Chinese Qigong Therapy, Shandong Science and Technology Press, Jinan, China 1985 p. 33 – 39.

Different positions cultivate different aspects of your standing practice.

What do you want from your standing practice?

Of main importance is structural equilibrium and relaxing (sung) both the body and mind. But do not slump or collaps the body. The body structure is finely threaded together without any breaks, with no deficiency or excess. Apply the all the structural principles: “Keep bones all over the body well balanced,
Bending of joints is kept with a limit.” Central equilibrium. The shoulder to the hip. The knees to elbows. The hands to the feet. There no place where the energy does not reach. Leave out excess tensions. An expression often used in qigong is: “bathing”. Look for the feeling as if your whole body was submerged in body warm bathtub

Bathing your body in the midst of the air,
standing on a mountain top.

Connecting the heaven and earth.
The primordial energy returns to dantien.

Smiling,
I disappear.

(Forget about right and wrong and strive towards natural perfection).

Hallo Thomas,

I hope it is ok to address you. And thanks for a very informative webpage, which I was happy to find.

I appreciated very much reading some notes about a course that you participated in, led by Sam Tam last year, I believe.

I was particularly interested in the comments of the hands, that you posted:

” Each hand holding a small paper ball holding a big balloon of air towards the body so it cannot escape. Amble space to the armpits as if holding a small ball of air. The index finger and the middle finger is kept just above shoulder hight. Both thumbs pointing relaxed up as if a string in the first joint to the heavens where holding them up (releasing the shoulders even more). The two middle fingers pointing straight towards each other. The index fingers lifting a small bird. The two pinkies extend down (helping both the elbows). Fingers held together as if holding cigarettes in-between them. Adjusting the position to find perfect alignment and releasing all tension. Pressure in the back can sometimes be relieved by decreasing the angle between the arms within the range and holding the ball closer to the body. All done with poise to increase the relaxation and fine tune body alignment.”

Some other person also write:

“palms pointing in and slightly down”

A few question, I also have seen a few pictures of people doing this, and there seems to be some degree of variability.

I would very much like to get a little better grip on:

- should the palms be more like facing the shoulders the body- flat/parallel to the body, or should they be facing down a bit towards the ground, with a small tilt of say 20-30 % -like in this picture (also attached)

- but then the thumbs will tend point a bit towards you, or how much should the be pointing towards the sky/uppwards

- and the two middle fingers should they pointing straiht towards each other in a straight line.

When I look at this picture:

The palms face a bit domn, but the middle fingers are not pointing towards each other, at least not more than any other fingers, thumbs are not really pointing up, and the index fingers are not holding a bird?

What is your take on this,?

Would be very happy if you provide some guiding tips, and you are most welcome if you so wishes to post it on your web (but then only in my first name). Also do you have anything good suggestions to read about hand/fingers positions, in a book, article, blog etc.

Many thanks

Sincerely and best regads

Thomas M

Stockholm



Find center!
Relax the chest.
Raise the back.
Enclose the solar plexus.
Protect the cheekbones.
Lift the head.
Suspend solar plexus.
Loosen the shoulders.
Sink the elbows.
Be evasive.
Avoid conflict.
( Wu-Yü-hisiang )
Many qigon practitioners and mast…[/quote]

Relax the internal organs (lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kindneys and stomach) one by one when sinking the chi to dantian.

Notes from Sam Tam’s sommer seminar in Copenhagen 2007

The Chinese refer to the mind as the playful monkey always jumping from one thing to another.

Zhan Zhuang Standing is about being mindful. Mindfulness of your presence in the present moment. Mindfulness of your body. Mindfulness of your relation to your surroundings. Awareness on the waves of energy that ripples through you and the universe. Awareness of the field of energy that unites everything into one great being. Simpley being mindfull of the way (tao).

If your mind start to wander off, while standing there are quite a few remedies to tame the playful monkey and enter into the present moment.

Open your eyes and glare into the far distant horizon with a soft focus on everything without any specific attachment (to avoid daydreaming)

Start watching your own thinking without any attachment to the different thought patterns that naturally arises in your mind.

Accept the present moment what ever it brings and you will release the mind.

Try becoming intensely aware of all sensory input to the finest detail in the far background.

Enter into your body with your mind and listen to the myriad of changes that constantly takes place.

Seek out tensions in your body and then release the tensions with your mind by softly blowing hot hair into the areas of tension, and then tensions will dissolve themselves.

Glare into the far distant imaging your are on beautiful island in the Caribbean standing on the beach looking at the sunset.

See your self standing out on the face of the earth as a single hair follicle.

Imagine your are standing in water to your nose (if you wobble).

Imagine your are rocket about to take off into the far space (if your feet feels numb or your lower part feels heavy).

Imagine your whole body as light as a feather. Or a balloon that can blow away in an instant with the wind ( if you feel heavy ).

Rest the mind on the center of the body (dan tian) and feel the raise and fall of the waves of energy. Expanding the energy to the skin of the body and beyond. Contracting and storing up the energy. Feel the energy bouncing to the center of the earth and back.

Circulate the energy in the micro-cosmic orbit.

Just barely notice your own breath through the nostrils when you breathe in and out.

Articulate the sound “heng” as a long soft in-breath with your center (dan tian) when breathing in and articulate the sound “ha” as a deep bass humming in your center when breathing out.

Say “I am here or just here” breathing in, say “now” breathing out.

Say “I have arrived” breathing in, breathing out say “I am home”.

Smile to your self. Smile to your body. Smile to your heart, liver, lungs, spleen and kidneys in appreciation. Smile to the world. Release your mind. Be happy and full of joy.

I do not think it is necessary to consult with an experienced teacher before starting practice. What exactly are the health risks of doing zhan zhuang, compared to the health risks of not doing it?

Find center!
Relax the chest.
Raise the back.
Enclose the solar plexus.
Protect the cheekbones.
Lift the head.
Suspend solar plexus.
Loosen the shoulders.
Sink the elbows.
Be evasive.
Avoid conflict.
( Wu-Yü-hisiang )
Many qigon practitioners and mast…

Caveat: The below comments is my personal notes taken from the Ichuan and Zhan Zhuang seminar held in June 2006 in Copenhagen with the renowned Master Sam Tam. These notes are not approved or should in anyway be considered the exact teaching of Master Sam Tam. Corrections and comments to these notes are more than welcome.

The 2 most important points: Central Equilibrium and Sung (relaxation).

Lift the head. Straightening the back. In positioning of the head imagine a rod going straight through the ears in such a manner that the head is able to rotate freely around the rod. Lift up the head slightly from the bone over the ear towards the niwan point (the crown of the head is kept flat). This is done without creating tension in the neck.

Relax the shoulders. Raise the back. Round the shoulders and relax the chest. Expand shoulders to the side and relax them slightly forward, widening the upper back into a natural position. All done with poise to increase the relaxation and fine tune body alignment.

Holding the ball. In generel hands are always kept between the eyebrows and navel in the all-round standing pole exercises. In high positions the wrists are never lower than than the elbows. Palms facing the shoulders. Between 90 and 120 degrees between the upper and lower arm of the inside of the elbows. Each hand holding a small paper ball holding a big balloon of air towards the body so it cannot escape. Amble space to the armpits as if holding a small ball of air. The index finger and the middle finger is kept just above shoulder hight. Both thumbs pointing relaxed up as if a string in the first joint to the heavens where holding them up (releasing the shoulders even more). The two middle fingers pointing straight towards each other. The index fingers lifting a small bird. The two pinkies extend down (helping both the elbows). Fingers held together as if holding cigarettes in-between them. Adjusting the position to find perfect alignment and releasing all tension. Pressure in the back can sometimes be relieved by decreasing the angle between the arms within the range and holding the ball closer to the body. All done with poise to increase the relaxation and fine tune body alignment.

In order to find your own natural and perfect middle-way position of the arms stand in “wuji” position with arms by side, with only the middle finger barely touching the accupunture pressure point on the outside thigh. Stand a moment sinking the energy. Release the middle finger and let the hands float forward naturally so palms ends up in front facing towards your body. Turn the hands outward the edge of the pinkie finger finger facing forward like sticking the hands in somebody’s else pocket. Extend the middle fingers of each hand to the ground as if resting on the ground, lift ever so slightly from the root of the arms as if just lifting a small weight attached by a line to the ground off ground. Not physically but only mentally imagine standing in doorway pressing against the sides of the doorway when exhaling and relaxing when breathing. Maintain this pulse to the sides for awhile, then keep the pressure to sides for a moment. Then release the arms and let them effortlessly raise to the All-Round Standing Position of holding the ball like a blooming flower spread its leaves in the morning sun. This is your perfect middle-way position holding the ball.

Do not bend the knees purposely in order the avoid a common problem of “hanging in the knees”. But release the hip and waist area and shoot the knees forward slightly, as if pushing something, in to a natural position. Relax the whole abdomen area (dantien). Women have v shaped hips and men H shaped. Women benefits from holding a ball between the knees.

Do not tuck in the tailbone purposely (this is only done sometimes when expanding and releasing the energy in the internal martial arts). Release the tension in the lowerback by imaging you have to keep your nose over the water surface.

Keep the feet in shoulder wide position with the outside parallel. Advanced practitioners can lift the heel slightly, but no more than a piece of paper can slide under the heel. Release tension in the feet by imaging your mind that your just about to jump off in to the air.

Relax, sinking the chi to refine and store it up in the dantien area. Search for a feeling of joy, comfort and complete relaxation not wanting to take the arms down.

Body alignment should be perfect. Keep your composure. Stir into the far distant. The eyes half closed half open (If closing the eyes, do not drop the eyes but keep horizontal view from within). Keep a soft focus (360 degrees around). Release your body and mind. Connect the earth and the heavens. Blend with the atmosphere. Smile – give up all tension!

Maintain a feeling of lightness as if the body is suspended in the air like a hawk flying in the sky effortlessly.

Background reference:
The Tao of Yiquan: Warriors of Stillness: The Method of Awareness in the Martial Arts v. 2 Jan Diepersloot Center for Healing & the Arts Jan 1999
ISBN: 0964997614

Pages: 211-240