I teach about health inspired by simple Japanese philosophies and lifestyle practices, so you can learn to find peace, fulfillment, strength, and health in your own body. Sign up for my newsletter to receive all my writing and exclusive resources!
The 3-minute daily habit for a more limber and graceful body
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Dear Reader, It's Olympics season! It's already been full of so many iconic moments, such as the selfie between Chinese, North Korean, and South Korean podium athletes, watching a 5'6" Japanese basketball player compete next to a 7'4" French player, and I'll be looking forward to watching today's match between the oldest man to reach an Olympic tennis singles final, vs the youngest man to achieve the feat. If you’ve been watching as I have, you’ve probably thought to yourself at least once (if not multiple times)— Oh my god, how do they do that? As we watch Olympic athletes defy the limits of human potential, it’s easy to be inspired by their dedication and discipline. But the lesson it's reinforced in me is not pushing ourselves to the limit, but that every journey was built over steady steps rather than overnight feats. And this is true for us too. The 3-minute daily habit for a more limber and graceful body I was talking to my grandfather when I brought up how he had pretty good posture and mobility for someone quite old. He’s still walking around, working, climbing stairs, and sitting up straight. He doesn’t have any back, knee, or hip problems. Just the other week we went on a 5km walk together — not bad for 85 years old. With my comment he smiled and nodded proudly, “It’s because of Makko Ho.” 真向法 Makko Ho The man who regained his mobility through simple stretching Makko Ho is a stretching system developed by a Japanese man named Wataru Nagai, who once suffered a stroke and found his body paralyzed. His doctors said he most likely wouldn’t regain his mobility, but he decided to work on his rehabilitation through stretches based on Buddhist poses — his father was a monk — and called it Makko Ho. It worked. Based on his own experience he ended up writing a book, and the exercise quickly found popularity among the Japanese elderly and those interested in anti-aging calisthenics. It’s a very basic form of stretching — only four different stretches! — and is believed to help keep your body healthy and youthful. How to practice Makko Ho Time: 3 minutes, twice a day morning/evening
Note: It’s hard to do these straight out of bed! Warming up with a few squats and sit-ups first makes the stretching a lot more comfortable. The power of simplicity I’m not a physical therapist and can’t speak on behalf of the exercises, but one thing was very clear to me about Makko Ho: small steps, when exercised consistently, make great differences. As I found myself dedicating three minutes of my morning and evenings to stretching, I found that the good habits impacted other areas of my life. I felt more refreshed and inclined to go for a walk outside during the day. I felt myself growing more flexible, and motivated by my progress I would challenge myself to hold deeper positions for longer periods. When I had the time, I would often stretch more than 3 minutes, simply because it felt so good. Setting aside that time relaxed me, and it also built my confidence. The exercise advice I now carry with me every day I used to think for exercise to be beneficial, it meant I had to break a sweat and feel worn out afterwards. But I have since realized that even if movement is simple and asks for only three minutes of your time, consistency goes much farther than you’d think. It reminded me that moving your body is not really about gaining more muscle or endurance — it’s about regaining your quality of life. For me, Makko Ho embodies the idea that we don’t need to make stretching and moving into an elaborate hour-long endeavor. The science, the terms, and the techniques are nice, but what we really need is to keep it consistent — and if short and simple helps, that’ll be plenty enough to keep your body mobile, strong, and youthful for years to come. Just keep going! Warmly, Kaki Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please forward this email to your friends and family (or share the article) 🌱 If this email was forwarded to you, it's nice to meet you 😊
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Hi, I'm Kaki!
I teach about health inspired by simple Japanese philosophies and lifestyle practices, so you can learn to find peace, fulfillment, strength, and health in your own body. Sign up for my newsletter to receive all my writing and exclusive resources!
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