Written by BurlyCon board member Kristina Nekyia
The Five Most Important Stretches for the Traveling Performer
If you are hopping on a plane or planning a long drive to get to BurlyCon next week it is terribly important to take care of your body so that you can make the most of all those amazing dance and movement classes! Hydrate, eat good food, get some sleep, and do some stretching.
Kristina Nekyia helping folks get flexible. (Photo Credit: Don Spiro 2012)Stretching can help to alleviate pain and tension in your body and counteract some of the unpleasant side effects of traveling like bad posture and uncomfortable seating. These five stretches target some of the most common spots where tightness creeps in after a day on the road. And you can do them anywhere!
1. Shoulder Stretch: Place both hands palms down, shoulder-width apart on a flat surface that is about shoulder height (can be a little lower or higher). Straighten your arms and try to slide your shoulder blades down your back, then drop your head and chest towards the floor keeping your hips over your feet so that you are making an upside down letter “L”. Try to completely relax your neck so that you are looking at the floor between your feet. You can twist your body side to side a little to get into one shoulder at a time, then lightly press your hands down and then relax to facilitate some opening of the joint.
If you feel any stretch in your lower back, tuck your pelvis under to make sure that all the stretching is happening in your shoulders instead of your spine.
2. Hip Stretch: Sitting in a regular chair, cross your right ankle so that it is sitting on your left thigh just above the left knee. Use your hands on the side of the chair to lift your body up straight, as if someone were lifting you up by the top of your head. Squeeze the muscles in the outside of your right hip to push your right knee down towards the floor, stretching the front and inside of the hip joint. If this feels pretty easy, reach both hands up to the ceiling while you do it so that you have to use the muscles of your torso to hold your body straight. Repeat for the left leg.
3. Calf Stretch: Find a low curb or stair, or place a few books in a stack on the ground (if none of these things are available I trust your innovative mind to come up with an alternative). Put the ball of your right foot on top of the object, while the heel of the foot rests on the ground. Slightly bend the knee while you lean forward until you feel the stretch in your calf and possibly in your hamstrings as well. Hold the body still and gently pulse the leg straight, saying nice things to the tight muscles until they relax and you can straighten the leg all the way. The more that you lean forward, the more exciting the stretch! Repeat on the left side.
4. Upper Body Stretch: Sitting up straight in a chair, interlace your fingers behind your head with your elbows straight out to the side. Without moving your body, gently create pressure between the back of your head and your hands by pressing your head backwards, engaging the muscles of the upper back particularly between your shoulder blades. Then start to pull the elbows back opening up the chest wide and take a few deep breaths, expanding the chest as much as possible every time you breathe in.
5. Side Body Stretch: Still sitting in the chair, open your legs more that hip width apart (if you are wearing a mini skirt, this will get interesting). Place your right hand on your right leg and reach your left hand straight up into the air, palm facing in. Start to slide your right hand down your right leg towards the knee while reaching farther and farther up into the air with the left hand, trying to create a long stretching along the left side of the body. Make sure your left butt cheek does not come up off the seat. If your right hand gets to your knee and you still want more stretch, start to bend your right elbow. Hold and take a few deep breaths, trying to expand the rib cage and lengthen the waist on the left side of the body. Repeat leaning to the left.
Want to learn more about stretching? Come meet Kristina in person this weekend at BurlyCon and take her classes on contortion, stretching, and fitness! For even more ways to get bendy, visit her website at www.fitandbendy.com.