When Darryl first demonstrated Meridian TouchTM exercises, I didn't believe they could be effective in relaxing and stretching a stiff body like mine -- WRONG! Since then, I've found Meridian Touch to accomplish all of which it claims, and more. Meridian Touch helps relax my body in ways I've never known. It makes me more flexible, the exercises are comfortable, and mentally, Meridian Touch keeps me centered, focused and primed to meet the day with a better outlook. I love the idea of allowing my body to 'melt' into a position instead of resisting and fighting a stretch. It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend Meridian Touch exercises to everyone. Ken Blanchard Co-author of The One Minute Manager     Since the players have been doing Meridian Touch, we’ve found the kids have become a lot more flexible and hence a lot less likely for injury. They have told me that they get a better workout and feel more stretched out. It helps stretch and elongate their leg and back muscles. We’re very excited about having Darryl and Meridian Touch on our side! Craig Robinson Northwestern Wildcats Division I Basketball Assistant Coach     I noticed significant results in the very first class I took with Darryl. I walked in to class unable to touch my toes, in fact, I was so inflexible that I could only get my hands to my shins. By the end of class, I was not only able to touch my toes, but I could put the back of my hand on the ground with very little effort! This class is like a massage for the entire mind, body, and spirit and would highly recommend these teachings to anyone who needs to let go and relax a little! Tracy Tanguay Fitness Consultant & Trainer Owner of Tone: A Holistic Fitness Center in Chicago     Meridian Touch has been incredibly helpful to me in restoring balance and peace. It has greatly improved my body awareness. Now I'm better able to sense when things are out of balance and address the imbalance using Meridian Touch stretches before I get all knotted up physically, mentally or emotionally. Darryl invests the time with his students to make sure they truly learn about Meridian Touch. I enjoy learning about the 5 Elements and how the exercises relate to them. Understanding the emotions and physical ailments associated with each Element helps you interpret what might be stressing you out even if you can't work through it intellectually. Your body will often tell you what's really going on based on how you respond to the stretching and which exercises feel the best to you on any given day. My thanks to Darryl for introducing me to Meridian Touch. It has helped me be more centered and grounded…and to remember to breathe. Angela Kesting Information Technology Project Manager, Evanston IL     We think Meridian Touch Yoga is great! I hadn’t much experience with other forms of Yoga, but I was intrigued by the description of the Meridian Touch class because it seemed like an easy, unstructured method to relieve stress and increase energy. I had started riding lessons and I thought that I might improve by learning to release tension and unblock the flow of energy through the body and develop stronger mind-body coordination. The breathing technique has been very helpful with this. I thought I'd just try a couple of classes but, I felt so good afterward, I kept coming back. The atmosphere in class, with music and incense, is so pleasant and comfortable that when it's over, everyone just wants to stay. Practicing the stretches with a partner from class is a nice way to connect with another person. It has also been very interesting to learn about the concepts of Chinese medicine and the Five Elements. Now that Bill and I are going to class together, it has been great to see how much he has benefited from Meridian Touch in terms of becoming more aware of his body and feeling healthier and more relaxed. Practicing Meridian Touch is a really positive way to spend time with your partner and take care of each other. We both really look forward to going to the classes as a peaceful break in a busy week. Thanks to our great teachers! Bill and Sheila Brown Evanston, Illinois     Meridian Touch has helped me across so many different areas of my life as a Northwestern student. I feel more relaxed and open to social interaction as well as less stressed about academics after a good session. These exercises make it so much easier to just live naturally and be true to the expression of one’s own spirit. I have been able to go deeper in my Zen and martial arts practice as a result of Meridian Touch’s benefits to my mental and physical well-being. Darryl’s work is really amazing. It gives people the sanity, balance, and awareness to find fulfillment in their lives and change for the better. John McHale, Graduating 2008 Major in Political Science and Chinese, Northwestern University     I had the good fortune to study Meridian Touch with Darryl Aiken-Afam in NYC. The information Darryl imparted and the feeling of well-being I experienced from the sessions was unforgettable. As a dancer and choreographer, heading a company about to celebrate its 30th anniversary, I have taken many workshops & done quite a lot of different types of body work. I found Darryl's approach so valuable because it incorporates the practice of offering and receiving from the other participants as part of the learning process. His patience and ability to share his knowledge with clarity is impressive. He has put together a unique combination of exercise and philosophy. Wendy Osserman Founder of the Wendy Osserman Dance Company, New York City     Darryl Aiken's worked through an extremely painful emotional hurt with the Meridian Touch System. In my initial intuitive insight, the pain was so acute that it represented as a "tear in the soul." In a couple of short weeks, that "tear" had healed considerably and his energy was more balanced and at peace. Working with the Meridian Touch System will allow the opportunity for growth on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual plane. And who doesn't have that need? This is a simple system which allows for soul expansion and development. Sheree Franklin Intuitive Counselor Chicago, Illinois     Engaging in the gentle movements and deep breathing of Meridian Touch™ consistently brings me to a place of calm and quiet within my body. This has led to my being able to release specific physical (for example, chronic lower back ache I had for years), emotional, mental and even spiritual blocks so that I can create positive change in my life. Meridian Touch has helped me move forward with a greater sense of will, nourishment and fulfillment. Colleen Hubbard Counselor MSW, CCHT, RMT, RT, HBCE     The energy Darryl shares in Meridian TouchTM™ class is calm, nonjudgmental, gentle and compassionate. Aside from experiencing immediate physical benefits, working with Meridian Touch has helped me to access and experience my feelings instead of keeping them deeply buried. Using Meridian Touch, I am in the process of letting go of decades-old fear, shock and grief resulting from sexual abuse experienced as a child. A Chicago area therapist     On July 9, 2006, I completed my first ever triathlon and it was a blast! What made it even more fun was that I was able to use my practice of Meridian Touch™ Yoga for Athletics to great advantage for both myself and a fellow tri-athlete. During the swim, a woman called out for assistance as she had a cramp in her calf. I swam over and offered to give her some Meridian Touch on her foot to relieve the cramp. Though she was rather skeptical she agreed and, after a moment, brightened up saying her cramp was better and swam away! For myself, in addition to using "regular" Meridian Touch, I used tennis balls on pressure points (as taught in the class for athletics) before and after the race as well as taking time to briefly use them in key places during transitions. This allowed energy to flow freely through my body keeping it strong and supple without cramping or fatiguing. At one point while biking, I could feel my knee starting to bother me so I just applied pressure in the right place while I continued pedaling and it soon felt great. Meridian Touch has been helping me in many ways for over a year now but it's exciting to be able to apply what I have learned in such a practical "on the spot" way when it comes to sports. Thanks! Colleen Hubbard     During the third game of the season my sophomore year, a helmet to my knee broke my leg, and tore my MCL and meniscus.  And unfortunately, these injuries would be the first of many more to come throughout my career as a college football player.  After surgery and a couple months on crutches, the x-ray and MRI machines reported no more broken bones and healed ligaments.  However, no piece of equipment could show me the muscle imbalances caused from months of compensating for a weaker leg.  As a result, the two seasons following my surgery were plagued with pulled muscles, tendonitis, and a torn hamstring. Not until I started practicing Meridian Touch with Darryl did I start restoring balance in my body.  My constant fear of pulling a hamstring during sprints abated, and my degree of soreness after workouts lessened immensely.  Meridian Touch does more than increase flexibility and balance though; it also improves body awareness and reduces stress.  A workout with Darryl is comfortable and relaxing, which makes it a nice compliment to the intense physical training associated with football.  The pressure point techniques he teaches are also a great way to open up your body during class, at work, or at home in front of the TV.  I owe a lot to Darryl for introducing me to Meridian Touch.  He has helped my body recover from imbalances and injuries, and now I have the best chance to perform at my fullest potential this season.   Adam Kadela       Meridian Touch™ is a great compliment to my martial arts and yoga practice. Perception of ki and meridians is a difficult skill to cultivate, but these exercises really make it accessible. I will never forget the first time I distinctly felt the energy moving along a line in my body. I got up and looked at a meridian chart, and sure enough, the sensation I was feeling matched up exactly with the meridian that the exercise was intended to activate! Deep relaxation is the other great skill that Meridian Touch™ teaches. This is something we rarely get enough of these days in our fast-paced, "time is money" society. What people so often fail to realize is that taking a little time to ourselves to relax, re-energize and revitalize can make us much more efficient with the rest of our time. The body is a storehouse of information about our lives, and unlike the mind, the body never lies. Meridian Touch™ is all about learning to access that information and make use of it to better ourselves and our lives. Jonathan Knipping Chicago, IL       Conventional athletic wisdom stalwartly reminds us, “No pain, no gain!” Yet for anyone weary of this arduous old-school mantra, Darryl’s Meridian Touch yoga program offers a refreshingly effortless alternative that nevertheless yields definite results towards enhanced physical performance. Darryl’s unique style of yoga involves the stimulation and channeling of the various energy pathways—or meridians—that permeate the body, interconnecting every muscle, organ and nerve. The program utilizes a variety of stretches, poses and movements, complemented by a focus on deep breathing. Throughout the flow of dynamic positions, which draw on a synthesis of traditional Eastern medicine and modern Western physiology, emphasis is placed on painlessly following the spontaneous wishes of one’s own body; exertion and stress—the common tenets of most sports—are categorically discouraged as inhibitive to the program’s goals. The benefits of Meridian Touch include increased flexibility and circulation as well as generally enhanced calmness and body awareness. As a rower whose back and joints endure rigorous daily abuse, I have personally experienced relieved spinal tension and increased range of torso and hip movement, not to mention the intrinsic virtue of relaxation during the classes. Our team highly recommends giving Meridian Touch yoga a shot—you won’t regret it! Matt Miller Northwestern University Varsity Oarsmen Back to Top