If you are like me, stretching is not one of those areas you can excel in. I will never make to the level of a Yoga Master, Exercise Training Specialist, and no where close to the rubber like flexibility of a baby.

Stretching has always been work for me. Touching my toes after my Teens was moved to a personal olympic event. It was too painful on the backs of my knees. Almost every doctor I have seen has told me I am way too tense. If this sounds like you, help is on the way.

I have recently discovered how to make stretching easier. Making stretching easier increases individual stretches to levels I never thought I could achieve. It does this painlessly to the point, I surprise myself with the new angles of stretch I am able to reach.

While each of us have our own built in limits to what we can do with our bodies, I can quickly explain how you too can stretch farther, easier, and with less effort than you could only a few minutes ago.

Here is a sample to get you started. Keep your personal safety in mind, and do not stretch any body part you normally do not stretch. Pick any simple stretch that you normally do, which you know you do not do as well as others. Read the next paragraphs before continuing and  be careful not to overstretch. You do not want to hurt yourself.

The idea of this first stretch is to set a median stretch for you to compare to after you try using the method I will explain to you when you stretch a second time.

Stop stretching where you normally stop, do not try to achieve a new personal best. The purpose of this first stretch is find your normal stretch or twist limit, not to set a personal record, or to prove me wrong. I do not want you to hurt yourself, and my feelings won’t be hurt if it does not work for you.

Notice your body position if you are twisting your torso in some manner for your stretch, if that is a common stretch for. Pause as you reach your stretch limit and notice your body position in relation to something you can use to measure against.
If you are doing a different type of stretch, notice where your fingers touch your body or other surface. If you are doing a more general stretch, say touching your toes, or bending sideways watch where your hands, fingers, or finger tips stop against your legs.

Do not hold the stretch or struggle to stretch a little bit farther.

Over stretch and you could hurt yourself, and we do not want that to happen. Slowly move back the position you started from.

If something does not feel right, stop now as what I am about to suggest is not for you.

If you feel the same as before you stretched, here is what I suggest you do, and see if it makes a difference.

The first time I tried stretching while focusing on other things the length of my stretch improved a lot and without tightness or pain.

When you begin to stretch think about doing the stretch safely. Think about some part of your body that is not involved in the stretch, say and ankle or elbow that is not part of what you are stretching. Concentrate on the body part you picked, and ignore the body parts and muscles being used in the stretch itself. It also helps if you direct your focus on something away from you, look at a pattern on the wall, ceiling, or floor. Keep as many of your senses focused on something besides the muscles you are using for the stretch.

I think what is happening is by thinking about safety, a part of your body not being used in the stretch, and keeping your eyes busy is this:

When we think about something, that thing has our focus. In the case of our body when we focus on some part of it, that part gets ready for action, it gets ready for a change in state. The muscle is no longer loose and relaxed.  Our awareness of that body part is heightened.

Think about going to your Dentist for dental work. If we know we are going to get a tooth drilled on, our complete focus is on that tooth. We wait tensely for the smallest sign of discomfort. In short we overcompensate instead of relaxing and ignoring.

So it is with our muscles. When we stretch and focus on our thigh for example, our thigh is not as relaxed as it would be when we think about our ankle while we stretch our thigh.

We can imitate a magician and use misdirection. Our mind is focused over there, but what is really happening (the stretch) is over here, and we are not paying attention. I discovered this during my own stretching a few months back. I have found it does make a difference having something else for my mind to focus on while I stretch, than if I place my focus on my stretching.

I have better results when my thoughts are other places than the muscles I am stretching. I hope you have the same experience and find more satisfaction in your stretching without pain or discomfort. Good exercise does not hurt.

* The misspell in the title is intentional.