For some people, stretching can actually compromise their natural elasticity. Elasticity is a feature of fascia not only in terms of its recoil properties, but also of our resting architecture, our natural personal posture. Because of the way we are organised, under tension, standing or sitting still remains part of that individual movement signature just as much as being in motion.
We can all intuitively read movement signatures. It is part of recognising a friend walking towards you by their rhythm and pattern, gait and style of gesture. As yoga teachers we are naturally inclined to use this aspect of our proprioceptive awareness instinctively. Identifying elasticity, once we distinguish its true definition, is an extremely valuable teaching tool and an important “kinaesthetic dictionary” to build and refer to. This is partly because of its global application in reading bodies and partly because it makes sense of structural integrity. The means of obtaining structural integrity might include stretching, but it is by no means limited to it. It may not be useful to everyone.
Elasticity
We measure muscles using EMG (electromyography), which is based on active muscle contraction. However, there is more to the role of the muscle as part of a continuous tensional matrix, spaced by the bones in a tension–compression system. Even at rest, a muscle is part of the tensioning properties without being in active contraction.2 At this time it would be EMG-silent. This is one of a number of ways measuring systems have affected how we attribute movement to specific muscle units. The distinction of elasticity or, more specifically, elastic integrity provides a healthy and intelligent foundation upon which to guide a movement practice. It relates closely to muscle tone; however, we are not using the term here, in order to establish “whole body awareness” and encourage thinking in terms of the entire organism rather than the parts.Schleip refers to the elastic recoil properties of fascia in ballistic movements. However, as closed kinematic chains, if biotensegrity is the basis of the architecture of our collagen matrix, then it also has elastic integrity when we are still. The body benefits from the value of elasticity just as much sitting on a meditation cushion as it does when springing through an Ashtanga series. Understanding and recognising innate elasticity is made more difficult by the many different meanings we have for the word “elasticity” itself. There is a general perception in yoga that it is associated with bendiness, stretchiness and flexibility (the archetypal heroes in our yoga movement story). The enemies might be seen as tension, stiffness and strain or stress. They are much maligned!
We need new and more favourable terms for these powerful “bad guys” because they are vastly misunderstood. Far from being the enemy, they are guardians in disguise. We are designed to stiffen up to
resist deformation, or to manage a movement that requires high tensional integrity. Tension, stiffness and strain need to be presented, free of their negative connotations, as values on a graph or scale of physical attributes that allow us to fine-tune and foster elastic integrity. If we focus only on stretching, then elasticity can get lost in translation. Elasticity is a powerful resource that the body exploits to save energy. Stretching is just one subject in a much broader picture.
Exploring New Terms
In order to see this as a general and global distinction for movement integrity and overall vitality (at rest) we can include the four main attributes of elastic integrity (Fig. 8.1). At first glance we could be forgiven for asking what stiffness is doing on a chart for yoga and assuming that we should err towards the bottom right hand corner of the figure. Fascial stiffness, however, has a whole other meaning and without it we can experience severe difficulties with stretching and speed. Its absence profoundly affects our range and elastic vitality.The Middle Way
The useful schematic in Fig. 8.1 is deceptively simple. Balance and access come from the centre; it is a balance of suitable stiffness, which means suitable resistance to deformation. In fact, “Bendy Wendy” (see Fig. 8.13) might need more stiffness, not more stretching. The terminology needs some reframing and the idea that yoga is synonymous with stretching might be a disservice to its powerful contribution to elastic integrity. Elastic energy is very low-cost metabolically; it is the essence of healthy, vital movement. On or off the mat, we seek a signature our body signs with vitality. Confusion is also created by the use of elastic bands in building biotensegrity models. The confusion is between elasticity as a property of any material and “elasticated” bands. Biotensegrity models are actually optimised using non-elasticated materials, to demonstrate strength and accurate examples of how collagen behaves in our body architecture. It is the sum of their combined tension–compression organisation, the balance between the length of the struts and the density of the tensional elements, that provides elasticity to the different aspects of our overall form. This can be demonstrated with the models in Figs 8.2 and 8.3.Elasticity is can be compared to one side of a coin. The other side of that coin is stiffness. Stiffness is the resistance to deformation of a material. Elasticity is the ability for reformation. The literal definition is “stored energy capacity” which is a function of elasticity and stiffness in balance. The amount of stored energy capacity is relative to the stiffness and elasticity of a material. On this basis, steel has higher energy storage capacity (elasticity) than rubber. A steel car spring has high stiffness, while a Slinky toy has low stiffness. Both have elasticity. The car spring (higher stiffness and elasticity) is better able to resist deformation and therefore to be supportive.
Viscoelasticity. In liquids, this same principle is measured in viscosity (thickness). Honey is more viscous than water because it
resists deformation when you stir it. Water has relatively lower viscosity and is less resistant to deformation. Viscoelasticity acts as a “damper” (i.e. such as would be placed on a stiff car spring to modify the rate of elastic return). It is a time-dependent way of regulating elastic “spring-back”.
Poroelasticity is a feature of geology that is also relevant to the extracellular matrix.3 The combination of our tissues and contained fluids includes these characteristics as essential ingredients of our architectural form, from embryo to elder. They change constantly and yet remain in integrity, if we do not forget they are on a scale and remain too attached to one end of it (i.e. by focusing on stretching only).
Figure 8.1
To balance the body in its full range of capabilities, we live in the range around the middle as pre-stiffened forms. This is important and one of the main reasons that elasticity and stretching get confused. Stretching is just one part or aspect of elasticity.