The importance of daily stretching to keep meridian channels clean

[Songtsan]

Did you know?

 

The myofascial system is the foundation of the meridians. It is where the meridian channels lie. Chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, etc. have known this forever. Trigger point charts and acupressure charts are pretty close to being identical. Myofascial adhesions (where the myofascia bunches up and adheres to bones, muscles, etc.) can interfere with meridian channels. Failing to stretch every day could easily lead to adhesions. Adhesions are almost synonymous with energy blockages. The myofascia becomes twisted and warped and pulls on the webbing of itself and creates all kinds of problems. Make sure you stay limber. Make sure that your legs especially are well taken care of. Also, the myofascia that runs between internal organs is important. Learn self-massage techniques, etc. to take care of this. See a Chi Nei Tsang practitioner every once and a while to assess your condition (Chinese internal organ massage). Keep your myofascia happy and unwound. If certain spots on your body hurt good (i.e. 'exquisite pain') when you press the muscles/connective tissue, this is often a sign of trigger point formation. Your body wants something to be done about this.

 

EDIT NOTE: This post is just as much about taking care of the myofascial system as it is about taking care of ligaments, tendons and the muscle belly of the associated tendon...so I should change the title to 'The importance of maintaining elastic and pliable connective tissue' or some such thing

Edited July 20, 2013 by Songtsan

[Songtsan]

Did you know?

 

The secret is to elongate the tissues, not necessarily stretch the tissues. Since there is a "bounce back" effect with conventional stretching.

 

(A few) good techniques/practices for elongating tissues:

 

Tai chi chuan

Feldenkrais

Hanna Somatics

 

Indeed - keep them pliable and springy - don't overstretch! Envision a rubber band in a freezer. What happens when you try to stretch it out? It breaks! Never stretch cold! Also - see myofascial massage technique - they focus almost exclusively on the myofascia. Rolfing is designed around this. If you have money - get a ten-piece series of Rolfing sessions (about $1000) and you will know the value of this. When stretching myofascia, or any connective tissue, never force it - allow it to expand naturally, when it is ready. Use just enough pressure to encourage it, rather than try to make it do what you want.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Songtsan

[Songtsan]

If stretch pain hurts good, its OK, if stretch pain hurts bad, back off!

[Songtsan]

Muscles move bones...muscle memory holds bones in positions. Myofascia intertwines with muscles/bones/organs/etc. Any imbalance in one part effects the rest. Mis-alignments, poor posture, chronic muscle tension, etc. are caused by these imbalances. I am going to include a wealth of information on stretching/self-massage in my book, but that is so long away... you should start studying this stuff if you don't know it, because it will improve your experience of life and your chi flow swiftly.

 

Study:

 

-Frictioning

-Myofascial release

-Trigger point work/acupressure

-using a theracane

-using a foam roller

-using the variety of self massage tools they sell, or everyday objects such as pool balls, rolling pins, etc.

-partner massage

 

If you have a significant other or roommate who is down...don't underestimate the benefit of buying a massage table (cheap ones for like $159 or so) and trading massages. You learn as you go. Anyone interesting can get a list of dos/don'ts from me if nothing else. Very good use of time and fun! Do it to music, its a workout for the giver, you can practice your martial arts stances! It is work, yet it is also 'not-work'

[Songtsan]

OK, so tell me...what if someone does not have good awareness of his body...maybe he will not be able to differentiate between 'good' and 'bad' pain?

 

Case example:

During the early days of the yoga craze, my friend was just out of high school. Having grown up in a physically and emotionally abusive household, perhaps he did not have an appropriate felt sense in his body. Well, he was stretching in a yoga position, thought the pain was 'good' or appropriate and...pow! Tore his knee out!

 

I tend to be very cautious with the phrase 'good pain.' Not everyone is as highly aware of their body as you, OP.

 

Its true that some may go too far - generally type-A competitive people who are so in their head that they can't feel their body well...generally in most massage modalities, they use a 10 point scale, where 1 is you dont feel anything, and 10 is it hurts so bad you feel like you are going to freak out and jump off the table. Massage therapists instruct their clients to never pass a 6 or 7. Once a client/therapist know eachother better they may adjust, but in regards to your question...

 

The feeling of exquisite pain, i.e. hurts so good is usually a perfect indicator of what the body wants. Not always though, such as in the case of mosquito bites, feels great to scratch, but that is what the mosquitoes want! You damage your tissues, and bring blood to the surface for more mosquitoes to suck on.

 

When it comes to the perception of hurts so good, there is a definite level of going into the bad zone. A therapist can note what this level is by the amount of resistance they feel as they are stretching the client. A self-stretcher can also note this same thing. You can almost basically use the same 10 point system to know when enough is enough. If resistance to stretch is beyond a 7, stop there. Wait for it to relax. Don't try to gain a bunch of degrees in your Range of Motion in that joint in one day. Also, you can make use of Active Range of Motion and Passive Range of Motion. I will get back to you on this, as I have to run to the store and do some shopping.

[Songtsan]

OK:

 

Active Range of Motion (AROM) is the degrees you can stretch in any direction using just your own muscle power, typically the antagonist (opposite muscles) of the muscle being stretched. People generally cannot ever hurt themselves by stretching within their AROM range.

 

Passive Range of Motion (PROM) is the number of degrees beyond AROM that you can stretch a muscle safely without injuring yourself, generally using props, having someone else stretch, doing specific stretches in Yoga, etc. When stretching in this range, the most benefit is accrued obviously.

 

Beyond PROM lies 'tear your tendons and ligaments rang of motion,' which I will call TYTALROM. Typically, when people enter TYTALROM zone, they are trying to show off. They aren't focused on feeling what is going on at all, and instead are trying to compete with everyone else. This is the standard. I am not saying your friend did it on purpose, but generally speaking, PROM always has a feeling of good stretch intertwined with it, lessening towards the end of its range (i.e. the 'red zone'). It is possible that someone simply isn't connecting right, but its not very ordinary. I myself injured myself my going into TYTALROM trying to show off my ability to do a split when I was younger and not warmed up.

 

There is a reason why Yoga sessions start with Sun salutes. These warm you up, so that the deeper stretches can be attained. Warm-up should always be at least 5 minutes, and 10 is better, of cardiovascular exercise.

 

Stretching itself is NOT a warm-up, unless it is done super slowly and carefully, which most people are not willing to do, so I consider it basically NOT a warm-up. Ballistic stretching is not recommended (things like bouncing into a forward bend trying to touch the floor, etc.). Ballistic stretching is using your own muscle momentum to go way beyond AROM. Only do ballistic stretching when warmed up, but its better not avoid these types of movements altogether, because of the lack of control inherent in using momentum to this degree, etc.

 

Dynamic stretching is preferred to ballistic stretching. Dynamic stretching is similar, but doesn't use bouncing motions. Dynamic stretching uses muscular momentum to a lesser degree, and does not rely on bouncing movements at all.

 

Warm-up means exactly what it says - warming up the body tissues so that the blood is flowing faster, the atoms are moving faster, the tissue is actually warmer and more pliable.

 

As far as people hurting themselves while feeling the exquisiteness of the stretch pain and not trying to show off, I cannot really see it happening if they are properly warmed up. The body doesn't work that way. I will have to bow out and say that I do not understand how this could occur, except to say that perhaps there was already an issue, such as a tear or rip, etc. involved with that joint, and that he simply fell prey to that. Yoga injures many people by the way. I myself have placed undue stress on some ligaments in my knees doing triangle poses, before I decided to stay way up in the safe zone, even though I could go way farther.

 

I would say that, regardless of the intensity of the feel good stretch, if the pain ever passes a 7, don't go there. It's important to pay respect to the 'weak links in the chain.' I think sometimes people confuse the pain scale with meaning a general thing. It's site-specific! If there is a tiny point of pain in a joint that is passing a 7, or just feels really weird or odd, then even though the rest of the muscles/ligaments involved in the stretch may be at a 3, you have to respect that weak link. Leave the ego out of it. Don't be afraid to stay at a beginner level in your form.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Songtsan

[BaguaKicksAss]

Dynamic stretching, my fave .

[Songtsan]

Dynamic stretching, my fave .

 

Yes, thank you for reminding me. I had to correct my post. I often post from memory only and do not take time to make sure I haven't mixed up my info, which I do here and there.

[Songtsan]

Another related tool/technique are those things designed to release adhesions in the surface layer of the myofascia - such as this tool here: https://sites.google.com/site/fluidmotionchiropractic/health-articles/chiropractic-articles/graston-technique-myofascial-release-technique-and-active-release-technique

 

Obviously this can be done by hand as well, using various myofascial massage techniques. The foam rollers work on a similar basis.

 

As all the myofascial webbing is interconnected, we can make a difference in our bodies by working on the surface myofascia. Its easy and feels good. A foam roller costs like $10 or less. There is also Yamuna body rolling, which uses various types of balls - these are also great.

 

These types of tools and techniques make a great addition to any cultivation practice.

[Songtsan]

Another great way to stretch is PNF technique - Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. An example of this category would be CRAC stretching (Contract Relax Antagonist Contract). May sound complex, but its very simple.

 

Basically the muscles have specific ways to avoid injury. If a muscle is quickly/strongly fired, there is an automatic antagonist (opposite muscle) action to control and limit its contraction so that injury doesn't occur. Similarly, if a muscle is stretched too fast/hard there is an automatic reaction to limit the stretching by firing the muscle that is being stretched, thus protecting it.

 

PNF stretching takes advantage of these behaviors to extend the ROM in a superior way beyond normal stretching. It is important to know what you are doing before you use these techniques however. It is possible to do them on your own, but using a partner is more advantageous. The 'bounce back' tendency that occurs in stretching, which Rainbowvein was referring to, is in fact the actions of the muscle spindles in the belly of a muscle. They are what are primarily responsible for activating a muscle groups defense against overstretching. PNF stretching can be used to selectively bypass this tendency, resulting in great gains in AROM/PROM.

 

If anyone is interested in these techniques I will explain further.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Songtsan

[de_paradise]

Can you give a visual illustration of meridians and myofacial overlap?

Are all taught muscles and "knots" caused by myofacial adhesion, and I don't quite understand the difference between trigger point and myofacial adhesion. (in fact I had to google both)

Besides the Yogic school, can you show examples of other cultivation schools that use stretching to clear meridians? How come Taichi and most Chinese type schools only do a few cursory standing stretches, in a quick, kind of bouncy way? Is that the best way?

 

I'm a big fan of yoga, and have made alot of (energy) progress by doing long yoga sessions the last few months. Sometimes I think people on TTB's read each other's minds because there's always these topics coming up related to what I've been thinking about.

[Songtsan]

I'll look around tomorrow. Just real quickly - Here is an older study that looked at the similarities between trigger points and acupuncture points: https://www.edsers.com/uploads/TRIGGERPOINTS_MELZACK.pdf

 

Since then they have discovered even more juxtaposition between the two. Here is another good page: http://tymsin.blogspot.com/2012/09/Thaimeridians.html

 

Quick example - There is a certain line that many people often have adhesions on - the line that runs up the medial (towards the middle/inside) side of shin bone (tibia). If you thumb right along the medial edge of the tibia into the muscle tissue, you will often find that there are painful spots. If you are completely non-adhesioned, you will not. These adhesions are often formed between the tibia and the gastrocnemius or soleus muscles. In Thai massage this line is called something (Sahatsarangsi I think), in Chinese medicine it is something else (stomach maybe? I'll have to look all this up to be sure). So these myofascial adhesions occurring along a meridian channel/sen line is no coincidence.

 

I had the book Anatomy Trains that was mentioned in that one link...it really explained the relationship between myofascial planes and organ disorders. Since myofascia wraps around everything, the more external myofascia, i.e. directly under (and attached to!) the skin or muscles can cause a 'pull' on the whole web in a certain type of pattern. Let's just say that a myofascial plane or line in the leg was indirectly connected to the myofascia that wrapped around an organ; if you pull on a loose piece of yarn in a sweater, you will notice how pulling really hard deforms the whole sweater in a certain pattern. It is the same thing here.

 

I'll get more into it tomorrow or the next day. I'll try to be more detailed than I normally am in my posts, as this is important stuff to know if you are into meridian work.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Songtsan

[Seeker of Wisdom]

This is part of the reason meditation is ideally done sitting in a cross-legged position. It helps open the very hard to open channels in the legs.

 

Master Nan said that he shut himself in a room at a monastery and sat for hours and hours every day. One day there was intense 'good pain', then a pop, and a wonderful cool blissful sensation as leg channels opened. Then he just carried on sitting, he didn't want to get up. Someone had to break down the door to check he was OK.

 

Meditation by itself is actually enough in theory to open all channels, because you're letting go of the root causes of your blockages. Practices specifically for chi are a great catalyst and auxiliary, but I've noticed that I feel blocks weakening more during anapana sati than when I'm actually doing anything with my chi. Besides, chi is just a form and sensation thing, not related really to dropping all fetters, and developing insight beyond all phenomena to Tao.

 

It seems to me that stretching, pranayama and so on helps empower chi flow to bust through blocks, while meditation directly dissolves the blocks at their sources in the mind.

[寒月 Hanyue]

Deleted.

Edited July 20, 2013 by snowmonki

[寒月 Hanyue]

Oh! They also have Yin Yoga which I did briefly.

 

I'm actually a fan of Grilley's, and his teacher Paulie Zink. I like what they do. Even if I disagree about the idea of a direct correlation of fascia with meridian. I found Grilley's blending of Motoyama's meridian tissue theories, dao yin and yoga to be an important stepping stone for me.

 

I know and appreciate WHY Grilley et al believe fascia to be meridians, but to me its like mistaking the moving leaves of the tree for the wind. I'm not sure I can explain it, show it maybe, but words elude me.

 

Opening the physcial body is important and directly related to the opening of the energy body. I think affecting either will affect the other, it doesn't have to be a one way street.

 

Yin yoga is an enjoyable and great practice

[RiverSnake]

I found that doing sun salutations every morning has really helped clear out some blockages in my channels, especially my back. Also it's good to be flexible as supposedly chi flows better through flexible rather than knotted tissue.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[gendao]

The secret is to elongate the tissues, not necessarily stretch the tissues. Since there is a "bounce back" effect with conventional stretching.

 

(A few) good techniques/practices for elongating tissues:

 

Tai chi chuan

Feldenkrais

Hanna Somatics

Do you mean that you need to permanently lengthen (elongate) tissues, rather than just stretch them temporarily? Essentially to stretch them past their permanent deformation point so that they don't return to their original length?

Case example:

During the early days of the yoga craze, my friend was just out of high school. Having grown up in a physically and emotionally abusive household, perhaps he did not have an appropriate felt sense in his body. Well, he was stretching in a yoga position, thought the pain was 'good' or appropriate and...pow! Tore his knee out!

Could you tell us what pose he was doing and what actually caused the injury (like stretching too fast, hard or bouncing?)?

 

YinYoga is a great, very informative site! I don't think it's really necessary to make a "subset" of regular yoga, but OTOH I also like how he has organized some key sets and explained them very thoroughly..

Edited July 20, 2013 by vortex

[Songtsan]

There has to be some basement structure that the meridians lie within...I can't imagine that they just float in emptiness. They must lie in a matrix. The myofascial theory of meridians makes a lot of sense simply due to the fact that the trigger point/acupuncture charts are so alike. The trigger points are directly related to myofascia. Even Wickipedia has stuff on the relationship...if you read through the whole wickipedia page below, you will see some of the development that has occurred in recent years. I will find better stuff than this soon.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myofascial_meridians

[gendao]

Another great way to stretch is PNF technique - Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. An example of this category would be CRAC stretching (Contract Relax Antagonist Contract). May sound complex, but its very simple.

 

Basically the muscles have specific ways to avoid injury. If a muscle is quickly/strongly fired, there is an automatic antagonist (opposite muscle) action to control and limit its contraction so that injury doesn't occur. Similarly, if a muscle is stretched too fast/hard there is an automatic reaction to limit the stretching by firing the muscle that is being stretched, thus protecting it.

 

PNF stretching takes advantage of these behaviors to extend the ROM in a superior way beyond normal stretching. It is important to know what you are doing before you use these techniques however. It is possible to do them on your own, but using a partner is more advantageous. The 'bounce back' tendency that occurs in stretching, which Rainbowvein was referring to, is in fact the actions of the muscle spindles in the belly of a muscle. They are what are primarily responsible for activating a muscle groups defense against overstretching. PNF stretching can be used to selectively bypass this tendency, resulting in great gains in AROM/PROM.

 

If anyone is interested in these techniques I will explain further.

Yes, could you explain PNF stretching, please?

Quick example - There is a certain line that many people often have adhesions on - the line that runs up the medial (towards the middle/inside) side of shin bone (tibia). If you thumb right along the medial edge of the tibia into the muscle tissue, you will often find that there are painful spots. If you are completely non-adhesioned, you will not. These adhesions are often formed between the tibia and the gastrocnemius or soleus muscles. In Thai massage this line is called something (Sahatsarangsi I think), in Chinese medicine it is something else (stomach maybe? I'll have to look all this up to be sure). So these myofascial adhesions occurring along a meridian channel/sen line is no coincidence.

 

I had the book Anatomy Trains that was mentioned in that one link...it really explained the relationship between myofascial planes and organ disorders. Since myofascia wraps around everything, the more external myofascia, i.e. directly under (and attached to!) the skin or muscles can cause a 'pull' on the whole web in a certain type of pattern. Let's just say that a myofascial plane or line in the leg was indirectly connected to the myofascia that wrapped around an organ; if you pull on a loose piece of yarn in a sweater, you will notice how pulling really hard deforms the whole sweater in a certain pattern. It is the same thing here.

Yes, I notice adhesions particularly along the GB meridian along the IT (Iliotibial) band on the outer thigh...

(Sen Kalathari or Lateral Line)

[doc benway]

Stretching is enormously valuable, especially as we age.

I used to live with chronic low back pain - nearly every day.

I got into some of the stuff by John Sarno which showed me the emotional and psychological components of the problem.

I still had issues, however, and then began stretching.

I've always been limber due to martial arts training since childhood, but I never focused quite so much on stretching the back and legs, especially the hamstrings.

Over a period of about 6 months I really focused on hamstring stretching.

Once I got to the point where I could comfortably rest with my knees extended, flexed forward with my palms on the floor, I could feel the stretch begin to move from the hamstrings to the pelvis, low back, mid-, and upper back. At that point my back pain virtually disappeared.

Now it's not much more than a memory and occasional annoyance.

And I continue to stretch daily.

[Songtsan]

Yes, could you explain PNF stretching, please?

Yes, I notice adhesions particularly along the GB meridian along the IT (Iliotibial) band on the outer thigh...

 

Yes...runner's get these...The IT-band is intertwined with the glutes and external hip-rotators...doing various hip-openers is a great way to open these up....Also, myofascial rubbing/rolling using a sort of frictiony object like that metal bar in one of the above links will help to release adhesions. The IT-band often gets adhered to other muscles underneath and should be slowly separated over a period of time to maintain its elasticity. I usually would go in and grab it with my hands and flex the leg to release adhesions...look up 'alternative friction' - its basically like this: grab your forearm with your hand, thumb pressed into the muscle belly, now rotate your forearm that you are holding back and forth. See how you are massaging by moving the part that is getting massaged? That's alternative friction. There are techniques one can use all over the body this way.

 

The IT-band is basically a contractile tendon...think of it almost like a big piece of plastic/rubber...very dense, very 'tacky' - It takes time to remove adhesions in it. Work on it all the time. By massaging the surface myofascia, you get deeper and deeper into the strands and you will eventually have a nice un-stuck IT-band. This will affect the glutes too and make them freer. Less likely to get nerve compression from the muscles tightening up.

[gendao]

I usually would go in and grab it with my hands and flex the leg to release adhesions...look up 'alternative friction' - its basically like this: grab your forearm with your hand, thumb pressed into the muscle belly, now rotate your forearm that you are holding back and forth. See how you are massaging by moving the part that is getting massaged? That's alternative friction. There are techniques one can use all over the body this way.

Great idea! But, since it's not as easy to just rotate your leg (as your forearm), how exactly do you move/"flex" your leg around once you've grabbed it?

 

And I think laying pigeon and cowface pose are good for targeting the outer thigh areas...

[suninmyeyes]

OK, so tell me...what if someone does not have good awareness of his body...maybe he will not be able to differentiate between 'good' and 'bad' pain?

 

Case example:

During the early days of the yoga craze, my friend was just out of high school. Having grown up in a physically and emotionally abusive household, perhaps he did not have an appropriate felt sense in his body. Well, he was stretching in a yoga position, thought the pain was 'good' or appropriate and...pow! Tore his knee out!

 

I tend to be very cautious with the phrase 'good pain.' Not everyone is as highly aware of their body as you, OP.

Good point RV.

Just to add here for benefit of anyone that may be reading this..

Even after a good sense of body awareness and about 10 years of regular daily practise and deeper states of meditation and sitting in full lotus -- one day my body just collapsed on the left side while in full lotus .

This is not a anti full lotus propaganda , but a caution .

It took looooooooooooong time to heal and even now 4 years later I am feeling some problems due to serious organ damage caused like a domino effect .

[Creation]

I suspect that this attitude is what the now-deleted drunk man searching for his keys metaphor was addressing. Or at least the notion that it must be physical.

 

There has to be some basement structure that the meridians lie within...I can't imagine that they just float in emptiness. They must lie in a matrix.

[Flolfolil]

one day my body just collapsed on the left side while in full lotus .

could you elaborate on this a bit?