Muscle Tightness and Yoga

by Baxter

I got this intriguing question recently from one of our readers and thought it a good one to address this week:

Baxter, I've been curious lately about the idea of differentiating between tightness due to activity and muscle engagement/contraction, tightness that results from tension or stress, tightness from inactivity and lack of varied movement, and tightness due to overstretching. I'm finding that there are many subtle differences and also different ways to approach these in my practice. Thoughts?

What follows are simply my personal observations of my self and my students as it relates to the “experience” or “perception” of tightness from different causes. My suggestions in no way represent a scientific explanation for the way I or you may experience tightness, but could influence your approach to changing that tightness, which could be by stretching the tight area so you have a greater range of movement at the joint that is restricted by the tightness, or by a regular yoga practice diminishing the intensity of sensation you experience at the point you previously would “feel” the tightness. The purpose of releasing physical tightness could include, but is not limited to, improving range of motion, diminishing physical discomfort brought on by the experience of tightness, or simply feeling generally more comfortable in your body in each moment.

Now I’ll go through each type of tightness our reader mentioned, one by one. I hope that the recommendations I provide for each type of tightness are helpful to you! 

Tightness Due to Activity and Muscle Engagement/Contraction

I’ve recently been doing a bit more aerobic activity than previously, as I am going on a trip soon to Peru where I expect to do some hiking at altitude. To get ready, I’ve been hiking up a pretty steep hill in a local park that takes about 25 minutes to crest. As an expected consequence, I am noticing that my hip and leg muscles are feeling tighter when I do my asana practice, and I have lost a bit of range of motion in certain joints, especially when I do forward bends and backbends. When new students attend class and tell me that their other physical exercises are activities like running, biking and such, I notice, in general, more limited range of motion in these students than in others, and they seem to “experience” the tightness sooner in their journey into certain poses. These students have plenty of drive and stamina, but need to be encouraged to go slow and let things release gradually. 

Tightness from Tension and Stress

This is a useful concept, as you can start to ask yourself: where to I hold physical tension or muscular tightness that I feel is a result of my perceived level of life stress? Many of my students, especially those who have sedentary jobs involving computers or driving, note that their tightness is in the upper back, shoulders and arms.  However, because they are sitting a lot, the lower back can also be a vulnerable area. They often complain about the tightness at the start of class, and will comment on the improvement (that they note as less tightness) by the end of class. I generally suggest that these students work with their tightness by doing short mini-practices at work, as well as taking frequent breaks to stand and walk a bit at work. 

Tightness from Inactivity and Lack of Varied Movement

This situation could apply to the group I just discussed, since sedentary work has a lack of activity for most of the body, as well as limited movement. But this could also apply to a variety of other situations. A common one is with people who are recovering from a significant injury, like a fractured limb, or a bout with serious illness, like cancer or a long-standing chronic illness. So, in addition to possible tight muscles from lack of putting the body’s joints through their full range of motion regularly, you will have underlying weakness of the muscles. Not only will these people experience tightness as they reach their stretching limits, but they may also tire quickly, experiencing shakiness in the limbs affected, and a need to rest frequently. The appropriate kind of practice for these people might include gentle classes and restorative poses mixed in with general all-level classes to give them time to physically recover and very gradually re-build their stamina as they work on diminishing tightness in the muscles and connective tissue. 

Tightness from Over-Stretching

I’d call this kind of experience “rebound” tightness that can occur after a particularly deep or focused asana practice. Sometime my teacher will be doing a class that focuses on backbends almost exclusively. I may not have been doing a lot of backbends in my home practice that week, but will decide to try to do everything offered in class. It is not uncommon for me to notice the next day that the areas that just the day before felt very open and more flexible at the end of class are now super tight and more inflexible. The muscle has a “stretch reflex” that works in a way that if you stretch with too much force or too quickly, the muscle contracts to fight or neutralize the stretch, so as to protect the muscle from tearing or injury. 

It almost feels like my body does a giant delayed “stretch reflex” by the way I feel after one of the classes. For me, the take-home message is to be more mindful while doing the practice for subtle or obvious signs, like pain, and not let my desires to “keep up with the Joneses’” lead to that unwanted side effect. And of course, over-stretching could lead to unwanted ligament damage, which can put joints at risk of injury—not the goal of a smart asana practice!