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Last week I wrote about how my dogs “stretch” before I take them for a walk. One reader wrote to inform me that animals don’t stretch, they pandiculate.
True, but being most people have never heard of the term, I use the simplest word there is.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, why write metropolis when I get paid the same for city; why use policeman or law enforcement officer when everyone immediately relates to “cop.”
And so it is with words such as “relax.”
In martial arts, many teachers tell their students to “relax” away all tension, but this is the only word in English they have for what they are translating. The real meaning they ought to be conveying is to be in a relaxed and ready position, to let go of all “unnecessary” tension, not to relax to zero.
In my Power Postures course, I teach my students to “stretch your spine up and down simultaneously.” This is pandiculation, but it also requires more explanation than needed.
While the word “relax” is usually misunderstood, the word “stretch” allows the student to figure out what to do without consulting a dictionary.
For example, when I tell you the following, I want my instructions to be easy as possible to follow:
How to Stretch Without Stretching
- Stand still with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands by your sides.
- Stretch your spine up and down at the same time.
- Feel the top of your head moving towards the clouds while your feet stretch into the earth.
The above is easy to picture.
But if I say “pandiculate your spine,” I’m going to get a lot of “huh?” looks.
The “stretching” I teach in Power Postures is not stretching in the typical sense, but it doesn’t matter if it gets the job done. And it does, quickly.
Now, here’s the reality of the situation:
When you stretch (pandiculate) the way I am describing, you will instantly feel that you are plugged into a magnetic and electrical force. You will feel energized. Your hands and feet will probably tingle and/or get hot. You will also feel lighter, taller and more expansive.
These feelings are the beginning of you developing internal power.
The “stretch” takes place within. Some external movement is apparent, but most of the “growth” or elongation is taking place internally.
When you combine this principle of inner stretching (pandiculation) with external movement, you recharge your body, much the same way that dogs and cats do when they yawn, then go into a downward or upward posture, where they are lengthening their whole body in both directions simultaneously.
Want more of this double-recharged animalistic energy? Want more magnetic and dynamic strength and power?
Then get my breakthrough course NOW at PowerPostures.com
Matt Furey
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