Meridian stretching exercises, also called resistance stretches, release muscle and fascia tension while stimulating energy meridians along your body that can boost your health and sense of well-being, according to biomechanics expert Bob Cooley, author of "The Genius of Flexibility." The meridians employed in resistance stretches mirror those utilized in traditional Chinese medicine, a system of healthcare that dates back more than 20 centuries. The hallmark of a meridian stretch is the emphasis on contracting a muscle while moving it into a stretched position, notes Olympic medalist Dara Torres, a user of the system. The beginner meridian stretch series includes 16 exercises.
Torso
If you have limited time to stretch, choose the three large spine movements to release your spine, recommends Cooley. These are lateral bends, locust at the wall and wall roll downs. This series not only stretches your obliques, deep abdominal muscles and back extensors, it also stretches the fascia that can make your spine feel stiff, says Cooley. Stimulating your liver, appendix and thymus meridians will also boost your energy level.
Legs
Use the wide-leg forward bend, central leg extension and cross over leg extension stretches to release your medial, central and lateral hamstrings. This series also stimulates your spleen, governing vessel and bladder meridians. Use thigh stretch at the wall to release your quadriceps and the hip flexor stretch to release your psoas. These two movements stimulate your stomach and conception vessel meridians. Stretch your hips using the knee to forehead position and your groin using the lotus at the wall pose. These positions stimulate your gallbladder and kidney meridians.
Arms
You can perform two of the arm and shoulder stretches while seated, which makes them easy to use at work or on a plane. The grapevine arms and infinity stretches both release the front and back shoulder muscles, as well as the upper arms. When you have more space available, add the meridian child's pose, which lengthens your entire arm. These three movements stimulate the large intestine, small intestine and triple burner meridians.
Chest
To stretch your chest, you will need some floor space and a chair to perform pushup dips, chair pull downs and the lightening on the floor stretch. This series pairs well with the arm stretches, since both muscle groups share several muscle attachment sites, according to Torres, who used these stretches to prepare for swimming in the 2008 Olympic Games at age 41 -- where she won three silver medals. The chest stretches stimulate the lung, heart and pericardium meridians, according to Cooley.
References
- "The Genius of Flexibility"; Bob Cooley; 2005
- "Resistance Stretching with Dara Torres DVD"; Dara Torres; 2009
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