Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing my experience with LYBMR Darien, a stretching studio that specializes in one-on-one, customizable stretching sessions. LYMBR invited me in for a complimentary stretch session last week and I’ve kind of been dreaming of it ever since, it was really cool!

My stretch session was with Cara, the studio manager. Cara is so easy to talk to and is such a wealth of knowledge. When I walked into the studio, I signed a waiver, put my socks on (socks are required during the stretch session), and then Cara and I discussed my health history, my goals, and any specifics I wanted to address. I really wanted to work on stretching my neck/upper back because of how guilty I am of constantly looking down while being on my phone or laptop. #bloggerlife

After talking things through, the session flowed into a brief evaluation of: my postural assessment, a gate analysis, and a hip assessment. This helped Cara get a better idea of which stretches would be the best for me during our session. Right off the bat Cara noticed that I had an anterior pelvic tilt which was a bit more severe than most, so we kicked off our session with doing a corrective exercise. I laid down on my back on one of their super comfortable stretching tables while Cara added resistance to my leg as I tried to pull my bent knee towards my chest.

After a few other stretches targeting my anterior pelvic tilt on the stretching table, we then moved to the chairs and started working on my upper body. The purpose of this series was to stretch my “tech neck,” and we did so by working the muscles in my arms (biceps, triceps, deltoids, and lats), and we also did some pectoral work. Each stretch is done several times to work up to a fuller range of motion.

So did I feel any better after my session?

Yes! So much better! My neck pain and lower back pain were relieved after the stretches I did with Cara. Unfortunately with how hectic my days can get I never take the time to stretch. That’s one of the things I love most about LYMBR, it forces you to take time out of your day to focus on your health and well being.

Is stretching one-on-one awkward?

I didn’t think it was awkward at all. As I already mentioned, Cara was super easy to talk to. I also met the assistant manager at LYMBR Darien and he was really nice too! I mean, think about it, getting a massage isn’t awkward so why would this be?

Are stretching studios the next hottest trend in the fitness space?

Yeah, I think they are and I think that’s kind of awesome! We’re living in the age of the self care movement and this is just another way to care for yourself. I do lots of different exercise classes and none of them allow for enough time to properly stretch after your workout. Of course I understand a studio can’t turn an hour class into an hour and a half class (to allow for a decent amount of time to stretch), and that’s what I love about LYMBR. LYMBR is challenging us to rethink how we spend our days and how we treat our bodies in the sense that we need to take a chunk out of our day and spend that time on ourselves. I love LYBMR for the same reason I love Inner Light Wellness (also located in Darien), because for that hour I’m at LYMBR, I’m able to slow down, focus on myself, and relax, all while doing something that’s good for my body!

Tell me more about LYMBR!

LYMBR is a wellness company that restores your body through personalized stretching, which you already probably figured out! LYMBR utilizes their proprietary technique of Progressive Emphasis Stretching (PES) through a highly-trained, LYMBR-certified therapist in their one-on-one stretch sessions. LYMBR is for any age and activity level. No matter who you are, you can benefit from LYBMR (I sure did!). You can opt for a 30 or 60 minute session, so what are you waiting for?!

(If you’re not local to Fairfield County, check out their website for other LYMBR locations!)

*This post is in partnership with LYMBR. As always, all opinions are my own!