During a Bowen treatment your fascia is essentially stretched but it’s a really good idea to have a regular stretching routine you can do in the comfort of your own home. The benefits are numerous , it keeps our muscles flexible and strong, increases our range of motion, prevents injuries and pain and reduces stress.

If you’re new to stretching or even if you’re not, here’s my attempt at an acrostic composition ,with some tips to get you started .

Space If you have a calm comfortable space , then it’s more likely you’ll be motivated to get stretching

Time It doesn’t have to take long. Even 5-10 minutes a day can be helpful.

Relax your breath.Sometimes if we feel stiff in a particular muscle we will hold onto our breath rather than breathing into the stretch slowly.

Enhances mood and reduces stress. When you are stretching try and see if you can quieten your mind too . Stay focused on the stretch and breath .

Tension (Tonicity) When you start off stretching , it’s important to go to the point of mild tension only and then relax as you hold the stretch .

Consistency Like so many other good habits , it’s all about being consistent to achieve the best results. Ideally you can do it daily but 2-3 times a week is still beneficial .

Hold your stretch. If you’re starting off this may be for only 15 seconds then repeat 4-5 times. Over time, as you gain greater flexibility you may want to increase the time .

Intuition Tune into your body and be aware of how far to take a stretch. It shouldn’t be painful.

Notice Before you start stretching take note of where in your body you feel you need to stretch so you can focus on those muscles.

Gentle If you’ve never stretched before, start off gently . It’s not a competition and if you overstretch you can cause small tears in your muscles.