08/10/2026
Try this: lying down, gently pull one knee towards your chest with your hands, then let go and see how much of that position you can hold.
Your hands might take you further than your muscles can manage on their own and that’s what we might call the difference between passive range (the bit you can get to with help) and active range (the bit your muscles can control)
OR Try this: sit into pigeon pose, and instead of relaxing forwards, hold tension in the upper body, arms off the floor and lower yourself down with control and back up.
Maybe you can get all the way down and relax there using your hands but controlling it without your hands on the floor is another story.
Stretching might feel good and maybe it helps increase range over time but strength and control within that range means you can use that movement.
If we want to make everyday movements easier, we need to look at both of these. It’s about where you can move to, AND what you can do once you’re there.
If you’ve been stretching the same areas for months and still feel restricted, maybe taking a different approach can help.
