In the first part of this series about the fundamentals of a healthy human body, we looked at the concepts of elasticity, length and strength. Today, we start to dial into the concept of elasticity and look at a few examples of how to improve it through specific movement routines. What is the ultimate purpose of cultivating elasticity in the body? In one word, aliveness.
aliveness:
noun
the property of being animated;
the condition of living or the state of being alive.
When the human body is truly alive and animated, all of its parts are working together in a responsive, integrated way, with as few hindrances or imbalances as possible.
Elasticity, Length and Strength
Let’s begin by reminding ourselves of what we mean by these terms as it relates to the human body:
Elasticity is the body’s adaptability to absorb force, organise tension and throughout the whole body (i.e., when put under stress), and rebound efficiently back to its equilibrium;
Length is about the space within the body, a sort of decompression that neutralises the compressive forces on a body under tension, and opens up the pathways for energy to flow more fluidly within the body. Think the difference of a body standing tall and reaching to the sky, in contrast to the body curled inward typing while sitting and typing at a computer… which ones has an easier tendency toward lethargy (low energy); and
Strength is about the integrity of the whole body to work as one, rather than having individual parts compete with each other through isolated points of weakness or excess power.
Developing Elasticity
Just one more reminder. The first part of this series made an important point: the body is best understood as an interconnected system of bones, muscles, fascia, and the nervous system working in relationship, rather than as a set of isolated parts. It also framed fascia as a body-wide connective web that distributes force and contributes heavily to body awareness, while the nervous system shapes muscle tone, posture, and our capacity to move with fluidity or defensiveness.
To cultivate elasticity, then, we have to work with the body in this integrated way. Elasticity emerges when:
Tissues regain their ability to load and release. Think of the Achilles tendon coiled like a spring during a jump, storing energy on the landing and snapping back to propel you forward;
Muscles oscillate seamlessly between stabilisation and yielding, and joints are no longer braced by unnecessary tension, such as a relaxed shoulder that allows the arm to swing naturally while walking, rather than being held stiffly against the torso;
Fascia is hydrated and able to glide effortlessly. This frictionless environment allows the muscles encased within the fascial web to slide over one another and transmit force across the body without catching or binding; and
The nervous system feels safe enough to permit responsiveness instead of chronic guarding.
And this is separate from flexibility, by the way. Flexibility is useful, and we will surely delve into it in subsequent articles, however the aim here is not to become more loose, but rather more responsive. Stretching will gradually force more range into the limbs. Weight-lifting will work to contract muscles into greater and greater hardness. Elastic movement will guide greater aliveness into our body.
Elasticity begins with a shift in how we move. Many people treat movement as either stretching for flexibility or straining for power. But elasticity belongs to neither. It lives in the middle ground between surrender and rigidity. To cultivate it, movement needs to include oscillation, rebound, rhythm, and whole-body coordination. Think of the natural spring in walking, the pulse of a light skip, the coiling and uncoiling of the spine when reaching, or the way the ribcage, pelvis, shoulders, and feet subtly converse during a balanced gait.
Look at how these children play in this park. This is what we’re going for. A return to who we were born to be. Arms swaying, legs squatting, bodies rolling, knees galloping.
Stay Hydrated
In addition to the movement of the body, it is incredibly, incredibly important that we stay hydrated, each and every day, with quality H2o. The vast majority of people over consume ethanol (aka. alcohol) and caffeine, and severely under consume water. The amount of water we need is variable for the unique body type and lifestyle, however a typical 6’0 male ought to be drinking at least three litres of water (100oz), daily.
Fundamental Movements for Elasticity
What about the movements you ask?
Movements are unique to you. Posture and good body alignment is crucial throughout. Breathing in harmony with the movements is fundamental. And for this reason, we are in the process of building out an entire adaptive catalogue so that you can create a guided program based upon where you are, and what your unique needs and goals are.
However, that said, we present below a few general exercises that work for almost everyone. Since these were filmed by other practitioners, we cannot emphasise enough how important it is to pay attention to your body and breath as you move, and ensure they are operating in harmony with the movement and with your own self and capabilities.
Notice how all these movements are bouncy, springy, dynamic, fluid, playful even. This is what we’re going for.
Skipping truly fosters the dynamic, elastic recoil training we are looking for, incorporating light, rhythmic, bouncy movements, with mind-body coordination, a synchronised breath, and good posture.
Whole-body bands are useful, since they offer resistance that encourages continuity rather than rigidity.
Allow the limbs here to move using momentum and gravity rather than strict muscular control. Letting your arms heavy-swing or letting a leg swing like a pendulum loosens the tight, deep joint capsules that tend to freeze up under stress.
Experiment with using small, fluid, non-linear movements to signal to the surrounding stabiliser muscles that it is safe to let go.
Rhythmic squats relies on the stretch-shortening cycle. As you lower into the squat, the tendons and fascia of your lower body (especially the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon, and plantar fascia) stretch and accumulate elastic potential energy. Instead of a grinding muscular effort to stand back up, you catch the "bounce" at the bottom right before your range of motion hits a dead end. The tissue instantly releases that stored kinetic energy, springing you upward. This trains your tendons to act like dynamic rubber bands rather than stiff ropes.
This repetitive squeezing and releasing breaks up micro-adhesions between the tissue layers, and acts as a hydraulic pump for the extensive fascial networks of the body
Hanging trains the body’s tissues to bear load through tension rather than compression. When you hang, you are essentially stretching the spring of the upper body and torso. The fingers, wrists, shoulders, and spine are pulled to their structural length, storing potential energy.
The Mental Component
There’s more to elasticity than just the body movement. There is also a psychological part. A big part, in fact. The first article noted that the nervous system can hold protective patterns for years, particularly when stress becomes chronic and postural contraction becomes normal. When this happens, the parts of the body where this trauma goes into may not only tighten and lose mobility physically, but also psychological trust. The nervous system begins to anticipate force before force has arrived, in a visceral kind of perma-contraction. And a great deal of these patterns happen subconsciously, often in childhood.
Developing elasticity, in part, means teaching the body, through the mind, that it no longer has to grip and grasp. It means releasing that long-held psychological trauma from the body, returning it closer back to that natural, childlike, elastic state. This is one reason why forcing intensity into movement practices too early can, and does, backfire (think weights). A body organised around defence does not become elastic by command. It becomes elastic through repeated experiences of playful, fluid, free movements, purposeful recovery, and coherence.
In practical terms, this means favouring movement practices that build responsiveness over control. The elastic band work we looked at earlier makes not only practical sense, but common sense. Skipping and rhythmic squat-and-rise patterns, crawling, hanging, rolling, and light rebound actions that travel through the entire body. These forms of movement invite participation from multiple tissues and systems at once. They create the "wet silk" glide effect in fascia, which loosens up not only the body, but also the nervous system. They ask the body to organise holistically.
The real measure of progress is whether the human feels their body, beyond just aches and pains, feels a body inside that is more unified, more springy, more spacious, and less effortful in daily life. Walking feels lighter. Standing feels less compressed. Recovery happens smoother. Reaching, bending, and turning involves less local strain and more whole-body support. The body becomes better at meeting demand without bracing against it. And perhaps above all, the mind and our personality patterns in daily life will come to reflect the freer, more confident nature of bodies too. This is the art of elasticity in the body and mind.