Absolutely. We stretch everyone from the really inflexible to the hyper mobile. PNF assisted stretching is for every body, regardless of your flexibility level. You’ll feel an increased range of motion right from your first stretch and with regular sessions, the results compound as PNF assisted stretching builds a muscle memory to tell your body how to stay more open and flexible for longer.

No we don’t. PNF assisted stretching was designed by physiotherapists and neurophysiologists in the 1940/50’s to be safe, pain-free and effective. It’s clinically proven to deliver superior results over any other form of stretching or assisted stretching.

We use this method simply because it works and is proven to deliver results. If you are being pushed, pulled or cracked into position with pain, all that happens is you will experience micro tears. Your body then has to work hard to repair the tears and contracts to do this which means its actually having a detrimental effect on your flexibility not a benefit. So that’s why the PNF method is better. It doesn’t just work on your muscular system like other forms of assisted stretching, it connects your nervous system too. This powerful connection means that your brain gets a message to say that its safe and pain free to go beyond your natural stretch reflex to achieve a deeper range of motion than you would achieve by stretching solo. This method means you don’t get any microtears and you walk away feeling agile, flexible, more open as well as calm and relaxed due to the nervous system activation.
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PNF assisted stretching might not feel ‘big’ in the moment but the effects are greater than any other form and clinically proven to achieve much better results for the long term. If you want to achieve long term flexibility goals with immediate feelings of openness, PNF assisted stretching is the best choice for you.

We see a lot of people with various forms of arthritis in a number of different joints.

In fact, PNF assisted stretching is ideal for reducing joint inflammation to ease aches and pains caused by arthritis. We highly recommend assisted stretching if you have any form of arthritis to help you feel better and move pain-free. It’s a wonderful way to improve joint mobility, strengthen your body, reduce any inflammation and improve overall flexibility.

Absolutely. Many of our clients have various forms of back pain, caused by sitting, strain or injury and PNF assisted stretching is an effective way to ease pain immediately and to protect your back for the future.

We work on the piriformis area that often causes sciatica and is a tough area to stretch solo so those with sciatica, often find a lot of relief from chronic sciatica pain right from the first stretch. Regular sessions can be the difference between a healthy, strong back and feeling like you just have to ‘learn to live with back pain’. Assisted stretching is also a wonderfully effortless way to improve how your body moves as all you have to do is lie down and let your Stretch Life Therapist do the work for you. If you’re suffering from back pain and/or sciatica, we urge you to try our first timer 50min session to feel the power of PNF assisted stretching for yourself.

You’ll be fully clothed during the stretch and it takes place in our open plan studio. Most people wear workout clothes and clean socks but you won’t get sweaty or need to shower.

Simply wear clothes you can move easily in and where you are concealed as your Stretch Therapist will move your body into various positions to deepen your range of motion and we’d like you to feel comfortable throughout the stretch.

Oh, and always please wear a clean pair of socks! Thank you.

We are able to stretch those age 16-18 providing a parent or guardian is present. Unfortunately we are unable to stretch anyone under the age of 16.

There is no upper age limit, everyone is welcome regardless of age and flexibility levels and it’s never too late to start stretching (our oldest client to date is 80 and is now working on protecting his mobility for his 100 year life!).

If your GP has signed you off to go back to regular activities then you are welcome to come along for an assisted stretch. Your Stretch Therapist will adapt the stretch to meet your needs and take your surgery and recovery into consideration. We regularly see people with injuries such as ACL, rotator cuff, hip replacements and knee surgery so please let us know as many details as possible and we’ll take care of you and deliver the right assisted stretch to meet your body needs.

Yes it will. We are London’s only PNF assisted stretching specialists. We focus on the PNF method as it is medically grounded and proven to deliver results on improving your posture for the long term.

We see a lot of people with poor posture from sitting at a desk or hunched over a phone for long hours for work. We work on alignment of the whole body to address this and to help you achieve a better posture that is sustainable, pain-free and helps you breathe and move better for the long term.

If you want to improve your posture and feel how your body was meant to stand with everything in its correct place, then give PNF assisted stretching a try, you’ll feel the difference right from your first stretch.

We recommend coming along for an assisted stretch after any exercise, not before. The reason behind this is because we use PNF stretching which retrains your body to retain the feeling of openness in your body and if you go to the gym straight after the session, your body will not be given enough time to retain the muscle memory and you may find you tighten up again too quickly after the session instead of letting your body enjoy the openness and retain it.

The first timer stretch is a chance for us to get to know you and your body needs. We’ll take some time to chat to you to find out your goals and see how your body moves. Your Stretch Therapist will deliver a full body stretch to cover all major muscle groups to see how your body reacts and to understand exactly what you need to move with freedom.

The 50 min stretch includes a few different stretches and is usually recommended after your first time once we’ve assessed your body needs during the first timer.

It is also much better value to book the first timer stretch for your first 50 min visit.

Runners often feel their hips are tight. PNF assisted stretching will work on releasing that tension and easing any pain as well as helping to realign the body which can often cause the hip pain.

It’s important to note that hip pain doesn’t always originate in the hip. It can come from the feet, calves, knees, lower back for example so we work on all areas to release this and you’ll be able to visibly see as well as feel the difference in your body with regular sessions, helping you run pain-free for the long term.

Neck and shoulder pain is very common. There are lots of causes but we most often see this where clients sit all day at a laptop or find they sleep in a poor position. Sometimes we see people with sports related neck and shoulder pain.

We work on the upper back and shoulder area and always finish with a series of neck stretches to work all of the muscles in this area to give you relief from pain.

Regular assisted stretch sessions will ensure the pain doesn’t return and you protect your neck and shoulder area for the long term.

At Stretch Life, we understand that plans can change, and sometimes you may need to cancel or reschedule your stretch session with us.

To ensure a smooth cancellation process, we have established the following Cancellation Policy:

Stretch sessions are non-refundable but can be rescheduled or gifted to another nominated person.

We require 48 hours notice in case of any cancellations or changes to your stretch session. We are unable to accept cancellations or reschedule to another day within 48 hours, however, you may reschedule your session within 48 hours of your booked appointment time if its for a different time on the exact same day subject to availability (for example, your stretch it at 10am but you wish to come in at 4pm on the same day instead). If you are within the 48 hour period before your stretch and can't make the session, you may gift your stretch session to another nominated person which we'll add to your Stretch Life profile. Please get in touch with us to do this by email, WhatsApp or phone, we’ll be happy to help gift your session to another person of your choice.

Absolutely not. PNF assisted stretching is suitable for everyone. Whether you are recovering from an injury, easing back into movement, looking to ease joint and muscle pain from menopause or just age or sitting at a desk all day, if you are sport focused and training for something or simply looking to improve your posture and alignment, then PNF assisted stretching is for you. It is gentle, pain-free and guaranteed to help you achieve more flexibility and ease pain right from the first stretch. We don’t push or pull you into position so its safe and effective without pain.

Yes we are big advocates of regular daily stretching. We are also realists. We know that most people struggle to find the time or motivation to stretch at home so we will give you just one or two recommended at home stretches to do to work on a particular area of tightness in between stretches. Even just 5 minutes a day can help.

Every body is different and our nervous systems also react differently through the stretch so we will tailor the recommendations to you and your lifestyle based on what is going on with your body when you come into the studio for your assisted stretch session with us.

If you are looking for ideas for at home stretches, our instagram and facebook pages @stretchlifestudios have a lot of short videos for stretches you can do at home.

PNF assisted stretching comes from physiotherapy but most physio appointments are fairly short and a physiotherapist has a lot to achieve in the time allocated therefore, they are unlikely to have the time to deliver a concentrated PNF session. In addition, physiotherapists will typically focus in on one particular area or referral pain areas in each session to ease pain whereas in a Stretch Life PNF assisted stretch session, we have the time and focus to always work on the whole body to achieve alignment and ease pain as we know that pain isn’t usually isolated to one area and can stem from other places so working on your whole body delivers results for you for your long term wellbeing.