Wellness Inspired Podcast

Did You Know | Why That Unplanned Stretch Might Be More Than You Think

• Sheri Davidson

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Ever notice yourself stretching without thinking first thing in the morning, before bed, or during a midday slump? That spontaneous reach-and-sigh might be more than a reaction to stiffness.

In this “Did You Know?” episode of the Wellness Inspired Podcast, Sheri Davidson, wellness coach and acupuncturist, unpacks the fascinating biology and energetic significance of natural stretching, also known as pandiculation. From nervous system resets to liver Qi flow, discover how these involuntary movements are your body’s way of restoring rhythm and resilience.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

  • What pandiculation is and how it resets your nervous system
  • How stretching stimulates the vagus nerve and improves circulation
  • The Traditional Chinese Medicine view of spontaneous movement and Qi flow
  • Why these natural stretches may be releasing more than just tension

“That stretch you didn’t plan? It might be your body’s way of saying, ‘I’m here, I’m recalibrating.’ It’s not just a reflex—it’s a subtle reset, a conversation between your brain, your body, and your energy.”
— Sheri Davidson, Wellness Inspired Podcast

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sheri:

Hello, wellness adventurists, welcome back to another episode of the Wellness Insp inspired podcast, a place where you can find inspiration, motivation and empowerment in the pursuit of a wellness lifestyle. I'm your host, sherry Davidson. I'm a wellness coach, acupuncturist, trail runner and former interior designer in Houston, texas, and I am deeply passionate about health and wellbeing. And, as always, I'm here with my co-host, finn. And if you're new to the podcast, finn is my terrier mix, rescue dog, trail runner and loyal companion. He is also a therapy dog and greeter at element five, acupuncture and wellness. And this is another episode of the wellness inspired podcast. Did you know? Series where we explore everyday moments that carry deeper meaning for your health, energy and self-awareness, and today's topic is something so ordinary it's often overlooked. Stretching yes, you got it. Stretching, not the yoga class kind. I'm talking about those natural, involuntary stretches where your body reaches without you even thinking about it. The other night I noticed I was doing it constantly. I stretched in bed all night long, again in the early morning, and my body kept sighing and opening, almost like it was moving through something on its own. Pretty crazy, but it made me pause and wonder why does this happen? Is there something more going on than just stiff muscles Turns out there is, and it's fascinating, and today we're going to explore it through both a Western lens and the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, where even the simplest movement can hold deeper meaning. All right, let's jump in.

sheri:

There is a word for this reflexive stretch pendiculation. It is the spontaneous contracting and releasing of muscles, often paired with a deep yawn or a sigh. You've seen it in dogs, cats, babies, and you do it too, usually without even thinking about it. Pendiculation is the body's natural way of waking up, recalibrating and saying I'm here, let's get moving again. It's not a fitness goal, it's a self-regulation tool built into your biology. How cool is that?

sheri:

The Western view of this is a nervous system reset. So from their perspective, this is what's happening. When we stretch like this, the first thing that's happening is that the muscles reset their resting tone. So when you go through long periods of stillness like sitting or sleeping, stress, which increases unconscious tension, we all know that and repetitive movement, or overuse your resting muscle tone, it can get stuck in a slightly too contracted and believe it or not to relax state and this can lead to chronic tension or stiffness, misalignment or poor posture, fatigue or weakness over time. And stretching, especially pandiculation, where you contract and then release, helps your brain reestablish neuromuscular control, meaning your nervous system remembers what relaxed and engaged should actually feel like. So resetting muscle tone is like rebooting a computer that's lagging. It tells the muscles this is what normal feels like.

sheri:

Let's recalibrate, also from a Western perspective. Stretching can improve and increase the blood and lymph circulation, and improved blood and lymph circulation means you move better, feel clearer, detox more efficiently and regulate your emotions more naturally. It is the foundation of both physical wellness and emotional resilience. Okay, another thing that stretching does from a Western perspective is it re-engages your sensory motor cortex. So when you've been sitting for a while, your brain isn't actively tracking every part of your body. Some areas get a little dimmed down, and when you stretch, especially in a natural, reflexive way like pandiculation, it wakes that system up. Your brain goes oh hey, this is where my shoulder is, this is how my back feels. Okay, we're online again. So re-engaging the sensory motor cortex means basically, your brain becomes more aware of your body. So in plain words, stretching helps your brain and body sync back up.

sheri:

Okay, now the last thing on my list here, from a Western perspective, is that stretching like this stimulates the vagus nerve, and the vagus nerve is one of the longest and most important nerves in your body. It runs from your brainstem all the way down through your neck, chest and into your abdomen, connecting your heart, lungs and digestive organs. So in short, it is the main communicator of your parasympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for calm, rest, digestion and recovery. So when the vagus nerve is stimulated, even gently, through stretching, breath or movement, it signals your body you're safe, you can soften now. So basically, through stretching your body is waking up and balancing itself and in that moment, even if everything else feels a little off, stretching helps you find a sense of aliveness. And that's from a Western perspective. And I think what you're going to see is that there's some very overlapping similar thoughts here. We're going to move into how traditional Chinese medicine sees this kind of stretching. So it's a slightly different and more energetic perspective. But you'll see the overlaps Because in Chinese medicine stretching isn't just about the muscles and movements, it's about energy flow as well.

sheri:

So it's the muscle movement plus energy flow. So we're just adding another layer on top of the Western perspective and specifically the flow of qi, your body's vital force. We talk a lot about Qi in Chinese medicine and one of the key players here is the liver. It's an organ system that NTCM isn't just about detox or digestion. It is the conductor of movement inside the body and the liver. The liver governs the smooth flow of qi through all the systems physical, emotional and energetic. It also controls the sinews, which includes your tendons, ligaments and connective tissue, so basically everything that gives you flexibility and structure. When liver qi flows freely, you feel looser, more grounded, emotionally steady, physically open and agile. But when that flow is blocked, often from stress, overthinking, frustration or even lack of movement, you might feel stiff or tight, especially in the shoulders, the neck and the hips. You might feel irritable or agitated and restless, but also could feel depleted.

sheri:

Another thing in traditional Chinese medicine is the morning time is when the yang energy naturally starts to rise. This is the cortisol in your body that wakes you. So yang is active, it's upward moving and warming. It helps you get up and move through the world and take action. And specifically, again, like I said, when we're talking about waking up, it's like the cortisol levels start to rise and in the evening your cortisol levels begin to drop.

sheri:

So when you stretch first thing in the morning. You're supporting this natural shift from night to day, from yin rest to yang movement. You're clearing out stagnation before it sets in and loosening emotional and physical attention before it becomes a deeper pattern, so that spontaneous stress. It's not just a reflex, it's a tiny act of energy hygiene, like brushing your teeth, but for your chi, of course, it helps prevent buildup, it clears stuckness and it realigns your internal rhythm with the rhythm of the day. And, the best part, you don't even have to think about it. Your body already knows. You're just being invited to notice it and honor what it's doing for you. But we're not done. To notice it and honor what it's doing for you, but we're not done. Here's where it gets even more interesting.

sheri:

In both Western somatic work and traditional Chinese medicine we recognize that the body stores emotions, and when you're holding something in like tension, stress, sadness, frustration, your body often holds it too, and stretching becomes a way of letting go, even if you don't consciously know that you're releasing. And that's why sometimes a stretch feels more than a stretch. It almost feels like a breath you didn't even know you were holding. There is also a therapeutic method out there and it's called TRE, and TRE stands for traumatic release exercises it uses a sequence of movements to activate natural tremors in the body. These tremors, just like stretching, are not forced. They arise instinctively, releasing stored tension from deep within the muscle and the nervous system. So the idea behind this is I can't remember the doctor's name that created the system, but when you look in the wild or even a dog will shake, and when they shake it is their way of releasing this built up tension that's stored in the body. And apparently we have that, but we do not activate it. And so he developed these exercises that activated this natural system that we have in our body to release tension and to release tension trauma.

sheri:

So what I'm thinking is that this is just another version of what my body was doing during those repeated pendicular stretches I was having throughout the night and early in the morning. It was a slow, natural unwind, the conversation between the body and the brain, and in TCM terms, that can be seen as a release of liver Qi or dispersal of stagnant energy. Pretty cool, pretty cool, okay. Well, I think this is a good place to wrap it up. So just some closing thoughts here, some closing reflection. So just some closing thoughts here some closing reflection.

sheri:

Yeah, I've come to believe that after that night of endless stretching, my body was working through something. Maybe it was stress. I know I had a stressful March. April I did go on a trip, not sure that was super stressful, but I can't say that before that I did have some stressful life things happen. So maybe it was physical recovery. Maybe it was just a call for more movement after a busy, structured week. Whatever it was, it wasn't random and instead of ignoring it, I got super curious and I listened. So I'll ask you to do the same the next time your body stretches without permission or plan notice it and breathe into it and ask yourself what's shifting here, because that's not just a stretch, it's a signal, a subtle reset, an invitation to reconnect. And there it is.

sheri:

If this episode opened a new perspective for you or if you've been stretching a little more than usual lately, I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can find me on Instagram at wellness underscore inspired. You can also find me on LinkedIn at Sherry Davidson, where this conversation continues with real people doing real wellness. One stretch at a time Until next time. Keep exploring, keep discovering and keep moving toward a healthier, more adventurous life. If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and share with your family and friends. You can also give me a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcast. It helps others find me as well.

sheri:

To get updates on new episodes and wellness inspiration in your inbox, please join the wellness inspired community. Go to the wellness inspired podcastcom to sign up. I'll put the link to the website in the show notes so you can click and join. Also, there's a facebook community at the wellness inspired and you can follow me on Instagram at wellness underscore inspired. If you're in the Houston area or just visiting and interested in our services acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, zinchiatsu or dry needling therapy contact us. You can find out more on our website at element5omcom that's element5, the number 5, omcom, and again I'll put the link in the show notes. If you're interested in health and wellness coaching, we can connect in the clinic or on Zoom. Reach out to us and we'll get you on the schedule and, as always, I would love to hear your feedback. I am dedicated to bringing you great content that is inspiring and informative, with an artsy, fun, edgy spin. Thank you so much for listening. We'll meet here again next time and remember never stop exploring, learning, loving and being you Bye.