You don't have to be a trained gymnast or ballerina to be flexible. There are many ways to loosen up your muscles to improve flexibility and overall health.

Flexibility has numerous benefits including reduced risk of injury, soreness, and pain. Plus it improves posture and physical performance while achieving a wider range of motion. It also increases blood flow, which helps deliver nutrients through the blood stream. This in turn reduces the risk of joint degeneration.

Most of these activities can either be done on your own or with a partner. Other methods focus on a certain skill that encourages flexiblity and can be learned in a group setting with an instructor.

1. Stretching on a regular basis
Taking a few mintues a day to stretch is a great way to gradually increase your flexibility. Whether you want to work towards reaching for your toes, doing a split, or releasing tension in your back, doing those stretches each day will steadily lengthen your muscles. There are also numerous stretching routines on Youtube ranging from ones that target specific muscle groups to full-body flexibility exercises.
Even if you're naturally flexible, you can maintain and improve by still stretching everyday or pushing yourself a little further by working on things like the oversplits.

2. Stretching with a partner
This technique provides a powerful stretch that can help anyone reach their maximum potential. Sit back-to-back with someone. Both people assume the same position (like a straddle or butterly stretch). One person reaches behind them and puts his or her hands on the others' legs and leans back so they're basically lying on the other person's back. The person being leaned on will feel a very wide, deep stretch in the legs. Make sure not to exert too much pressure, and each person should only go as far as they're comfortable.

3. Yoga
One of the main benefits of yoga is improving flexibility, since routinely holding different poses allows for gradual loosening of various muscles.

4. Martial arts
A more non-conventional way of achieving flexibility is martial arts. Martial arts undoubtedly consists of a lot of action, and training involves continually executing different kicks, punches, jumps, and the like. These elements build up elasticity in the muscles and overtime your extensions will lengthen. For example, something as seemingly simple as a front kick can work your hip flexors, quads, and hamstrings, and continuous training will allow you to kick higher and higher.

5. Ballet
Ballet requires dancers to assume certain positions and perform movements that stretch muscles that usually aren't worked on an everyday basis. Having the feet turned out in various positions builds up agility in the hips. Moves like grand battement, rond de jambe, and many others help develop limberness when practiced.

But before you hit the yoga mat or ballet bar, it's important to keep a few guidelines in mind:
-Don't overdo any stretches or moves. If something feels painful, stop doing the movement.
-Remember to breathe. Often people are so focused on a stretch that they wind up holding their breath. It's essential to breathe to release tension while lengthening the muscles.
-It's better to stretch when the muscles have been warmed up; that way, they can lengthen more easily with less stiffness.

Reach Staff Reporter Angela Shen here.