SHIATSU. STRETCHING THE MERIDIANS.

1. Stretching the meridians of LUNGS and LARGE INTESTINE.

Stand with your legs apart a little wider than shoulders length. Move your toes apart. Draw your arms behind your back with palms backwards. Couple the palms together with bent thumbs and move the fingers apart in a semicircle as wide as possible.

While raising your head upwards take a breath and take a look at the ceiling. Exhale and lean forward without bending your knees and keeping your back straight. Stretch your arms above your head without bending them in elbows and place them anteriad. Start breathing, filling your body with the Ki (Tsi) energy: inhale with your stomach and imagine how Ki flows from the center of the body towards arms and legs. While doing this you will feel the strain along the hind sides of legs, back and arms.

Exhale slowly and imagine how the Ki secretes and allows your body to relax. Repeat the breathing for 2-3 more times. Now slowly return to the starting position.

2. Stretching the meridians of STOMACH and SPLEEN.

Sit down on the floor in seiza position (knees together, the backs of feet touch the floor). Keep your back straight. Lean on your palms behind with fingers looking forward. Inhale and lean backwards. Exhale slowly and curve gradually moving your thighs forward and upwards. Allow your head to easily lean back. Breath like you breathed in the first exercise: inhale and fill your body with Ki. You will feel the strain line running along the front surface of thighs downwards to the 1st and 2nd toes and along the thorax upwards to the throat. Relax after the exhalation and then repeat the exercise for 2-3 more times.

If the exercise goes easily then you can complicate it a little: try to lean your elbows on the floor or even lay on the back with your arms stretched out above your head. Feel the strain rising in the lower part of the back.

Return to the starting position while leaning on your hands. Lean forward, providing the strain in the opposite direction. Tap on the lower part of the back with slightly clenched fists to relax the strain that appears in this area.

3. Stretching the meridians of HEART and LARGE INTESTINE.

Sit down on the floor, bend your legs and join the feet together with soles towards each other in front of you. Pull up the feet and hold them with hands as close to the inguinal area as possible. Unbend your back. Inhale and lean forward trying to keep your back absolutely straight.

While exhaling bend down your head towards the feet, put the elbows in front of knees keeping thighs as low as possible. Try to keep the head, elbows and knees as close to the floor as possible.

4. Stretching the meridians of URINARY BLADDER and KIDNEYS.

Sit down on the floor and stretch out your arms forward. Unbend your back. Reach the maximum bend of the instep so that the toes are directed towards you and the heels directed forward. Raise your arms above your head without moving the fingers apart and turn the palms outwards.

Take a look at the ceiling. Take a breath, then exhale and lean forward trying to reach the toes with your hands. Do not bend your legs in knees.

Breathe deeply for a while and feel the strain coming from the loins down to the feet. Relax your neck so that your head can easily bend towards the legs. Stretch out your arms forward and feel the strain in the back and arms. Exhale slowly and relax completely. Repeat the exercise for 2-3 more times.

5. Stretching the meridians of TRIPLE HEATER and THE LEADER OF THE HEART.

Sit down on the floor with your back straight. Cross the legs in front of you so that the left leg be over the right one.

Bend your knees as close to the floor as possible without effort. Put the right palm on the left knee and the left palm on the right knee so that the left arm be over the right one. Inhale and lean forward while exhaling.

Relax the neck so that your head can easily lean downwards. Move the body forward and downwards to the feet. Inhale deeply and fill the organism with Ki. This moment you must feel the strain that appears in the upper part of the back and along the outward surface of legs and arms. Relax, exhale and repeat the exercise for 2-3 more times.

6. Stretching the meridians of GALL BLADDER and LIVER.

Sit down on the floor, stretch out your legs and spread them as wide as possible but see that you feel comfortable enough. Keep your back straight. Stretch out your arms towards the ceiling without moving fingers apart and turn the palms of hands towards each other. Inhale and then stretch yourself forward towards the right foot while exhaling. The moment you stretch yourself your toes must be directed upwards and your face forward.

Breathe deeply for a while and feel the strain lines along the sides of your body. You must also feel the strain along the lateral surface of the leg you bend to, and along the internal surface of the opposite leg. Exhale completely and feel the appearance of tension and increasing of the strain. Repeat the exercise one more time and inhale after returning to the starting position and do two similar bows towards the left foot.

7. Finishing the exercises.

After you have done all 6 exercises, lie on the back and relax.

Calm down your breath and thoughts and draw attention to what is happening inside you. Try to imagine how Ki shifts in the organism. It would be great if you experience the burst of cheerfulness and the feeling of the energy spreading over the different parts of your organism.