Gravity Yoga - Science of Stretching
Gravity Yoga - Science of Stretching
A few months ago I signed up for a 21 day Science of Stretching (Gravity Yoga) Challenge, which involved 15 minutes per day stretching.
Like so many people in Covid times working more from home on my laptop had taken a toll on my body, causing tight hips, hamstrings & so much tension in the shoulders.
With the studio closed my own training routine had gone out the window and once things started to regain some normality - my entire body just felt tight and achy. I was stretching but with hindsight - they were just really warm-up & cooldowns, I came across this GY Science of Stretching while researching methods of releasing my body tension and was so impressed by the program, that I signed up to become a certified teacher, so I could share with my clients in the studio.
So what is it,
GY is targeted mobility training that involves long-hold stretches. Poses are practiced completely relaxed, passively, so gravity does most of the work - hence the name. The practice is meant to supplement, not replace, other forms of yoga or exercise.
Most of us just hold static stretches for 30-60 seconds, but this is simply a way of cooling our bodies after exercise, it's not training our muscles or indeed changing our muscles in any way.
When we do strength training to build our muscles, our goal is to change the muscle by making them stronger, leaner more powerful, but if we lack flexibility and mobility in that muscle our training will plateau or risk injury.
GY aims to change the muscle flexibility through passive stretching over 2 to 5-minute holds, which gradually teaches the muscle to use its full range of mobility.
Who is this for?
Everyone from athlete to office workers, to those standing all day long
Flexibility training has never been more needed in the market.
Here’s why.
Our modern lifestyles are making us stiff. We spend four hours a day hunched over our phones, six hours a day on the computer, and an hour a day in a car.
Pop fitness trends also make us stiff. CrossFit, Booth Camp, HIIT Classes, Circuits and obstacle races will get you in great shape, but they make you stiff. As people flock to these fitness trends, they need help to balance the strength with mobility.
Likewise sports like running, cycling, football - you name it - how many injuries occur due to lack of flexibility and mobility.
Older people are everywhere. The world’s population is aging fast and people are living longer than ever before. The average lifespan is 75+ in most countries, and older peocountries, and older people want to move as they did in their younger years. They need mobility training.
If you would like to discover more check out the upcoming workshops