you won’t know until the next day, when inflammation sets in and the pain is there more persistently. Shoot for taking your stretches slowly and mindfully, keeping your personal goals in mind as you work in your poses.

And as Paul Ingraham points out in The Unstretchables: Eleven Major Muscles You Can’t Stretch, No Matter How Hard You Try, some muscles aren’t actually stretchable the way muscles like the hamstrings—which are quite literally made for stretching—are. I know there are a lot of thoughts on this topic out there, so feel free to add your insights here. I believe in our collective wisdom!

Friday Q&A: On Your Feet All Day

Q: I liked the comments on flexibility (see Flexibility and Aging).  I would love it, since you addressed the couch person or the sitting person, if you could address the person that stands all day. Is on their feet all day.

A: The area that gets tight from standing is your low back. So any type of back-bending is good for counteracting a day spent on your feet. You can do conventional backbends or even bend over the edge of your bed, a table or a counter (the way you back-bend over a yoga horse). Seated forward bends may also help relieve your low back.

Stretching your hips (external rotators) is also helpful, so try the standing twists as well as the seated Marichyasana variations. After you release your hips, you may want to work on your legs. You could try standing lunges with your arms up the wall (a modified Warrior 1 pose). Standing Padangusthasana also works well for this. Any type of calf stretch is also good. Basically, any standing pose will help counteract the static position of standing all day. So how about Triangle pose (Trikonasana), Extended Side Angle pose (Parsvakonasana), and Intense Side Stretch pose (Parsvottanasana)?

—Shari

A: Because your hips and legs get tight from standing, Baxter recommends his dynamic leg stretch and hip opener series (see Dynamic Reclined Hip Stretches). Lying on the floor as your stretch your legs and hips will relax your lower back at the same time as you encourage the blood to flow back toward your torso from your legs and feet (which is helpful if you have any swelling).

My favorite way to stretch my legs and rest my back after spending a lot of time on my feet is to practice the Reclined Leg Stretch series (Supta Padangusthasana) followed by an inverted pose, such as Shoulderstand on a chair or Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani). The inverted poses use gravity to stretch your legs (how cool is that!) at the same time they return the blood back to your torso, reducing swelling in your feet and ankles.

Because the tightness in your torso, shoulders, and neck is the similar to that created by sitting all day, the two poses Shari recommended for counteracting sitting will also be very helpful for standing (see Flexibility and Aging).

—Nina

How to Stretch

by Nina

I’m conducting a little experiment this month. Every day, I’m going to be sitting in Gomukhasana (just the leg position) to stretch my piriformis muscle, a muscle that runs from the back of my hip (my upper buttocks) to my hip joint. I have restricted mobility in my right hip joint, and it was recommended to me by an expert that stretching my piriformis muscle, which appears to be tighter on the right than the left, might help me gain more mobility in my hip. I’m not sure it’s going to work, but to tell you the truth, I like challenges like this one. And in the past, when I’ve focused on increasing my flexibility in a certain area, I’ve had a lot of success. For example, when I was frustrated with my lack of ease in backbends (okay, okay, that’s the nice way of putting it), for about a year, every time I practiced, I did a long passive upper backbend over a blanket roll to open up my chest and upper back. That was very effective, and my backbends soon became much more enjoyable.

I decided to post about this today because I know that some of you who have tight muscles are just resigned to it. Students sometimes sigh and say things like, “My legs are really tight.” But if there is a certain restriction you have that is having a negative effect on your yoga practice and maybe even your physical wellbeing, you can actually use yoga to target that area. For example, people with very tight hamstrings are not only uncomfortable in forward bends, but they may also have ongoing lower back problems because their leg muscles pull on their lower backs. But by stretching their hamstring muscles regularly and holding the stretches from 90 to 120 seconds, these people will not just release more in their yoga practice, they can also permanently lengthen their muscles to find more comfort and health in their everyday lives. Here's a leg stretch you could practice regularly to permanently lengthen your hamstrings.

Reclined Leg Stretch Pose

In general it is recommended that you hold your stretches from 90 to 120 seconds, in order to obtain permanent results. There are several theories about why this is true, some having to do with fascia and others with the muscles themselves. If you’re interested in learning more, there is an excellent article on stretching on the Yoga Journal web site called What Science Can Teach Us About Flexibility. (Baxter says that some of the recommendations in this article are well supported by science, while others are not, so he suggests you read it with a critical eye.)

In order to hold your stretch for longer periods, you need to make sure you are properly aligned and that you are comfortable enough in the pose to relax and breathe. So be sure to use props if you need them! Remember, a long, relaxed stretch is much more effective than a short battle with your tight muscles. Not to mention, much more fun!

So, have I convinced you now that you’re not stuck with being tight? Just follow these three basic guidelines:

1)    Use props to make yourself comfortable in the stretch.
2)    Stay in the stretch 90 to 120 seconds.
3)    Practice the stretch at least three times a week.

Because I’m not comfortable sitting in Gomukhasana flat on the floor, I’m going to be using a folded blanket under my hips so I can relax in the pose. And I’m going to be staying in the pose for two minutes on each side. I’ll let you know in a month how my experiment goes! And if any of you decide to experiment on yourselves, do tell us about it.

ACCEPTING RECLINED LEG STRETCH

by Nina

An excellent time to combine acceptance with active engagement (as Baxter discussed in his post yesterday) is when you are doing yoga poses. By far, the healthiest and most effective way to do yoga poses is to cultivate an awareness of your body’s current state while at the same time actively working toward making changes to it, such as stretching or strengthening. This is one of the best ways to protect yourself from injury. And it also helps you reap the most benefits from your poses.

When I was trying to think of a pose that epitomized this need for both acceptance and active engagement, Reclined Leg Stretch pose (Supta Padangusthasana) sprang to mind. To be honest, that’s because every time I've taught the pose, I’ve seen people “cheat” (yes, I’m talking about you with the bent leg over there), a sure sign that the “acceptance” side of the equation is lacking.

Reclined Leg Stretch (Supta Padangusthasana) is a very beneficial pose because it revitalizes your legs while it eases tension in your lower back. It stretches your hamstring muscles and your hip joints, which is important for maintaining physical health if you sit at a desk or walk a lot. It is also helpful for lower back pain and maintaining a healthy back. And it’s a great way to begin a yoga practice or even to do as a “single pose practice.” Plus, you get to do it lying down!

  

Baxter prescribes it for:

• leg fatigue or weakness
• lower back conditions
• arthritis
• knee pain
• swelling of feet and ankles
• maintaining flexibility of the legs and hip joints as you age

However, most people are too tight in their hamstrings to do the pose like their teachers or the pictures they’ve seen, so some (not naming any names here) cheat by bending the knee of their top leg or by lifting their pelvis off the floor in order to bring their toe closer to their head.

,Can you do it like this? (From "Moving Toward Balance," Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow)

But while cheating may make you feel more flexible, bending your top knee means that you won’t be getting the full hamstring stretch that’s so beneficial. So the next time you do this pose (and it’s a great one to practice at home), use a strap or belt around the arch your foot and hold the right side of the strap in your right hand, the left in your left hand. Now be honest with yourself. Is your upper leg truly straight? And is your pelvis resting evenly on the ground? If not, let your leg go until your knee is straight, your pelvis is even, and your leg reaches its natural angle (90 degrees or less, even much less). 

Using a strap. (From "Moving Toward Balance," Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow)

That’s the acceptance part. The active engagement part is to stay in the pose for 45 to 90 seconds and to practice regularly. Although we can’t promise it, there’s a very good chance that over time this pose will increase your flexibility, making many other poses more comfortable and enhancing your physical health.

Some helpful variations:

1. If your head and shoulders aren’t resting comfortably on the floor, use a folded blanket under your head.
2. If you are so tight that it’s hard to hold your leg with a strap, do the pose with the bottom leg extending through a doorway and your top foot resting on the wall next to the doorway.
3. If you want to strengthen your bottom leg as your stretch the top one, you can practice with your bottom foot pressing against a wall.

Cautions: If you have lower back issues, you may need to keep your bottom leg bent. If you have wrist issues, you may need to change the way you hold the strap.

FRIDAY Q&A

Q: I'm wondering to what extent, and at what rate, we should expect to be able to increase our flexibility as we continue to age. I've made significant progress over the years, and have generally learned how to be mindful enough not to overdo. However, every so often I overstretch without realizing it - whether it's my back trying to get a fuller forward bend, or my Achilles tendon while pushing the envelope. I'm in my 50s and have been doing regular yoga for about 5 years. It's made an immense difference in my core strength and balance and flexibility and I'm much less injury prone now. And yet, every so often, it's my yoga practice that puts me out of commission.

A: Baxter and I discussed your question, and he agrees with me that there is no fixed extent or rate for increasing flexibility as we age, as this will differ from person to person. His advice is to maximize the effectiveness of your stretches while minimizing potential injury by holding your stretches longer rather than pushing harder. He mentioned that it takes at least 45 seconds to get your muscle to fully release. And my kinesiology teacher taught me that in order to change the resting length of the muscle (the length the muscle returns to after stretching), you need to stretch it for 90 seconds. So I use a timing of 90 seconds for many of my stretches. --Nina

Q: Does yoga have any good stretches for a 60 year old stiff person?

A: Yoga has a very large number of poses that allow you to stretch a very wide variety of muscles, no matter how stiff you are. So the first question to ask yourself is: where exactly am I stiff? Some of us are stiff all over and some of us are flexible all over, but it turns out that many of us are flexible in some areas and stiff in others. Identifying which areas you need to stretch will help you chose the poses that will be most helpful to you. That being said, there are a couple of poses that we highly recommend for their versatility. Downward-Facing Dog pose is especially wonderful because it stretches your legs, hips, shoulders and arms, all at the same time.

If this pose is too demanding, you can do an easy variation, Half Dog pose (also called Right Angle pose). With your hands at shoulder-height on the wall or resting on the surface of a table, walk back so your hips are directly over your feet and your arms are parallel to the floor.

Baxter recommend that you warm up for these poses with some dynamic movement, such as swinging your arms above your head or moving your legs around in your hip joints. --Nina

Q: How would one go about investigating the effects of yoga on aging scientifically?

A: This question is intriguing and so important that Brad will devote an entire post to the subject sometime soon.

Q: Just curious about how autoimmune diseases are related to aging? Some seem to be inflammatory conditions I think, and that makes me wonder about allergies, yoga and aging.

A: This is a very big and complicated question! And there’s no quick, simple answer, as the mechanisms behind many of these diseases (not to mention aging itself) are not fully understood. But Baxter says, “Not all autoimmune diseases are created equal.” Different autoimmune diseases arise at different stages in life, so not all are related to aging. Also, not all are related to inflammatory conditions. So that’s why we’ve decided that on this blog we’ll discuss the autoimmune diseases associated with aging individually, over time. Is there any particular disease that concerns you?

We are going to try to do a Q&A every Friday, so keep the questions coming. You can leave a question in a comment or you can email a comment to us at the address shown under "Contact Us" in the right-hand column.

It’s all about Maintenance

Motivation of the Day: All it takes is Daily Maintenance to Keep Your Body in Excellent Running Condition

Strictly Maintenance!

I am a MAINTENANCE GIRL!!! What does that word mean to me…AWWW…Not talking about the negative term that refers to …Oh That Girl is High Maintenance…YUCK. What I am referring to is how I maintain my body every day. I am at a happy place with my body and self, and really for me, it is all about maintaining the muscle I have developed, and continuing a healthy quality life. I want to feel good and be the BEST me every day. I am at a place of acceptance of loving who I am and feeling pretty darn good about it. For me it is not about…I want MORE MORE MORE…where is the satisfaction in that…if I thought like that, I would never be happy or healthy for that matter. I have been in the fitness field along time and have seen so many people go overboard with not being happy with themselves after achieving the ultimate and have the most beautiful bodies…and still not happy…that makes no sense. I celebrate the accomplishment of creating the body that I wear today and am truly satisfied with that. It is important for me to maintain the structure that I have gained…I did work hard for it, and I enjoy the look of it, and deeper than that…I celebrate the overall good health to every part of my body inside and out that my daily maintenance plan gives me. Just as a car & home NEEDS to be maintained…I better feel stronger about that attention being given to my body and health. For crying out loud…things can come and go…but my body…JUST ONE PER LIFE. That is why I INVEST in a good maintenance plan daily….through my fitness and the premium foods that I eat every 2 ½ hours. Maintenance is a fabulous place to be and I enjoy the upkeep;)

My Workout of The Day:

ARC Trainer Interval 35 minutes

Bodywork: I completed this series 6x


Low Rows 30lbs @ 25 reps
Triceps Kickbacks – Medium Tube Resistance 20 reps
BOSU Back Extensions – 15 reps
Stretching…Watch the Video!

My Nutrition of The Day:

Coffee, one cup please

Meal4:Sprouted Bread topped with B/S chicken,avocado, mustard

1-Pre-workout shake (the light one)   
2-Post – workout shake (make it a meal)
3-Brown rice & shredded b/s chicken breast
4-B/S chicken on sprouted bread with avocado & mustard
5-Spinach Salad & Egg white Scramble
6-Protein Pudding….Watch the Video!


IF YOU ENJOYED THE CONTENT, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF YOU LIKE… OFFER ME A PROTEIN SHAKE;)      STAY HEALTHY!