For this, we’ll separate the body into 4 basic regions: head/neck, core/back, shoulder/arm/hand, and hip/leg/foot. We’ll use some basic geometry to map our bodies in space, probably familiar for most of you from school. We’ll use the 3D space mapped by 3 linear dimensions oriented at right angles to each other. We will use this to map the movement of the body at any joint in relation to the rest of the body and gravity.

All of these stretches can be approached in a variety of ways. As we get more experience. If we understand the basic geometry of space, we can easily change the stretching approach for any given muscle group. It is a lot up front but once you practice thinking/feeling/sensing your body in this way it will provide you a simple way to understand your body. Knowing your bodies’ limits permits you freedom to work within them, how to maintain or shift them, and what to expect when you reach beyond them.

Some ways of stretching: relaxing into the exhale, relaxing into the inhale, actively reaching into the stretch, passively leaning into the stretch, reaching with the inhales and relaxing with the exhales, reaching with the exhales and relaxing with the inhales. . . come up with your own! The same stretch done with the rest of the body in a different posture or relationship to gravity does not feel the same!

Head and neck: basic 6 – from standing, lean the head down in front, then up/back, lean left then right, turn left then right.

Mouth: Reach your tongue out as far as you can, then pull it back, then reach up, down, left and right. Reach your jaw forward, back, turn left and right, open as wide as you can, closed while leaning the head back and to the sides. Reach your lips open as wide as you can, then close and stick out the lips, then roll/pull them in, then widen the closed mouth as much as possible, then narrow the lips as much as possible, the make the smallest “O” you can with your lips.

Eyes: open your eyes as wide as you can, the close them as tight as you can, then open the eye socket while closing the lids, the close the socket while keeping the lids open a crack. Then we’ll move the eyes, holding the eyes looked down, then looked up, looked left, then looked right, and finally circling clockwise and counterclockwise. Try the eyeball movements with the eyes both open and closed.

Whole face: move the whole face up, then down, then left, then right, then open, then closed. Try opening and closing the face, moving the cheeks and forehead around in different way individually and together.

Shoulders and shoulder blades: basic 6 – from standing, with the shoulders and shoulder blades, reach up to the sky, reach down to the ground, reach out to the sides, reach back behind you, reach out in front of you. Try with one or both limbs, or the limbs doing opposite stretches.

Elbows: First – Bend your elbow fully, pulling the hand gently to the shoulder with the other hand. Reach this bent elbow position in different directions with the shoulder, also relaxing/reaching the hand in different ways as well. Second – Straighten the elbow fully, reach the arm outward and turn/lean the head to the other side. Try different positions of the shoulder blade and ways the hand is reaching/relaxing.

Hand: make a gentle fist and use your other hand to pull the hand towards the crook of the elbow, then to the back of the elbow, then turn the hand over and repeat the two directions with this different orientation. Use your other hand to pull the fingers back from the palm both together and one at a time, then curl them into the palm with or without the wrist involved. Flatten the hand and reach the fingers apart, then use the other hand to pull them apart. Bring the flat hand fingers together, pulling them sideways each way. Pull the thumb and wrist towards the other fingers, then pull away, then down to the crook of the elbow, then back to the point of the elbow. Open the hand and press down with your body weight, allowing the hand/wrist to flatten out.

Shoulder blades: with relaxed shoulders/arms, reach the shoulder blades and hands forward, then back, then up, then down. Repeat, focusing on the space between the shoulder blades and the rib cage, allowing the breath to gently mobilize the torso underneath the scapula. Try holding or relaxing the body in different postures while exploring these shoulder blades in this kind of way.

Hip and Thigh: basic 6 – extend the knees and reach the legs forward toward the head, then bend the knees and reach the legs back, then straighten the legs and reach them apart sideways, then cross them, pulling them down across to the other side either standing with straight legs, or lying with bent legs (various ways), then bend the knees and turn the legs inward as much as possible, then outward as much as possible, finding various ways of accomplishing this basic goal.

Knees: bend the knee, pulling the foot back to the butt with the same side hand until it releases a bit. Then extend the knee, leaning the low back forward to the foot. Then pull the leg back again, this time experimenting with pulling the foot and leg outward as you stretch, directing the stretch to the inside of the knee and hip, then pull the foot and knee in, leaning away from the stretching side, directing the stretch to the outside of the knee and hip. Then straighten the knee again, leaning the low back down to the foot, but this time reaching the low back to the inside (then outside) of the foot. Then twist the foot at the hip and lean, then turn the other way and lean to the foot again.

Ankles: pull the toes toward you and place them against a very solid wall (a stair or car tire might work, if drywall feels flexible) leaning your body weight down into the foot while relaxing the foot and lower leg. Try turning the foot inward or outward then stretching, try leaning the body left or right then stretching, try pulling the toes toward you or away from you as you stretch. Try using the calf muscle to resist the stretch for a couple breaths, then relaxing into it for a couple breaths, repeating this cycle several times. Then straighten point the toes, pushing them into the ground with the front of thigh muscles, or pull them back with the hand. Try leaning the toes to the left or the right before pulling that way; try pulling the inside or the outside of the foot, twisting as you stretch. Try reaching the toes forward to the shin while pulling the foot back at the ankle.

Pelvis: sitting down, imagine the pelvis is a bowl filled with water. Lean the pelvis-bowl forward as much as is a comfortable stretch, arching the low back; then lean the pelvis-bowl backward, rounding the low back as much as is a comfortable stretch. Then reach up one side, down the other, then switch. Then reach one knee forward and the other back so the pelvis turns to face one side while your head faces forward, then switch. Repeat these 6 positions, focusing on the breath gently moving the contents of the abdomen, softening the torso and allowing more range of motion. Then focus on the pelvic floor muscles, allowing your anus to move gently with the breath. IF you feel ready for more engagement of this area, try allowing the pelvic floor to move downward more in the inhales, relaxing on the exhales. Then try pulling it up on the inhales. Then try pulling upward on the exhales and relaxing on the inhales. Then try moving downward with the exhales and relaxing with the inhales. I recommend being very cautious and slow with your explorations of the pelvic region.

Core/Back: Basic 12 – begin with breath stretch. while sitting, try to reach the torso outward on all sides a little more with each inhale, relaxing into each exhale, until you find your maximal inhalation for the time being. Then begin relaxing the inhales, and start relaxing more deeply into the exhales. As you find the end of how far the torso can move in with the exhales, begin pulling gently, collapsing the torso a little more each exhale until you find your maximum exhalation for the moment. Then round the back and collapse the front of the torso, reach the head/neck, shoulders/arms, and hips/legs forward to increase the stretch. Reach them all forward at once or one at a time. Now lie on your stomach on a bed. Then arch the back and lengthen the front of the torso, reaching the head/neck, shoulders/arms, and hips/legs back to increase the stretch. Again, reach them back one at a time or all at once. Now sit up and gently suck in the belly a little more each breath until you have your maximum pull-in while breathing. Then relax it and allow the belly to push out a little more each breath until you find your maximum push-out while breathing. Then reach the chest out a little more each breath until it you find your maximum chest expansion for the moment. Then reach the chest inward a little more each breath until you find your maximal chest contraction for the moment. Allow yourself to relax and just sense and feel your new body for awhile before getting up and back to the rest of your life.

We could go on and on but this should be enough to get you feeling confident enough to start exploring and discovering on your own. As you stretch one area of the body, the rest of the body will change. Try repeating a series of stretches a few times and discover how different parts of the body connect together.

Soon (ha!), I intend to post videos for each of these paragraphs demonstrating what I am trying to say here in words.

Good luck, go slow, and feel free to email me any questions you might have to theanatomicalmethod@gmail.com