Makko-Ho, is a daily five-step routine that takes five to ten minutes and is good for beginners. When people do this on a regular basis, everything seems to function much better. It helps relieve stress, and people feels that they have more energy.

It is important to remember, when practicing the Makko-Ho exercises, that what matters is the action of beginning the stretch, not how far you can stretch. If you can only lean back onto your palms, simply hold that position and stretch, breathe and relax. The more you practice, the easier the positions will become.

There are six stretching exercises, each of which affects one pair of the meridians by stimulating its flow of energy. If the complete set of exercises is performed, all the body's meridians will have been stimulated in turn, which should result in increased vigor and an absence of tiredness. Before beginning the exercises, you should feel calm and relaxed. It may prove beneficial to perform some abdominal breathing first. (Refer to our section of yoga breathing exercises. If possible, use breathing with visualization of qi.)

Related Topics:

Yoga Breathing or Pranayama

Yoga Postures or asanas

Guided Imagery or Visualization