How to get more flexible. The ballet dancer, cheer leader, fitness buff, actor, singer, office worker - anyone! Don't we all want to know? Discovering how to release muscle tension, postural tension, and only taking up a short time to do it, is key to learning how to relax, and how to do stretches safely. Muscle stretching exercises are needed by everyone.

A Dancer, Cheer Leader - And You Too

A ballet dancer, for instance, may look extremely flexible. Same with a cheer leader or gymnast. While, if you spend all day sitting at a computer station in a small cubicle, or even in a beautiful corner office - you may not feel so good at the end of the day. Yet you, and the dancer, and the cheer leader, get into bed, or sit and watch television, and you know you are not as relaxed as you would like to be.

I note to myself right now, I am sitting typing but instead of leaning back into the lumbar cushion I have selected to help me release postural tension, I lean forward unnecessarily. This posture lifts my shoulders, and I raise my chin a little in compensation, which tenses my neck. But I do not need to do this. I simply forget!

Just as a dancer or other athlete may practice core muscle strengthening exercises daily, and then slouch as they drive or bus home, and consequently feel tense later when they are trying to fall asleep. So what is the right plan here?

Neck Pain, Back Pain, Leg Pain

If your postural muscles - your deep core, bottom of the abdomen muscles, are weak, your low back, mid back, upper back and neck muscles will be over-working all day. Even your hamstring muscles will be affected. If you are training in ballet, cheer leading or working out, you will be constantly trying to get more flexible, without understanding that for hours, every day, you are undoing your efforts.

If you are someone whose job requires that you sit on a chair or in a car all day, the same applies to you. You may be doing frequent work outs with some stretches added, yet you are undermining your efforts as well.

Get A Lumbar Support Cushion - And Make Sure You Use It

There are many kinds available. You may need one or two, depending. Most come with a strap that goes behind a chair or a car seat. What I really like the strap for, is that I can take the cushion from car to office to a movie theater, without losing it. I loop it over my arm and that way it stays with me. (Believe me I have lost a couple).

Muscle Stretching Exercises, The Safe Ones

There are simple and easy to learn muscle stretching techniques for all. Stretches done with a slight resistance to the movement, are very effective. Starting at the top of the neck, releasing taut muscles in the shoulders, and upper back, will cause the muscles in the mid back and low back to begin releasing as well.

Getting relaxed in the low back and hip area will also offer relief of tension to the hamstrings, and so forth. Gentle safe stretches offer myofascial release and neural release. Myofascia is the wrapping that surrounds all your muscle groups, connecting them, from top to toe. This connective tissue can be tense, or relaxed.

Dancers and fitness buffs don't always understand the technical details about anatomy and stretching. Neural tissues - your nerves - are pretty tough tissues that can get caught on muscle knots and spasms. Yet, with the right stretches, it is not difficult to learn how to release postural tension and get more flexible.