Last week was an extremely busy one for me, mainly because I committed to submit ten articles to a London publisher.

Sometimes we make decisions that are totally insane, and that’s what I did when I accepted the writing assignments that had to be submitted within one week after acceptance.

I managed to finish all ten articles one day and a few hours late because I was able to work on them only a couple of days before the deadline. It required hours and hours of striking the keypad and needless to say, by the time I finished, my shoulders and back were really stiff.

Through the years, when the body stiffens and begins to ache due to overwork, I always do a passive stretch which I call the “Fulford stretch.” It’s an easy and highly effective way to relax the muscles.

This stretch was recommended by Dr. Robert Fulford,  who was a leading practitioner of cranial osteopathy.  In his book, “Dr. Fulford’s Touch of Life: The Healing Power of the Natural Life Force,” he recommended a simple 10- minute stretch.  It’s very easy to do this passive stretch – simply lie on your back and use your arms and legs to form a letter X.  Arms up, framing the head, and both legs stretched apart. You can also imagine that you’re a big starfish.  That’s it!  Stay in this position for as long as you like.  You can also do this while lying  on your bed before going to sleep.  As your muscles relax, your body will slowly re-align and re-balance itself.