"When I started stretching at The Meridian Stretching Center two years ago, it was mostly for cosmetic reasons. While my posture has improved and my body fat has redistributed, I stay for the health benefits of structural alignment and muscular flexibility. Plus, it just makes me feel good!"
M. Kessler

"The physical and emotional changes that I have experienced could not have occurred without the guidance of the Meridian Stretching Center. Bob's extraordinary stretching technique transforms you into a better and better you."
Dianne Tarantino, Boston

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Frequently Asked Questions Answered
Being Created Now- Available October 2005


Here is where you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Everyone’s questions are also quite specific to them, so if you do not find out what you are looking for here, then simply email your questions to:
MeridianFlexibility@gmail.com

Here’s an example of some usual questions:

• Why does Traditional Stretching never give the flexibility gains that I think I should get? I’ve tried stretching, I even do it regularly but I never really get that much more flexible—is there something I don’t known that other people that just seem to be born flexible know? I’ve asked many naturally flexible people how they do it, but they don’t seem to truly know why? Was I just simply born stiff?

• Do I have to get less and less able to move with age? Isn’t there something I can do that will allow me to enjoy my retirement- so that I can play tennis, golf, and play with my grandchildren, even workout vigorously?

• Does stretching always have to hurt? How can I protect myself from over stretching? Can’t I also increase my strength and endurance? Why is flexibility the foundation for aerobic and strength training?

• Is it true that specific stretches can help to improve specific physical physiological conditions? Are there stretches for my bad knees, my back spasms, my tennis elbow, my wrist pain, my ankle sprains, etc? And what about menstrual cramps, migraines, weight problems, low energy, heart conditions, herpes, etc.?

• Is it true that specific stretches can help to improve specific mental health conditions? And what about stretches for depression, masochism, avoidance, procrastination, denial, mood swings, addiction, etc?

• Can specific stretches directly result in me relating to other people in better ways? Can’t I learn how to be in just those ways that will allow me to be successful doing what I wish?

• Is it true that there are stretches that can dramatically improve my looks and sexual appeal? What about stretches to help with wrinkles, shape changes, posture improvements, hand and foot problems, etc?


And here are some sample answers:

Questions from Adam Newhouse Author of Sayonara Diabetes

QUESTION 1: Regarding new meridian, I believe that we are able to create new meridians ourselves. Specifically, observing novices doing certain choreographed Karate exercises (or Kats as they are called), I noticed that most of the moves are quite unnatural to most people. As they come to repeat the same Kat again and again every day for years and years, I suppose that new channels of energy are formed. I wonder what you think about it.

ANSWER 1: No, I do not believe any unnatural movement can ever result in anything other than disease. Perhaps Kats need to be rediscovered and transformed into their natural high forms of movements. For example, in most Karate and Tai Chi not enough number of actual steps are currently practice thus creating enormous upper and lower body tenseness. For example, in Tai Chi, I have discovered that in the move called Advance and push that instead of simply shifting your weight forward from one foot to another, a person actually needs to take three steps to complete one arm push. These natural 'kinetic patterns' of the lower and upper extremities number 16 —8 for the legs and eight for the arms. The movements are created by contracting and shortening all the muscles along each meridian i.e. the bladder meridian causes one to jump up or go upward, while its balancing meridian results in sitting or going down. These kinetic patterns 'pair up' for all 16 meridians.

On the other hand, the two new meridians I discovered already exist in everyone, they were simply just not identified in TCM. They have become two of my most favorite meridians especially because they improve the health of my internal immune and detoxification systems. I called them Thymus and Appendix respectively.

QUESTION 2: Although I stretch every day before and after my Keiko (Japanese for Karate practice), some stretches always come to me as very difficult. If I persist, they eventually get a little better but then, say after a few days or weeks, they still seem pretty stiff and unmanageable. True enough, because of that I may have neglected working on some of them, although from now on I intend to focus on them. Would you kindly explain to me why some of the stretches are hard for me? Is there a connection with some (which?) internal organs? (To know that I guess I would need your sensitivity?)

ANSWER 2: The 'new way' (in American terms) to stretch involves contracting muscles while moving. So to stretch your hamstring you must start in a position where the muscles are as short as possible and move into a position where these muscles are as long as possible, BUT while contracting these same muscles continuously. I have attached a photo to explain. My first video teaching how to resist in all stretches.

You are not experiencing cumulative increases in flexibility because of not resisting. On the other hand, because each type of stretch or meridian muscle group is associated with a 'way of being', if you stretch correctly using resisting, this will teach you essentially new ways to be. For example, the ST meridian muscle group when stretched and strengthened properly, can teach people how to be more sobering - meaning how to naturally abnegate addictive substances, how to find the 'best fit' work for them to do that is aligned with their talent, how to be self expressive and enjoy public speaking, how to identify 'high quality' in when buying any product, etc. Therefore, when person is to whatever extent inflexible in a particular stretch, it mean they simple have not learned how to 'be' or behave in specific situations while others that seem 'naturally' flexible are for whatever reasons know how to 'be' fully in those same situations.

And yes, the flexibility and strength of any muscle is inexplicably associated (called having a concomitance with something else) with organ health, tissue health, as well as other external concomitances like weather, plants, animals etc.

QUESTION 3: I suppose that many individual stretches (and there are so many of them!) can affect various meridians, or is it not correct? In other words, is it possible that one meridian will take over for any given stretch?

ANSWER 3: No based on the primary muscles that are being targeted in an particular position, those are the Merdian Muscle groups that are being stretches. Actually, while one meridian is being stretched the other is being strengthened i.e. while you hamstring stretch your quads are strengthening.
On the other hand, any muscle can prevent you from stretching another. So if you are trying to stretch your hamstrings and if one of your adductors has been damaged during some trauma, then you will probably have to stretch and strengthen that adductor before your hamstrings will stretch. I call this trouble-shooting.


Lorra,

QUESTION: "How LONG should one hold the stretch/contraction?"

Great question.

ANSWER: The Resistance Stretch occurs DURING THE MOVMENT and NOT mainly at the finishing position. Traditional stretching protocol instructs everyone to 'hold the end position' for various periods of time, thinking that creates the stretch—this is the myth.

Resistance Stretching shatters this myth and proposes 'a new way' to stretch recommending to everyone that only by CONTRACTING the muscles you are stretching (called resisting) while moving to lengthen those same muscles does a true stretch or increase in flexibility occur. Once you reach the end point, a person can decide to remain in that position but would still need to continuously RESIST ISOMETRICALLY (either voluntarily or involuntarily) for whatever period of time they so choose.

Watch any animal stretch and you can see them reach forward, while contracting those muscles to produce their very satisfying feeling of stretching.