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"Resistance Stretching? You mean... like Yoga?" Well, yes, and no. This is probably the most frequently asked question.
The Meridian Flexibility System is based on each of the 16 meridians, or energy channels, that course through the body. Each meridian corresponds to a specific muscle group, organ, tissue, high and low physical/spiritual/emotional/psychological trait, personality type, and classical Hatha Yoga pose.
When Meridian Stretching was first being developed, a person would stretch by resisting isometrically in each of these Yoga poses. Additionally, another person could assist the stretcher by using their body to provide the person with external force, which would allow the stretcher to resist with more force in return, generating a more maximal stretch.
Eventually, the system evolved with the discovery that not only does a muscle need to contract while in an elongated position to stretch, but the muscle needs to be able to maximally contract continuously while moving from where it is as short as possible to where it as long as possible for true flexibility.
This discovery added a new arsenal of self stretches to the 16 isometric meridian stretches. A person can now stretch each of the 16 meridian muscle groups (MMG) by beginning in a position where the muscle is as short as possible and elongating the muscle while continuously resisting against themself. Additionally, a person can strengthen each of the 16 MMGs by reversing the direction of the stretch, beginning in a position where the muscle is as long as possible and shortening the muscle while continuously resisting against themself.
The evolved form of partner assisted stretching involves the stretchee resisting the assister while the assister overpowers the resistance to stretch the muscles as they elongate and contract. For strength training, the assister yields to the force of the stretchee to slow down the muscles as they shorten and contract. Being stretched by an assister allows a person to be worked in all three planes simultaneously: flex/extend, abduct/adduct, and inward/outward rotate.
Since it takes twice the force to stretch a muscle as it does to strengthen it, assisted stretching can also be like 'stretching surgery,' where there can easily be five or more people working on one person to stabilize their body and overcome their force to stretch the muscles in all of these planes simultaneously while the person maximally resists.
So now a person can stretch by resisting isometrically in a Yoga pose or by moving from where the muscles are as short as possible to where they are as long as possible while resisting. The most efficient stretch occurs during the movement, but there are also benefits to resisting isometrically. One example is that the 'standing pose' assisted stretches allow the assister to provide external force relatively easily whereas overcoming the eccentric contraction of the muscles requires much more effort.
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