k u .co. mind our y think re #IFeelBetterWhen The Centre of Wellbeing The Power of Stretching Stretching is your body’s way of reducing tension that has built up in your muscles and you can use it whenever you need to, wherever you are. • Try to feel where in your body the tension is coming from. • Focus on that area and allow the tension to build until you feel movement coming from the tight muscles – the same feeling as when your body stretches when you wake up. • Allow your body to move and stretch out from that tightness until it settles. • The time it takes and the movements that come will be different each time you stretch, as your body’s needs are always changing. • Never try to stretch into pain – that makes your muscles tighten up again. • It’s important to give yourself time to finish a stretch, otherwise you won’t feel the benefit for as long. • Don’t worry if you can’t feel where to start – shut your eyes, have a yawn and think about having a good stretch. Your body will do the rest – you can’t do this wrong! You might find that you are holding your breath during a stretch. That is fine; just slowly breathe out as the stretch relaxes. 27