Merdian Stretching & Junan Taiso – Bujinkan Mushin Dojo

Merdian Stretching & Junan Taiso

A simple set of four to six stretches that release the pelvis and regulate the entire body. They
are easy to perform and as a daily practice take only a few minutes per day.

Meridian Stretching aims to regulate the entire body by stimulating and circulating the energy
in the meridians, relieving stagnation, tension and pain. The basic form is a set of six simple
stretches which can be performed with modifications to accommodate all levels of mobility
before progressing toward more advanced forms.

Junan Taiso is the japanese umbrella term for flexibility exercise. Ryutai Undo is specific to
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, and is a set of four stretches that are also found in the six basic
meridian stretches. These four stretches aim to increase hip mobility necessary for proper
practice. Taijutsu involves natural flowing body movement, which means strong,
flexible joints.

Aikido shares the same four stretches, as well as other movement disciplines. Makko-ho, a
system of stretching with it’s foundation in buddhist scriptures utilizes the same stretches. I
believe the fact that these stretches are common throughout many different disciplines is a
strong point that they should be practiced regularly.

In my practice of meridian stretches I have found that I can keep tension from building into a
problem. When I don’t do these stretches for a week, I feel all the aches and pains from my
old injuries, but when I practice them daily I feel perfect. And it only takes a minimum of a
few minutes to run through them.

What are Meridians?

There is a tendency to relate ki energy and meridians to esoteric, spiritual beliefs. I believe
this to be a misunderstanding and romanticization of a very broadly applicable system. The
five elements is a functional categorization that everything in the universe can be divided into.
It can be applied to anything. In Junan Taiso, Sotai and Meridian Stretching, it is applied to
the functional relationship between muscles, joints and tendons in the body.

The twelve master meridians are part of the system of energy (ki) in the body. In the practice
of acupuncture points along these meridians are used as access points to affect the balance of
the internal organs. In the context of acupuncture it is about balancing subtle energies, but in
manual therapy and daily life, the context through which merdians are applied is more
physical and functional.

Outside of the context of acupuncture treatment, the meridians can be viewed as chains of
tension that run from head to toe and connect everything based on functions. For example, if
you are holding something and stand up from a squat, it’s not just your quadriceps and glutes
that are in action, but there is a chain of tension that is created; the “stomach” meridian in that
case. Even when you wiggle your pinky finger the movement starts in your core. It’s a similar
concept to anatomy trains, if you are familiar with that.