“Standing Qigong is the best posture for therapeutic breathing exercises, for it permits complete circulation of blood to all parts of the body and encourages free flow through the meridians. Standing also provides the best conduit between heaven and earth.”
-Daniel Reid
Zhan Zhuang has many benefits and a multitude of purposes. Zhan Zhuang is one method we use to stop and check in with our body, to tune in to what is happening and observe the changes occurring after each Qigong exercise and also upon completion. This helps create a habit of checking in with yourself and becoming keenly aware of your body and the internal body. When you become accustomed to periodically checking in with how your body is feeling and performing, from when you wake up until the time you go to sleep, you can evaluate and treat small problems before they become big ones.
This is a Taoist exercise of letting go of the physical body and melting into the energy of the universe. The Taoists believe this exercise calms the spirit, reduces wrinkles by relaxing the skin, completely relax the organs, and on a spiritual level brings you to new heights and understanding of the universe we live in. This exercise will help you sense and guide Qi on a more profound level.
Instructions :
Assume the common Zhan Zhuang stance of legs at shoulder-width apart. Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Then begin to gently and softly screw your legs into the earth to root and to open the sacrum, allowing it to drop naturally to the earth. Many people, even teachers, make the mistake of “tucking in the tailbone”. This is an unnatural posture for the body as we have a natural curvature to the spine. Over time, if you repeatedly “tuck in the tailbone” you will distort the natural curvature and possibly create difficult spinal problems to overcome. I have even heard of a man whose teacher told him for many years to tuck in his tailbone until he eventually had to have corrective surgery to regain the curvature in his spine. I can therefore not overemphasize the importance of opening the hips so that the sacrum can naturally drop to the earth. This creates grounding and further rooting as you feel your perineum’s natural pull towards the earth. Dropping the sacrum also stretches the lumbodorsal fascia.
Now we want to build a proper structure so that the body holds itself up effortlessly. Gently spread out the toes and grab the ground with the toes using about 10% tension. This adds an even further root to the earth and also pulls up the Yong Quan point, which is the center of the foot, so the “bubbling spring” of Qi can start at the feet.
Feel the knees over the ankles.
Feel the hips over the knees.
Feel the vertebrae over the hips, suspended over each other.
Feel the head resting on top of the spine, delicately balancing.
Feel a string from heaven holding up the head from the Crown Point.
Feel the sacrum being pulled towards the earth.
This allows the spine to elongate naturally. The hands can be resting over the Dan Tian with the outside hand’s thumb touching the Lao Gong point of the inside hand (the center of the palm), while the inside hand’s thumb is touching the large intestine point (the squishy point between the thumb and the index finger). Think of this as if connecting a battery where the positive and negative meet. This will help generate an electrical charge.
Now that your structure is created and the palms are over the Dan Tian, begin to relax the body from the top down. When relaxing, it is best to sink your energy and to do this we start from the head to the feet. This is Yin as opposed to Yang, where when we raise energy we move it up.
While breathing deeply through the nose, inhale warm energy into the crown of your head. Fill that space with warm energy and imagine yourself like ice, where your skin and muscles are melting and the crown relaxing. Next, move down to the eyes, face, and jaw. Breathe in deeply into that area as if filling it with warm Qi and exhale through the nose, relaxing the forehead, eyes, eye sockets, cheeks, jaw, and even the back of the head as you relax the jaw. Then, down to the neck and throat, feel the energy melting and sinking down to the shoulders and arms all the way out into the hands and fingers, just like a wave of relaxation moving down your chest and upper back. Moving down to your solar plexus and mid-back, allow those areas to melt. Work your way down to your stomach, kidneys, and lower back. As you move towards your hips, relax your genitals, buttocks, and hips and feel them open. Melt the energy down your thighs, calves and finally down to the feet. Let go of your physical body. Keep breathing deeply, bring your mind to the navel and go deep inside the mysterious black hole.
You can focus on any area for as long as you need. Take as many breaths as you need until that area starts to relax.
Intermediate and advanced students might have some variations.
There are three things to take into account during the Zhan Zhuang practice: posture, breath, and focusing the spirit.
The posture should be tall and relaxed. The feet should be parallel and placed shoulder-width apart with the weight evenly distributed; keep the knees soft but do not allow them to buckle inwards. Release the tension of the face, head, neck, shoulders, back, rear, thighs, and feet and allow the earth to completely support the body. You can use the visualization of ice melting to aid you in relaxing the body. This is also a visualization the Taoists use to dissolve the physical body.
The breath should be full and comfortable. Try to keep the breath slow, soft and even, at a rate of four to six breaths per minute. The external flow of breath is a reflection of the internal flow of energy; by regulating the breath, one can regulate the heart rate and Qi flow of the body, inducing relaxation and ease.
The intention should be focused but gentle. Allow the eyes to lightly gaze on the floor three to six feet ahead or keep the eyes closed. Keep the attention on the breath and concentrate it deep into the navel. Try to still the mind. Avoid distracting thoughts that take the mind off of the present moment of practice.
In Zhan Zhuang, total relaxation of the body involves softening the tendons because during the 5 Animal Qigong we are expanded to the maximum. Expand and relax. Also, correcting the alignment while allowing the tendons to relax is important. The back should not be tense at all when standing.
Do seated practice after being completely relaxed.
An alternative to focusing on the lower Dan Tian is to feel as if each breath you take is drawn through the pores of your skin, bringing the energy into the lower Dan Tian and as you exhale you breathe back out of your pores. Thus, you are exchanging energy with the universe. This is believed to be good for the skin and, after some practice, you may actually feel that your skin is breathing. This is also a great way to allow the feeling and perception of the physical body to “melt” into the universe.