How to get more flexible

Consider your reasons

The first thing on your to-do list is to ask yourself why you want more flexibility. Yeah, being able to contort your body into unlikely positions would be a fun party trick, but you probably don’t really need to be quite that bendy. If you can move easily through all of your daily tasks and don’t tend to feel restricted, maybe you’re not as inflexible as you think you are. But if you’re feeling tight or find certain common movements difficult, working on your flexibility will help.

Forget traditional stretches

Static stretches have been a common part of the typical exercise routine for many years, but these can actually hinder your progress. The tendency is to push yourself to your limit in these poses, but the problem is that your body will naturally recoil from the stress of being pushed too far.

Instead, you’ll want to ease into it. Don’t push or force yourself to go further, just go easy and rock gently into the stretch a few times. Focus on your breathing and don’t hold the stretch for longer than 30 seconds – ease out of it and rest before giving it another try.

Be active

Stretching is an active process. You might want to gently rock or move around to experiment with slightly different positions. Listen to your body and let it do its thing. Pause and hold the stretch where it feels good to do so.

Don’t go overboard

There’s not much point in trying to bend like a pretzel just for the sake of it. That resistance you’re feeling when you stretch? That’s your muscles doing what they should do and holding your joints where they should be. Be thankful your muscles keep you strong and stable, rather than mentally scolding them for not yet letting you stretch as far as you’d like.

When you are doing your stretches, try to focus on your breathing and don’t get fixated on a goal (such as getting your head to your knee in a forward bend pose). Instead, enjoy where you’re at right now and just aim to ease a little further when it feels right to do so.

Keep it up

None of this will work unless you do it regularly. If you stretch gently every day, you’ll eventually find you’re becoming more flexible. When you feel that you are ready, you can do more and more until you reach your potential. 

Yoga can improve your flexibility while calming your mind. Try North Shore Yoga, which has classes for a range of ages and levels.