"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

THE MERIDIAN FLEXIBILITY SYSTEM


Discovering the Key to Being Flexible —The Meridian Flexibility System

After discovering this ‘inside secret’ to stretching, it was obvious that I needed stretches for my whole body. I proceeded to create 16 different types of stretches, eight for my lower body and eight for my upper body. Having had little to no exposure to yoga, I was informed by a close friend that once I finished resisting and moving my body into different ranges of motion that the end positions were in fact identical to traditional hatha yoga poses. The difference being of course was that I was deriving the stretch by contracting those muscles while moving into these final positions, and once I got there, I was isometrically resisting or continuously contracting those muscles that I had elongated.

After practicing these 16 types of stretches for months, I then discovered that each one of these different types of stretches was improving the health of specific physiological functions and organs. Not having been exposed to traditional Chinese Medicine I was to learn that the different muscles that I was stretching were exactly those muscles beneath the meridians. I had now unearthed a concomitance between my sixteen different types of stretches and the energy channels in traditional Chinese Medicine.

I tried many stretches, discovering over and over again that when I stretched different muscle groups, specific organ awarenesses and their functions improved. Who would ever guess that you can make your organs more “fit”, just like you make your muscular system more fit. For example, when I stretched the muscles that run along the back of my shoulders, down my arm into my index finger, my bowel movements would improve. In TCM these muscles are also intimately associated with the functioning of one’s Large Intestine. There was nothing I could do but give in and accept the idea of a muscle-organ meridian association.

My organs were being affected by stretching specific muscles.
At first glance, the connections seemed implausible and strange.
But they were hardly new!
These specific muscles corresponded to meridian pathways in TCM.
The muscles, meridians and organs matched up exactly.
Organ health or “fitness” improves with stretching.

Over that year and a half, I identified muscle group-meridian associations for each of the 16 types of stretches. I had stretches for 16 different muscle groups that corresponded to the health of 16 internal organs and unblocking energy in the organ meridian pathways. Later I also uncovered psychological concomitances with each of the different types of stretches — this became known as The Meridian Flexibility System®.


I then created sixteen different types of stretches, eight for the upper and eight for the lower body that also surprisingly produced distinctive and predictable physiological and psychological upgrades while the opposite low traits disintegrated. These exact concomitances between muscle groups, different kinds of stretches, energy meridians, physiological functions, and personality traits became known as The Meridian Flexibility System®.


The Meridian Flexibility System is a program of 16 powerful stretching exercises for each level of practice — Beginner, Intermediate, Assisted, and Advanced. Sixteen different types of stretches, each one uniquely defined by bone rotational interrelationships and specific muscle groups. Each type of stretch provides the best leverage to stretch individual or synergistic groups of muscles. Each type of stretch also creates concomitant and predictable physiological and psychological improvements in a person. This system embodies a balanced approach to physical and mental fitness. It is a predictable, noninvasive, preventative health program with resulting gains in physical strength and functioning, psychological fitness, and spiritual and emotional development.


Bob Cooley has a particular genius for movement and biomechanics. He founded The Moving Center in 1974 as a school to research human movement and health. He did post undergraduate work in Exercise Science at the University of Maryland and Massachusetts. After being struck as a pedestrian by car traveling 70 mph, he began a quest to repair himself. Through years of research into areas as varied as Physical Therapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Personality Theory he created Resistance Flexibility and Strength Training® and The Meridian Flexibility System®. Over the past 15 years he has helped thousands of people to completely transform their bodies and health. Bob works with Professional and Olympic Athletes and people who are severely injured. He lives a totally organic lifestyle in San Jose.

NOTHING IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR STRETCHING®