Emotions and the Body

Emotions and the Body

Part 1

By: Patrick S Cross, LMT, CPN, CET

It’s oddly one of my favorite activities; watching people’s emotions control their bodies.

As I sit at the coffee shop I notice a guy across the room holding an impressively upright, strong posture. He’s young, maybe a student, a cup of black coffee close at hand, and he’s looking down the bridge of his nose at his computer. His head is perfectly balanced over his shoulders.

Then something interesting happens. His mouth drops into a frown as his head juts back. Then his eyebrows crinkle together and his head pushes forward until his nose is about five inches from the screen. What was impressively perfect posture only a moment ago deteriorates into a hunched back, forward folded shoulders, and a very tense face.

I don’t know what he sees on his computer that’s so confusing and concerning, but what I am acutely aware of in this moment is the powerful effect our emotions have on every muscle in our body.

It is well known for example that a large portion of our communication is non-verbal. We feel something and our body reacts accordingly conveying a message. This is deeply ingrained, and very useful.

A facial expression can convey caring and friendship when we may be at a loss for words, or well-timed hand gestures can spice up a story we are telling. On the other hand, when we try to hide our feelings from others, acting brave when we are actually scared, engaged when we are completely uninterested, or angry even though we say there’s nothing wrong, our bodies tell the truth to anyone who knows how to see it whether we want it to or not.

A bigger problem comes when we have certain emotionally driven muscle reactions so regularly that they begin to solidify into a chronic tension patterns. Clenched teeth, tight shoulders, and abdominal churning are some common examples. These emotionally driven tension patterns can easily go un-assessed, and the discomfort they produce is often treated with muscle relaxants, painkillers, or both.

I was about five years into my practice when I ran into a bit of a problem surrounding this issue. I began noticing that a portion of the people I was treating for tension patterns and associated pain were simply not improving. The relief would last for a short time, and then come right back again with no real progress.

At a loss I started to pay closer attention to the things people would say while we worked to release certain muscles. It might be about traffic, deadlines at work, certain family members or other people in their lives, politics, or even household appliances that were acting up. These seemingly unrelated topics became the focus of deeper detective work.

I saw that the clenched muscles would release, and then I would ask about the emotionally charged topic and they would tighten right back up.

I was not yet equipped to dive into the emotional realm in an educated way, but I knew I needed to learn. Thanks to one of my early mentors I was introduced to Somato Emotional Release training. I learned how to ask the right questions, and not overstep my bounds while helping people uncover the emotional triggers that drive their tension patterns, and then provide some tools for resolving those patterns. The results have been profound.

Since then it has become a hobby of mine to observe people at coffee shops, restaurants, at the movies, walking down the street or running in the park, watching their emotional states control their movements in all sorts of interesting ways. It’s obvious now, but it wasn’t always, and I’ll never again underestimate the power of a deeper awareness of our emotional states.

Mysteries of Massage

Mysteries of Massage

By: Patrick S. Cross, LMT, CPN, CET

For centuries people have believed in the profound benefits of massage therapy for health, performance, and longevity. 

Almost 5,000 years ago in The Yellow Emperor’s Classic Book of Internal Medicine, Chinese doctors and monks were described practicing massage methods to ease ailments of all kinds. Native shaman from around the world rubbed smooth stones on the aching muscles of their tribe members after long treks or big hunts.

Native shaman

from around the world rubbed smooth stones on the aching muscles of their tribe members after long treks or big hunts.

Even the ancient Egyptians felt massage therapy was important enough to leave depictions permanently etched into the walls of the tomb of Ankhmahor, one of the most important of Teti’s officials, which has come to commonly be called the ‘physician’s tomb’. 

In more modern times, clinical massage therapies are found in hospitals to aid in pain relief and post surgical recovery. Sports massage serves athletes from the weekend warrior level all the way up to the shimmering glory of Olympic contenders to enhance performance. There are even applications to supplement sleep patterns, help with brain development, and relieve social anxieties.

Through the ages there have been countless myths and theories about the different methods of massage, and the reasons massage therapy has such a potent effect on health and performance.  

Some explanations are simple and straight forward, such as the use of massage therapy in combating osteoarthritis. When a joint is chronically compressed it eventually wares down and becomes painful. A skilled massage therapist will loosen the tension around the joint, decompress it, and then coach better movements so that the joint is less likely to get compressed again. 

Still, the mechanisms behind many massage therapy methods have remained a mystery, and have been a source of great controversy in the medical world.

            One aspect in particular that has eluded explanation is the ability for certain massage techniques to reduce inflammation, and speed up recovery after an injury. Many therapists and scientists have asserted that inflammation and lactic acid can be flushed out of the tissues by squeezing them, which is why soreness is decreased and recovery speeds up. That theory has been officially disproven.  

Due to more current technology and innovative scientific minds we now have new insights into the powers of massage, and may finally have some real answers to that riddle.

            Mark Tarnopolsky, a cellular biologist and avid athlete in Hamilton, Canada has shed light on this mystery in a way never previously explored. His team went beyond the normal research methods and started looking at gene expression in subjects before and after massage, and what he found was nothing short of incredible.

            He discovered that after a massage the gene known as PGC1-Alpha, which is responsible for cellular metabolism and repair, was ramped up, while the gene NFkB, which is responsible for inflammation, was significantly inhibited. That means that simply getting a massage increases heeling and repair while simultaneously decreasing inflammation because it turns some of your genes on, and it turns other ones off. So we respond to massage therapy not just on a mechanical level, but also on a genetic level.

Changes on an epigenetic level

One more piece of the puzzle

            This of course is very excited for me as an evidence based practitioner, but also as someone who is constantly realizing how deep the story goes, and how mysteries as old as time are just now being understood on a level humans have never been able to see or understand before.       

Self-Talk. A Curse or a Cure.

Self-Talk

A Powerful Tool or a Terrible Curse

By: Patrick S. Cross, LMT, CPN, CET

“Our emotions are not always the trustworthy friends we like to think they are. They’re more like a really moody friend who can be totally supportive one minute, and really unpleasant the next.” Said Guy Winch, psychologist and author of Emotional First Aid, during his Ted Talks presentation in February of 2016.

            He then told the story of a woman he worked with who, after a 20 year marriage and a rough divorce, was finally ready to start dating. The man she was so excited to go on a date with was successful, handsome, and most importantly was really interested in her. They met for drinks at an upscale bar in New York. Ten minutes into the date the man got up, informed her that he was not interested, and walked out.

            She was devastated. So much so that she could barely move. All she could do was call a friend. And here is what that friend said.

            “Well, what did you expect? You have big hips. You have nothing interesting to say. Why would a handsome, successful man like that ever want to go out with you?”

            We can all agree that would be absolutely unacceptable for a trusted friend to say, but then we find out that it was not a friend who said that to the woman, it was what she told herself.

            Does that seem more normal?

            We have all told ourselves things that, if coming from any other person, would be good cause to not speak with them anymore. But from ourselves, the terrible things we say seem less worrisome, even normal.

            Conversely studies noted by Alex Hutchinson in his book Endure published in February of last year said that self-talk was able to boost performance and decrease perceived effort and pain in athletes during demanding physical training and performance.

            What do you think those athletes were telling themselves? Exactly the opposite of what the woman in Dr. Winch’s story was telling herself.

            “You can make it.”

            “This is not as bad as you think.”

            “Keep going. You can do it.”

            “You got this!”

            When these types of phrases go through our heads they produce a cocktail of endorphins, hormones, and neurotransmitters that make us stronger and more resilient to extreme difficulty.

            The problem is that it’s not easy, especially if our reflex reaction is to self-talk more like the woman in Winch’s story.

So what’s the trick to making the switch?

            The trick is that there is no trick. No simple method for easy transformation will yield long-term results. No book or blog about positive mindset or better self-talk will solve the problem. They are good for introducing the concept, but like any other skill it must be worked at and practiced, probably for long periods of time under specific circumstances, before we get any good at it.

            It’s also ideal to have a good teacher. Usually that teacher will come in the form of a skilled, insightful therapist. Dr. Winch puts a lot of emphasis on better self-talk habits in his practice. In my own practice I use modified Cranial Sacral and Somato-Emotional Release techniques to discover the self-talk and thought patterns that need to shift, and then set up exercises to accomplish that. There are many other therapy based avenues to explore as well.

            These teachers can also come in the form of good friends who are willing to really listen, and offer some accountability and support.

With a real desire to make the shift, a willingness to find the right information and people, and then buckling down for practice, practice, practice; it is possible to halt the self sabotage, to lift the negative self-talk curse, and harness the powerful tool that self-talk can be.   

Proud Posture

Proud Posture

Why it matters and how to achieve it

By: Patrick S. Cross, LMT, CPN, CET

It was some ungodly hour in the morning and the coffee hadn’t fully entered my blood stream yet. The gym lights were offending my still sleepy eyes, and as the class was warming up with high knee walking, our instructor was focused on one thing — “Proud posture!” 

            It was not the first time I’d heard this. Just a few weeks prior I’d been in a swing dancing class, my first crack at west coast style, and in the middle of class the instructor stopped everything and walked over to me.

            “Why are you staring at your feet?” He asked, in a thick accent.

            Before I could respond he flourished one hand high in the air and said, “It looks terrible! We are dancing here. Stand proud!”

            At first I was annoyed by the not so subtle reminders that my posture was terrible, but I had also just started taking advanced courses in posture and movement at the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado, and I knew that something important was lining up.

            I’d had poor posture most of my life. Looking back through old photos of myself I realized that I had a strong tendency towards rounding my back and jutting my head forward. I’d even been referred to as ‘the turtle’ by some of my friends.

            The more I learned about posture and the problems associated with poor alignment, everything from chronic headaches and back pain to diminished mental focus and mood issues, I realized I needed to make a change.

            The first time my instructors at MTIC put me into FDP, or functional design posture (basically standing up straight) I felt a pulling in my knee and compression in my low back immediately. Another minute and a hot pain developed in my mid back that quickly spread up into my neck.

            “The roll of the therapist is to clean all this up.” My instructor told me. “We are here to make sure you can actually get into proper posture without pain. Your job is to practice that posture so often that it becomes reflexive and you don’t have to think about it anymore.”

            After receiving my first ten session series the pulling in my knee went away, the pain in my back was significantly decreased, and I could hold better posture for far longer. One of my best friends even pulled me aside at a party and asked if I was somehow getting taller. I was excited with the results, but I was also becoming acutely aware of how often I still fell into old patterns of turtle posture while driving, reading, speaking with certain people, and carrying out other tasks.

            I started searching for other key factors in postural patterns. I went through the Cranial Sacral and Somato Emotional Release training through the Upledger Institute and learned about how mental and emotional patterns play into postural habits. I trained under therapists who place major importance in building a sense of how people engage in work and hobbies; coaching clients in those aspects of their lives. And I studied with personal trainers who showed me how to get strong enough to actually hold the posture I was looking for, especially in physically demanding situations.

            Today I look at pictures of myself and am happy with the results of the work I’ve put in and the therapy I’ve received. I stand at my desk when I’m writing, studying, or painting. I take frequent breaks to stretch and move my body. I don’t feel fatigued when I do six or more massage treatments in a day at my clinic or with the athletic teams. And when I see pictures of myself dancing, running, or just hanging out with friends I am pleased to have shifted out of turtle mode and into proud posture.       

Carving Out The Grand Canyon

Carving Out The Grand Canyon

What it Actually Takes to Build a Better Habit

 By: Patrick S. Cross, LMT, CPN, CET

“Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do.” — Sean Covey

“Maybe I should do the Whole 30.”

“I think I’m going to join a six week boot camp class.”

“I’m going to do the Master Cleanse for 14 days.”

“I should really get into that 30 day yoga thing at that one place.”

            Heard anything like that recently?

            It’s January, a brand new year, and it’s time to reinvent ourselves. The gyms are packed and nutrition books are selling.

            The problem is that by March the gyms will be back to the normal flow of regulars and the coffee shop pastry sales will start going back up as people complete their crash diets and start falling back into old patterns.

            Why is that?

Working in health care I’ve racked my brain over this conundrum for years. How do we take the mentality that drives us to accomplish fantastic things January through mid March into the rest of the year, and on into the rest of our lives?

The thing I keep coming back to is the law of facilitation. This, I believe, is one of the most important concepts in success, health, and a thriving lifestyle. The law of facilitation is not esoteric or metaphysical, it does not require any understanding of quantum theory or deep meditation practices. All it requires is the simple understanding of a common cliché — the Grand Canyon was not formed in a day.

More specifically the law of facilitation is about how the nervous system functions. The law states that when a nerve impulse passes through one pathway it is very likely to take that same path again, and every time it takes that pathway it becomes easier and easier to continue repeating that same path. Simply put, the more you do something the easier it gets to continue to do that same thing over and over again. The law is simple, but profound.

The issue is that it takes a lot of energy to override a solid neural pathway (existing lifestyle habit), and a lot of consistency to build a different one that eventually flows easily (new lifestyle habit). If we want to create a healthy, thriving lifestyle it’s not about what we do for those 14 days during our cleanse, or toughing it through that six week Fit Blast workout challenge. Real change is about what we do the other 46 weeks out of the year, for the next five years.

I’m not discouraging a cleanse, short term fitness goal, or resolution to finally get that massage our body has been screaming for. These things can be a great way to kick ourselves out of a rut. But the norm is what ultimately makes us who we are, for better or worse, and the only way to create a true shift is slowly but surely developing that new norm. Eating healthy six days a week, every week. Exercising at least twenty days a month, every month. And scheduling regular massage, chiro, and self care sessions before our bodies feel completely broken.

It’s time to shift away from focusing primarily on short term intensives with an end date, and start carving out a norm that lasts the rest of our lives, bit by bit, step by step, day by day. Let’s not focus on the next four weeks, and instead focus on the next 52, and then the 52 after that.

This year let’s think differently. Let’s think long term. Let’s think like we’re saddling up to carve out a new Grand Canyon. The results will be just as fantastic, and unbelievably beautiful.

Find Your Buddy

Find Your Buddy

Key to Achieving Your Biggest Goals

By: Patrick S. Cross, LMT, CPN, CET
 

“I just don’t know where to start.” He told me. “It seems like such a huge mountain I need to climb, but I’m not even at the bottom yet. I’m not even outside. I haven’t left the house. I’m basically still in bed hitting the snooze button over and over again.”

            “But you do want to climb that mountain, right?” I asked.

            “Well, yeah.” He exclaimed. “Why do you think I’m here?”

            Arty was having trouble. He was dealing with chronic low back pain that made it difficult for him to work, he’d gained a lot of weight in the past few years, and he just wasn’t feeling good about life.

I’d been treating him for his back pain with massage and stretch therapy, and we could get his spasms and flare-ups to calm down, but by the end of the week it would be right back where it was before. There were big pieces of his life that needed to change if he was really going to get better.

“So what do you think is the most important thing for you in getting back on top?” I asked.

“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to be telling me?” He threw his hands up.

“What do you think I’m going to tell you?” I asked.

“You’re going to tell me that I need to loose some weight. I need to start eating healthier and exercising more.” He said. “I probably need to go Keto or Paleo or Vegan or something right? And I need to start doing Yoga six times a week, and go running, and get into Orange Theory or find some Cross Fit boot camp, and wake up at five in the morning and meditate and drink shiitake mushroom and alfalfa tea, right?”

“That’s a lot.” I laughed.

“It’s too much.” Arty put his hands down and sighed. “I know there’s all this stuff I need to do but I just can’t do it all. It’s just too much.”

“Arty, you need to find your buddy.” I said.

“Huh?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Your buddy, Arty.” I leaned forward. “You need to find your buddy. Find the person who is trying to climb the same mountain that you’re trying to climb. It is a big mountain. It’s huge; your own personal Everest. And yes there might be yoga, and some sort of Vegan or Paleo diet, and maybe some Cross Fit or Fit 36 or 24 hour fitness or Fit Blast 2020 (made that last one up) or who knows, you may become a triathlete or a climber or an ultra marathon runner. And yeah, you may even find yourself starting every day at five a.m. with a hot cup of alfalfa tea, but none of that matters right now.”

“What do you mean?” He seemed confused.

“I mean all of that will come in time.” I said. “What matters most right now is that you find a buddy to start the journey with. The right person to keep you motivated and accountable, and who will need you to do the same for them. You may know this person already, you may not, but when you find that person the mountain won’t seem the same any more. It won’t be me against the impossible it will be us against the mountain, one step at a time. Then when you fall, which will undoubtedly happen, your buddy will be there to lift you up and get you back on track. And when your buddy falls you’d better damn well be there to lift them up and get them back on track too.”

            “That’s where you start, Arty,” I continued, “you are now on a mission to find your buddy. It may take a few tries to find the right one, but you’ll know pretty quick who’s going to be the right buddy and who isn’t. And when you do find them all the other stuff will come along in it’s own time, and you’ll be figuring it out together.”

            It’s true that many of the people I work with need complex or integrated therapy, a tailored dietary approach, or a mapped out exercise program to accomplish very specific goals at specific times. However, If you are like Arty, just trying to get started and seeing all of these things that need to happen as an impossible mountain; it may be that the most important key to your success is finding your own buddy who wants to climb that mountain right along side you.

A Light In The Dark

A light In The Dark

The Art of Measuring Progress

By: Patrick S. Cross, LMT, CPN, CET

“I can’t really see any difference, you know, in the mirror.” She said, disappointed.

“You’re only eight weeks in.” I said. “How do you feel?”

“Great!” She exclaimed. “I’ve got more energy and I’m not getting the sugar cravings as much anymore.”

I was taking Barbara (not her real name) through a program for decreasing body fat percentage and gaining strength, but she also wanted to see a new person in the mirror.

 “And how is your gym journal looking?” I asked.

“It’s good!” She beamed. “I’ve already added 15 pounds with the dumb bells and 50 pounds on the leg press, and my endurance is going up too.” 

“That’s great!” I said, “And you’re using your ketone strips?”  

Ketone strips are a simple, inexpensive way to test how well your body is burning fat for fuel.

“Yep,” She said. “I’m getting into the purple.”

Being in the purple means burning a lot of fat.

“And how are you feeling mentally?” I asked.

“That’s better too.” She said. “I can stay focused for longer after lunch at work.”

“And your mood?” I asked.

“Much better. Except when I look in the mirror.” She said, only half jokingly. “I really do feel better, and I’m getting stronger, the numbers don’t lie, so I guess for now I just need to be easier on myself when I look in the mirror and focus on the little wins.”

Barbara is not alone in her frustrations. Changing a body visually is difficult. Improving energy, mental focus, strength, and overall health can happen relatively quickly, depending on the situation, but looking differently usually takes a long time, and always takes a lot of work.

Many people fall away from their program because they aren’t seeing the big, obvious results they want to see in the mirror and, having worked really hard for a month or two, get discouraged enough to fall back into what is easy and familiar.

It is also always possible that the program isn’t right. Each person is different and what works well for one might not work for another.

This is why measuring progress can be a game changer. Simple tools like ketone strips show us in real time if we are actually metabolizing any significant amount of fat. A gym journal lets you look back on your starting point, and see how far you’ve come, even if it doesn’t seem like you’ve made much change yet.

Fitbits and other gadgets can not only help you see progress that might be too small to notice on a day to day basis, but can also show you when you’re not improving and help build an understanding of the lifestyle patterns that are not helpful.

Dexa scans, which accurately measure body fat percentage can tell you how well your program is working and conversely if you might need to try a different approach.  There are many more tools for keeping track as well that can help you to better understand your ups and downs, gauge the small steps, and more deeply understand your patterns.

It’s easy to get discouraged with a ‘just feel it out’ approach because many of the changes we want to see take a long time to show up. Some people can take that approach and stay focused and consistent even when they aren’t seeing any obvious changes, but most people just get discouraged and fall off track. Measuring the small changes, keeping track of the little wins, can be a light in the dark that allows you to know if you’re going the right way, and inspire you to keep going even when it doesn’t look like you’ve made it as far as you actually have.

With your next big goal consider some simple, easy ways to keep track of your small steps. See if that helps you maintain focus, stay on track, and eventually make it to those big leaps you want to see. 

Stretch your Wellness Goals

Stretch Your Wellness Goals: The Importance of a Daily Stretch Routine

By: Erin Drake, Intern MT at Unlock Bodyworks and Certified Yoga Instructor

To dispel many myths surrounding when and how to stretch, and highlight some of the best benefits of stretching, we offer this quick reference guide so you can create an informed, personalized daily stretch routine.  Stretching does not have to take an eternity; in fact, the most productive stretching routines can be completed within 10 to 15 minutes in the comfort of your own home or office.

Things to Remember when Stretching

1.     Stretch safely. This means remembering proper joint alignment and stacking. Incorrectly stretching can increase the risk of injury, so be sure to check with a professional to ensure you are using correct form.

2.     Stretch when muscles are warm. Contrary to popular belief, stretching is not a warm up. In fact, stretching ‘cold’ muscles can cause injury. A brisk walk is a great warm up before stretching.

3.     Avoid static stretching before an intense physical event.  Recent research noted by the Mayo Clinic suggests that static stretching before an intense athletic event may inhibit performance. The Mayo Clinic suggests, “instead of static (prolonged, slow) stretching, try performing a ‘dynamic warm-up.’ A dynamic warm-up involves performing movements similar to those in your sport or physical activity at a low level, then gradually increasing the speed and intensity as you warm up.”[1]

4.     Keep it simple.  Select a routine that is easy for you to remember and easy to duplicate; this way, you are more likely to stick to your routine.

5.     Hold the stretch and focus where it feels tight. To get the maximum benefit of a stretch, hold it for 15 to 30 seconds, repeat it three or four times, and focus on the muscles that feel the most sore.

6.     Pain is NOT gain. If you are injured, ease up on the area of concern to avoid exacerbating an injury.  Be careful not to overstretch a painful area, as this can cause unnecessary microtears in the muscle fibers.

7.     Be balanced and symmetrical. In other words, if you do a stretch on one side, then do it on the other to avoid causing muscle imbalance.  This applies to the front and back, and from side to side.

8.     Keep your routine. Repetition is the key to maximizing the benefits of stretching; the more you stretch, the more your body will respond by increasing your flexibility, circulation, and range of motion.

What are some of the benefits of stretching?

Unsurprisingly, there are several health benefits to practicing a daily stretch routine.  We have listed a few of them below.

Physical Benefits

●      Increased Circulation: Stretching encourages blood flow circulation to muscle tissue which can improve your performance during movement and activities.[2]

●      Improved Flexibility: Stretching involves moving your muscle tissue which ultimately may increase your joint range of motion over time[3].

●      Promotes Range of Motion: Improving joint mobility may lessen your risk of physical injury and improve joint health.[4]

●      Improved Posture: The alignment of your skeleton and how your soft tissue supports it, determines how well your body can function. Conversely, sitting for long periods of time may compromise your posture and create physical limitations. Stretching daily can combat these imbalances and bring your posture into improved functional alignment.[5]

Mental Benefits

●      Stress Reduction: Since most of us carry stress in our muscles, stress may cause soft tissue to shorten, spasm, and/or create trigger points.  When practiced frequently, stretching reduces stress and may decrease your risk of creating prolonged muscle tension.[6] 

●      Mental Clarity: Most stretches can be connected with breathwork to allow for the mind and body to align.  Being in the present moment increases mindfulness which is used as a tool in mental health therapies.[7] Stretching creates body awareness, allows the mind to let go of racing thoughts, and gives us permission to focus on the present.[8]  

 Simple, starter Stretch Routines

 1. Lateral side bending (both right & left sides)

Find a comfortable seat on the floor, mat, or firm chair.  Draw both shoulder blades downward, inhale and raise your arms above your head. Clasp both hands and lean to the right on your exhale. Inhale, then come back to center. Exhale and then lean to the left.  This stretches your side body and your breath opens space between your intercostal muscles (muscles between your ribs).  You can also practice this standing.

2. Flexion/Extension (front & back)        

Start from a seated position as described in number 1, above.  Extend the arms and both hands and lightly hold the legs (the front leg if cross-legged, or knees if sitting in a chair).  Sit with a tall spine, navel tucked towards the spine, sit bones reaching into the ground and crown reaching to the ceiling.  On an inhale, gently lift the gaze, extend the head and neck, and raise the heart for a tiny back bend.  On your exhale, tuck your chin to your chest, round through your spine and let your shoulders come forward. Repeat on your inhales and exhales several times.

 3. Low Lunge (Great for sitting all day!)

Bring your left leg forward and plant your left foot on the floor, just next to thumb of your left hand. Make sure your left knee is stacked over your left ankle and do not over extend your left knee past your ankle. Your right quad should be extended slightly so you feel the stretch in your right quad.  Bring both hands lightly onto the left thigh (quads).  Hold this stretch and breathe for about 20 to 60 seconds. Or, start with a few seconds, switch sides and gradually increase the time in the stretch.

     Repeat on the right side.

[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20047931?pg=2&reDate=01112018

[2] Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. Darren E.R. Warburton, Crystal Whitney Nicol, Shannon S.D. Bredin. CMAJ Mar 2006, 174 (6) 801-809; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.051351

[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20047931?pg=2&reDate=01112018

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sltGyJvbvWw

[7] https://behavioraltech.org/resources/faqs/dialectical-behavior-therapy-dbt/

[8] Alyson Ross and Sue Thomas.The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.Jan 2010.ahead of print. http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0044. Published in Volume: 16 Issue 1: January 27,