Passive Stretching
Benefits of passive stretching include improved range of motion, improved flexibility, decreased pain, improved posture, and improved circulation.
Passive stretching can also help to reduce stress and improve relaxation. Additionally, passive stretching can be beneficial for people with limited mobility and for those who are recovering from an injury.
What Is Passive Stretching?
Passive stretching is used to increase flexibility and range of motion. The practice is helpful for those who are unable to actively stretch due to injury, strength or mobility limitations and can also be used as part of a rehabilitation program to help improve joint flexibility and strength. It can also be used as a warm-up before or as a cool-down after some other physical activity.
Aside from the prescriptive aspects of passive stretching, the practice stands on its own as a modality encouraging somatic and myofascial release, along with meditative qualities that are difficult to match.
Passive stretching involves the use of an external force to stretch a muscle group. An external force can be with the help of a partner, equipment, or gravity. This means that if you are not actively contracting your muscle, but allowing an external force to stretch your muscle it is considered a passive stretch.
In contrast, active stretching involves using your own muscle power to stretch, without relying on external forces. This can be done alone and does not require a partner or equipment. In other words, if you’re moving your body to stretch, it’s considered an active stretch.
However, my entire passive stretching practice revolves around the use of gravity and a couple of simple pieces of equipment, which allows me to have my practice without the need of a partner, though passive partner stretching is amazing!
My Passive Stretching Ritual
I’ve been passive stretching for years after a friend introduced it to me through a practice we shared together for nearly two years. Nearly every day we would do a yoga class together (see my yoga page for more) and then every evening we would share our passive stretching practice.
Sharing a daily yoga and passive stretching routine with someone I love was probably one of the most intimate connections I’ve every had. The sheer joy of moving our bodies together through a committed practice where we were each on our own journey in every moment, while at the same time sharing that journey with each other was extraordinary. I’ll never forget those days and how much of an impact it made not only on how I love others, but how I love myself.
Since then, I’ve maintained my passive stretching ritual every night in shamanic meditation for the past several years. I was first introduced to the practice around 2016 and continued on my own from 2019 until today with the same exact routine I’ll share below. The important thing to recognize about my own ritual approach to this practice is that it’s intuitive. The exact expression of is evolves and manifests on its own rhythm and I have no desire to control it or make it fit into some particular outcome necessarily. I let it ebb and flow on its own time.
The essence of the practice and ritual is that I sit at my alter each evening, release the surface level stress of the day mainly through breath, toning, myofascial release, though some other modality may come into play. Soon after, I will fall into and follow the routine below as one part of the ritual. What I want to be clear about is that a passive stretching sequence on its own might qualify as a “routine.” However, it’s definitely a whole different thing when incorporated within a larger practice containing a multitude of additional ritual practices and elements.
This is the sweet spot when a practice becomes a ritual and in my experience that transformation unlocks a number of beautiful qualities that aren’t otherwise present, including expressions of gratitude, love, and bliss states that drive an overall sense of well-being and emotional intelligence that has become the foundation of who I am.
In the early days of this practice it felt so amazing that I would say things like, “Wow! Why doesn’t everyone do this! It’s amazing!” out loud when pulling out of a stretch. I still say these things sometimes as I feel the full bodygasms and other orgasmic energies releasing through my entire being. It’s pretty phenomenal.
My Passive Stretching Routine
The passive stretching routine as I learned it is:
- Quad Stretch (on the wall or floor) – 5 min each side
- Calf stretch – 1:30-3 min each
- Pac stretch – 1:30-3 min each
- Adductor stretch – 15 min
- Hamstring forward fold – 15 min
- Back/Thoracic – 6-8 min
As you can see by the times I have listed, this is not yoga. Yoga is almost always a flow through various poses with little time before each transition. In my experience, passive stretching is better for flexibility than yoga, though yoga offers a bunch of other benefits that I won’t go into here.
In my experience, when I tell people I do a quad stretch for 5 minutes each side, that sounds pretty scary. I’ll have to admit that it can be pretty scary and trust me, that’s not where I started. The key is to start where you are. If that’s 30 seconds on each side, then do that and build up over time.
My experience is that I built up over time and actually timed myself in each pose. After a year or so I got bored with timing myself and began staying in poses for as long as I intuitively felt I should be in the pose. At this point, it really doesn’t matter to me the exact time or if it’s perfectly balanced, it all works out in the end and I trust my intuition to guide me.
I can say that for me at least, this sequence has been not only a game changer, but a complete life changer in terms of how I view my health, my dedication to my body as a temple and a practice that serves me. My posture is far better, I treat myself better, I look better and feel better and that centered grounded expression radiates out to other areas and people in my life.
I’m extraordinarily grateful for passive stretching and I consider it to be a practice for life!
Passive Stretching And Posture
Passive stretching and posture are related concepts in the field of physical fitness and wellness. Passive stretching involves using an external force, such as a therapist, partner, or prop, to hold the body in a stretched position for a period of time, allowing the muscles to relax and elongate. This type of stretching is different from active stretching, where the individual actively moves their body into and out of the stretch.
Good posture, on the other hand, refers to the alignment of the body in a way that reduces stress on the joints and muscles and maximizes efficient movement. Good posture helps to prevent injury and can also improve overall health and well-being.
The relationship between passive stretching and posture is that good posture can help improve the effectiveness of passive stretching by reducing tension in the muscles and allowing for a greater range of motion. Additionally, passive stretching can help improve posture by lengthening tight muscles and reducing imbalances in the body that can contribute to poor posture.