Secrets of Stretching: The Golden Ball

In Five Point Fitness: Flexibility Training, I covered the basics and provided a comprehensive stretching routine. For a number of you, that routine alone has the potential to make you as flexible as you want to be. There is a valuable technique however, that I didn't share in that article.

Storytime

When I was trying to increase my flexibility for martial arts, there was a point I got to where it felt like I had hit a brick wall. No matter how hard or how often I stretched I wasn't getting any more flexible. In fact, the more often I stretched the less flexible I got! I was so determined to increase the flexibility in my hips that I would try to force it, and yea, I ended up with chronic injuries in my hips and knees. It was a long road to even just get back to where I could do the things I could do before without restrictive pain. Well eventually, I figured out a technique that not only rehabilitated my injuries, but helped me make incredible gains to my flexibility. I was able to stretch deeper, and was able to do so without pain. If I felt any coming on, I'd attack it at the source with this technique.

Mind Over Matter

Here's the thing, I underestimated the mind and its power make the body 'bend' to its will. It took a bit of practice, but it worked for me and I'm sure it can work for you too. When you are having trouble with a stretch, getting a nagging pull somewhere, a lot of people whip out the foam roller. Well, this technique is like a mental foam roller except instead of mauling yourself with that torture device for an hour, it's quick and painless.

Friends with Benefits

The benefits you will obtain from this go beyond stretching. It's a powerful relaxation tool that can lower your blood pressure, sharpen your mind, and improve awareness of your body.

Here is how you learn to use the Golden Ball

 -Start by sitting down in a chair, bench, etc. Back straight, feet flat on the floor, and hands on your legs.

-Close your eyes. Take 2 or 3 deep breaths and clear your mind.

 -Imagine a glowing golden ball rolling up your toes and engulfing your feet. Feel its warmth, and let it melt all of the tension out of your feet.

-Now, move it up through your ankles and up your shins. feel it roll through your calves, up over your knees into your thighs, and flowing through your legs. Anywhere the ball goes it melts the tension away, leaving nothing but complete relaxation.

-Move the ball up through your hips, feel its warm glow around your joints. Then it rolls up into your stomach and through your chest.

-When it reaches your collar bone it splits in two. One ball goes into your right shoulder and one ball into your left shoulder.

-It rolls down the backs of your arms, through your forearms and out your fingers. Bring it back up through your fingers, wrists, and arms, rejoining it between your shoulder blades.

-Bring it up the back of your neck feeling any tension there slip away.

-Roll it up and over the top of your head and down into your face. Let it hover there for a few seconds, saturating your eyes, jaw, and the muscles in your face.

-Let it rise off the top of your head like a bubble would underwater. It stops about a foot over your head and rains down a gentle shower of sparkling golden flakes of light completely covering your entire body in warm golden radiance.

-Take a few deep breaths losing yourself in the warmth and listening to the twinkling of the light.

-Open your eyes.


You'll Know When You've Got It

Practice this at your leisure until you can move it through your entire body as described. If you find the ball getting caught or snagged anywhere. Stop it there, and let it hover in that spot until you can feel its warmth, then continue moving it. Eventually, the ball will pretty much take on a life of its own, responding instantaneously to your will. This is the ideal level of control you will want to utilize for stretching.

Utilization For Stretching

Whenever your doing a stretch and you feel the resistance in your muscle, envision the golden ball there rolling through it. The ball can split, stretch, and take on any shape you can imagine. Run it down the long muscles on the outside of the leg like liquid, or into your groin and around the top of your knees. Try different angles and shapes until you hit the spot that is holding you back, and feel it melt away to instantly deepen your stretch.


I believe an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle is being able to relax (without relying on some form of substance). Use the Golden Ball whenever you need too to achieve this. The more often you use it the more powerful it becomes. Have a look at the stretching routine from my article on Flexibility Training and try it out!