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The Importance Of Stretching & Understanding Your Body
For this week’s long-form content, we turn to Asrat Degaga, E-RYT 500, and Sangeeta Prasad, M.Ed, PsyD, RYT 200.
Sangeeta Prasad
Asrat Degaga
Asrat Degaga is a certified yoga instructor and healer who has over 25 years of experience in wellness. He is the Director of Wellness at the non-profit In The Streets. He achieved multiple dans in several martial arts including Karate, Tang Soo Do, Wing Chouw, and Krav Maga. He has taught yoga for AARP, The White House, Living Well, MGM and Vida Fitness. Asrat enjoys helping people become better to themselves. He found yoga after having back surgery and tries his best to aid other people in healing themselves through the practice of yoga.
Dr. Sangeeta Prasad is a liberation psychologist and a yoga instructor. She is Executive Director of In The Streets. She specializes in integrating the mind and body into nervous system regulation, in combating internalized oppression and in early intervention. She teaches at the George Washington University Human Services and Social Justice Department.
The Importance of Stretching And How To Properly Stretch
Stretching:
It’s not about what you stretch or how long you stretch. It is how you stretch.
Stretching must occur before and after running. Pre-stretching is done softly and dynamically. After running, stretching should be deep, static stretching because your muscles are burned out.
Muscles:
To be a runner with longevity, you need healthy muscles and healthy connective tissue. When your connective tissue is mad at you, it makes you cramp. Listen to the body’s signals about what you need to stretch.
One Size Fits All- Do you think this is ever true?
When you stretch please do not think that one size fits all. If you are running with a friend or a group, if you know your body, you should not do the exact same stretches as the person next to you. Try to understand your own body and take the time to understand how your body needs to stretch.
What can I do when I get stuck stretching?
When your body doesn’t allow you to go further, you have to find the place between comfort and discomfort and stay in this place while breathing deeply to soften the body. You can integrate the mind into this process and picture the breath extending the muscles, or light moving through the breath into the body. Metaphor can refocus the mind away from the discomfort towards releasing the tension that is causing pain.
Here is our video advising you on how to restart your stretching routine. Once you master these, if it is of interest, we can offer others.
In The Streets
If this has been helpful to you, please consider donating what you can to In The Streets. We focus on interrupting transgenerational trauma by amplifying the skillsets of service providers and by offering programming for pregnant and new moms to interrupt the transmission of maladaptive patterns to their babies. If each member of Run The Day donated one dollar to us, our annual budget would double.
Your Daily Dose Of Usain⚡️
Words To Run By 🏃♀️🏃🏽♂️
Everyone’s dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard.
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