Photo-Illustration: Cut; Video: Getty
As far as I can remember, I dreamed of being able to split. Maybe it started with a short stay as a gymnastic student when I was 10 years old, or a 7th grade dream of becoming a popular cheerleader (whenever I remember an embarrassing test). , I’m still crying). I moved a long time ago from those childhood aspirations, yet my longing to be one of those people who could split never diminished. It’s my New Year’s resolution and to this day I haven’t checked it. Unfortunately, my crotch has never touched the floor.
For me, splitting is a superhuman ability, and it’s unimaginable until I see someone do it.Annoyingly, most human bodies Technically There is a function to divide. Those who have their legs functioning and do the proper stretching long enough will eventually get there. Of course, the most frustrating of all is that my sister Stella can do the split. She was a lot of dancers in our childhood and as a result she was always doing them. As I am older, it should be worth another four years in addition to all the skills, interests and abilities she has. How does it work?
Finally, I actually decided to do something about it.About 3 years ago, I got a book called Even the hardest people can do the splits: a 4-week stretch plan to achieve amazing healthI found it in a pile of free books in the Cut Office. I took it home and never opened it … yes, until about 3 weeks ago. Throughout the 21 days, I spent 10 minutes practicing the stretches recommended by the book’s author, the “world-famous” Japanese yoga teacher Eiko. I admit that there were some gaps in my practice. This was mainly caused by my loss of reproductive rights and the general confusion associated with such events. So I might tell you now: I still can’t do the split. But there are more.
The three stretches that Eiko recommends are: First, lie on your back and straighten one leg. Using a balanced towel or strap on your foot, pull your leg toward you 20 times, then switch legs. The next stretch is a classic sumo squat, but it should bounce down a little while keeping your thighs parallel to the floor for about 30 seconds. The third stretch changes weekly, but is always the inner stretch of the thigh. After consistently stretching, I feel more flexible, Closer I’m more split than before. What I “achieved” is the habit of stretching a little time each day. This made me feel better and greatly increased my overall flexibility.
My particularly striking lack of progress may seem disappointing (okay, it’s), felt The progress I have made with the knowledge that there is a very long path ahead of me. Stretching is not really a linear progression. Of course, flexibility will improve and improve from a big picture perspective, but if you zoom in on a day-to-day basis, you may find that there are days when it grows even more than yesterday, but on other days it feels like you. I went back more and more. Stretching suddenly becomes difficult or not as deep as the day before. We can’t always expect our bodies to be “better” than yesterday, but we can always expect them to be different. Our bodies are constantly responding to millions of internal and external factors, and our physical fitness responds accordingly.
What I like most about my new daily stretching habit is that it quickly brings me back completely to my body. The stretches I do can change — obviously, the stretches in my book didn’t work perfectly — but the act of stretching always makes you feel exactly where your muscles are. Probably. It will tell you what feels good and what doesn’t. Your mind can’t draw a circle as you normally would — and it can’t even be autopilot. As someone who spends most of the day in front of his face, I sometimes get sick and unaware of how my body feels. The slightly painful attempt towards splitting is immediately reminiscent.
It may be a ridiculous goal, but for the first time it feels serious — it’s really achievable. I wish I could roll around on the yoga mat for hours a day, but stretching for a few minutes a day made a difference not only in my flexibility but also in my relationship with my body. The closer you are to the ground, the closer you are to yourself. And the closer I get to prove once, the better all the older siblings are. Take it, Stella.
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