Five Deep Stretching Routines: Full Body Care
Enrollment is open, self-paced and on-demand!
Scroll down for more info. Click the sound icon for audio.
What's in the series?
Swipe or click the arrows to see all five practices.
1. Releasing the Lower Back
Targets: Hips and lower back
The goal is to open up the iliopsoas muscle through a series of gentle yet deep and profound stretches. This deep fascia release may help to alleviate pain and tension in the lower back and support general posture in standing, sitting and walking.
2. Lengthening the Spine
Targets: The spinal column
The goal is to lengthen the spine by releasing deep compression of the vertebrae. This may increase flexibility and mobility and may alleviate tension and pain in the back.
3. Melting Joint Blockages in the Upper Back, Shoulders and Arms
Targets: Upper back
Aims to melt knots in the deep fascia. Helps to release pain from holding tension patterns in the shoulders and shoulder blades. Helps to increase the range of movement in the arms and open thoracic inner space, increasing breathing ease and capacity. Helps to release emotions.
4. Head, Neck & Hip Connections
Targets: Relationship between cranium and sacrum
Helps to give relief from headache, neck pain and chronic fatigue. Soft and slow movements may relieve compression of the cranium joints, recovering neck and pelvis flexibility, and mobility. Awakens the natural inner rhythm of the body.
5. Full Body Stretch
Targets: Systemic integration, deep tissues, core muscles and inner stillness
The intention of this session is to integrate the body-mind patterns with better coordination and freedom. It stretches the fascia around all of our internal organs, helping to recover their functions and vitality. Can deeply relax the body and mind.
In our daily life we face many challenges and difficult situations: body pain from sitting or standing for long hours, difficult relationships & health issues of the body and mind.
What are people saying?
I feel great!
What was my favorite part of this workshop? The instructor's sweet manner, the clarity of the instructions and the way I feel after having done the practice! I do a lot of yoga so I didn't expect such simple stretching to do much, but I found it definitely relaxed my entire body! I'm a little surprised and look forward to integrating the technique into my daily routines. The effect is much like that of a good, deep meditation session. Thank you!
Getting relief!
Thank you for making these learnings available online. I am so enjoying it. I currently have hip flexor pain in both hips and sciatica in right leg and I am getting relief after the stretch. The content was wonderful and I also appreciated the production quality of the videos—really quite beautiful. I look forward to taking more sessions from AVA.
Professionally done!
I would like to say how well put together I felt the course and introduction to it were. Fairly simple to follow what to do. I thought that the quality of production was really good and it all felt very professionally done. Thank you.
Fascia is like this thread of love.
It interconnects all the structures, muscles and tissues of the body.
Fascia is even connected to the mind, connecting from the gross to the subtle and all the levels in between. When we release tension from the gross, the subtle appears. Through this process, we can experience our true essence: silence, peace and joy. By finding inner harmony, we are more easily able to find outer harmony. Inner harmony allows us to more easily connect with others, Nature, the cosmos and the substratum of everything: Divine Love. Every Deep Stretching practice includes inspiring quotes or stories from Amma's teachings. They are uniquely woven into this workshop series to support your growth on every level: physical, mental and spiritual.
Meet your instructor:
Nirmala, Amritapuri
Nirmala is a Body-Mind Therapist from Spain with over 30 years of experience. She met Amma in 1997 and currently lives in Amritapuri, conducting regular Deep Stretching workshops for residents and visitors, restorative classes for Pancha Karma patients and individual therapy sessions in the Amrita Holistic Care department.
Nirmala has always had a great interest to find a way out of the suffering and pain of the body and mind. After a few years practicing and teaching holistic methods, she realized that many deep tensions were difficult to reach and release completely. Through her personal search and experience, Nirmala found the Myofascial Stretching Technique supports and addresses these issues. Myofascial Stretching offers very deep stretches to the connective tissues of the full body. Deep Stretching is a holistic, conscious method with very positive and immediate results.
Nirmala has always had a great interest to find a way out of the suffering and pain of the body and mind. After a few years practicing and teaching holistic methods, she realized that many deep tensions were difficult to reach and release completely. Through her personal search and experience, Nirmala found the Myofascial Stretching Technique supports and addresses these issues. Myofascial Stretching offers very deep stretches to the connective tissues of the full body. Deep Stretching is a holistic, conscious method with very positive and immediate results.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Can you explain the Five Deep Stretching Routines workshop series in more detail?
In the Five Deep Stretching Routines: Full Body Care workshops we will work with the whole body, taking a holistic approach to:
• Stretch and balance all of the muscle chains
• Erase compensations to recover flexibility and mobility
• Work with the superficial and deep fascia, combining static (still) and dynamic (moving) postures to balance muscle tone
• Use simple tools commonly found at home, combined with different pressures and the weight of the body, to access deep tensions and release them
• Tonify and strengthen the body through simple exercises
• Integrate and coordinate all of these practices to experience a flow in movement and a healthy posture
• Release physical and emotional pains by doing all of the practices together with conscious breathing
• Recover energy -
What are the benefits of Deep Stretching?
Through these practices, you can experience and enjoy many positive effects. With regular practice you can integrate these great benefits into your daily life.
Deep Stretching:
• Provides an immediate sense of relief after one performs the posture
• Releases physical and emotional pains and tensions
• Improves your posture
• Increases flexibility and mobility of joints and spine
• Balances the muscle tone
• Helps to expand breathing capacity
• Increases the potential for self-healing
• Increases sensory awareness and the mind-body connection
• Deepens meditation practices -
What tools and materials are needed?
Tools needed are common household items such as: yoga mat, two tennis balls, folded blanket, and some simple inexpensive materials from sporting goods stores. Learn more by downloading this handout:
Equipment Needed for Five Deep Stretching Routines: Full Body Care.pdf -
For those of us who already have a movement practice like yoga, could you explain how Deep Stretching can support a pre-existing movement practice?
As a yoga practitioner herself, Nirmala uses some of the stretching postures before doing a yoga session to prepare the body in case there are contractions, pains or stiffness. Afterwards, you will feel an immediate release and stillness in the body and mind.
This will help to deepen your yoga and meditation practice. You can choose one or two practices and variate every day adjusting to your need and time. -
Are there any ways to sample Deep Stretching?
We recommend trying our first mini-workshop in Deep Stretching, the Global Stretch. It is available on-demand from Amrita Virtual Academy. This is a great way to introduce yourself. We are sure you, like our many students, will love it!
-
Are there any medical or safety precautions?
Disclaimer: This course is designed for personal practice. It is not meant for teaching others. Amrita Virtual Academy declines any responsibility for anyone’s practice of the Deep Stretching exercises. Please consult with your medical practitioner before undergoing any holistic care practices. This technique is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
Pre-requisites: You must be able to sit, lay down and stand up. This course is not recommended for those with advanced malignancy, aneurysm, acute pains and healing injuries or fractures. For pregnant women, it is not advised to practice during the first three months of pregnancy. After the first trimester you can practice, but avoid the postures facing down and any compression of the abdomen.
This course content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions. Any additional safety precautions for a particular practice will be indicated in that video and its handout.
Please review the Terms of Use for more information.