Energy In Daily Life
Energy is always circulating throughout your body. It permeates all living tissue and all organ systems. But the pressures of your day-to-day life, the physical hassles and mental stresses, can cause energy to stagnate. It can become blocked and, over time, cease to flow to vital organs. Tense, contracted muscles produce stiff and abrupt movements that block the natural, sustained flow of your energy. These hard, hasty movements ultimately slow you down because they inhibit and then exhaust...
Clenching the Fists Increases Strength
This exercise develops the flow of Chi from your feet through your entire body and extends it through your hands and eyes. It excites your cerebral cortex and related nerves, and speeds the circulation of blood and oxygen in your cardiovascular system. This is not a punching exercise - it is designed to strengthen the flow of your internal power it must be done slowly and calmly with great concentration. Each movement begins gently and the full power comes in only at the end of each extension....
Holding your Belly the third position
This position, in which your arms form a large, expansive downward curve, is a restful progression from Holding the Balloon. It is a powerful exercise in itself, and it also helps to gather the increased flow of Chi in your body and focus it on your Tan Tien see p. 42 . The imaginary balloons that you held in the second position will also help you in this one. The balloons give you support and reduce the tension in your muscles see also p. 98 . By holding imaginary balls between your fingers...
Your middle age
The years around fifty can be crucial in a person's life. A surprising number of people reach this age and suddenly experience a kind of rapid deterioration and collapse. Some who have had a very hard early life are victims of sudden death through heart attacks and other violent traumas. Many more experience a range of other problems such as spinal pain, frozen shoulders, high blood pressure, loss of self-control, chronic illness, severe depression, and lassitude. All the pressures of life seem...
The Buddha performs Ba Duan Jin
If you go into a Chinese arts and crafts shop, take a look at the rows of little statues and porcelain figurines. You will find the traditional gods of happiness and good fortune. You will almost certainly find the beautiful goddess of mercy and compassion, Kwan Yin. Among the many figures you may also come across a smiling Buddha with a little fat belly see the photograph on page 62 . He is standing up with his arms stretched over his head. His palms press against the sky and his fingers face...
Lowering the Head and Hips Removes Excess Heat from the Heart
The explanations for the value of this exercise include prevention against fever and reduction of tension in the sympathetic nervous system. It certainly has a powerful relaxing effect and, as such, eases the flow of energy along a number of your body's meridians. CAUTION Do not practise this Ba Duan Jin exercise when pregnant. . From the Wu Chi position seep. 64 , raise your right hand in an arc over your headivith your hand held palm downward. 2. Breathe out as you bend over to your left....
Rising Up on One Leg the ninth position
This is the most advanced physical stage of the Zhan Zhuang training presented in this book. Do not attempt it until you are comfortable with the previous positions. There is no point in straining your muscles and exhausting yourself by trying out such advanced exercises without having carefully laid the internal foundations. There is an advanced stage to this last position see facing page this will greatly increase the benefits of the position to your energy system. Relax thoroughly before you...
Shifting your Weight
There are two variations on the initial two standing positions that will help strengthen the muscles of your legs. They involve shifting your weight forward and backward. By leaning slightly forward you strengthen your calf muscles. By leaning backward you develop the muscles in your thighs. Increasing the power of both muscle groups is important for your future progress in the Zhan Zhuang system. A variant is to shift your weight from one side to the other so that you stand with 90 per cent of...
Photographic Credits
6-John Heseltine 10-Science Photo Library 15-MarkJarvis Photo Library 18-The Image Bank 22-Ma'rk Jarvis Photo Library 24 Fausto Dorelli 33-Mark Jarvis Photo Library 37-Heather Angel 38-Fausto Dorelli 40-Tania Midgley 4 5-Mark Jarvis Photo Library 47-Fausto Dorelli 48-Brian Rogers Biofotos 50-MarkJarvis Photo Library 54-Gaia Books 60-Tania Midgley 62, 82, 85-Fausto Dorelli 87-Dave Thorp 88-Fausto Dorelli 91,95-John Heseltine Photography 100-The Image Bank 102,108-Fausto Dorelli Ills-Wildlife...
Lifting heavy weights
At home, at your work place, or in your leisure activities, you are likely to have to lift a heavy weight at some point. It might be a box of papers or soft drinks it might be a table or a piece of equipment. Whatever it is and whatever the circumstances, you can apply your knowledge of Zhan Zhuang to lift the weight more easily and help prevent injury. POINTS TO REMEMBER There are eight points to remember for both lifting and putting down heavy weights. Notice the difference in the sequence of...
The Tree Grows Out from the Cliff
The night is slowly git ing wayto day. The mist is lifting from the mountain side. The woods are silent, waiting forthe dawn. Above them is the rock face, rising overhead. High up the cliff a mighty tree is growing on the stone. Its roots, like giant coils of rope, stretch out across the mountain ledge and down the veins ofrock. The days first light begins to warm the morning air. The summer's heat will soon be full. All day the tree must bearthe suns full force, its branches arching outward in...
Skeletal problems
If you have a spinal disorder or a misalignment of your vertebrae that gives you back pain, you should seek special treatment. But if the cause of back pain is more simple, such as tension or fatigue, Zhan Zhuang exercises can help. Stand for two or three minutes in the second Zhan Zhuang position - Holding the Balloon see pp. 34-35 . Then do an adaptation of the eighth Ba Duan Jin exercise, Shaking the Body Wards Off all Illnesses, as follows. Rise up on the balls of your feet put the backs of...
Standing like a tree
You are standing like a tree. You are like an elm growing. You feel everything happening within your entire body, from your roots deep in the soil, to the tiniest leafreaching out into the air. You can hear yourself moving inside. You are growing, listening silentlyto your entire body inhaling and exhaling. A living tree breathes with its entire body. Every cell ofevery leafis breathing. Deep in the earth, the roots are breathing too. As you stand, you do the same. Open every pore ofyour body...
The Moving Balloon
The fusion of your mind and body reaches a new level with these exercises. The effect on your internal energy7 is amazing. Now you will begin to understand why it has been so essential to work systematically through the previous stages of your Zhan Zhuang training in order to reach this point. GROWING PRESSURE Stand in the second position Holding the Balloon see p. 35 . After you feel comfortable in this position, make sure your fingers are held open so that you can imagine holding little balls...
Infants and children
Children are just bursting with energy. Sometimes they seem to have too much and simply don't know what to do with it. Often they have trouble getting some balance in their behaviour. It's easy for them to get carried away with extremes of frantic activity followed by sudden exhaustion, or to be injured falling down or running around. Doing a little Zhan Zhuang can make a big difference at this early age and greatly help the development of young children when their whole bodies are going...
Advanced level Ghu
After a year or so of regular practice, you can move on to the next level. Keeping your feet flat on the ground, lower yourself to a full squat. Remember to breathe out completely as you go down. This time your hands should brush over your toes as they circle down and around. Your circling arms will also help your balance. Look straight ahead. Try to keep your back vertical but not stiff. Don't crouch too far forward, but don't stiffen up so much that you lose your balance and fall backward....
Wu Chi the first position
All Zhan Zhuang training begins with this position, which is profoundly important. Even at extraordinarily advanced levels of exercise, we begin with a period of quiet standing in the Wu Chi position - the position of primal energy. The Wu Chi position involves simply standing still. It is an opportunity to pay careful attention to the tensions in your body and its nervous system. At the same time it becomes a moment of powerful, deep relaxation in your day. Simple as it may seem, this opening...
The Tree in the Wind
Dark birds burst intofiight. They dive and scatter in the wind. High distantclouds trail long pale shadows on the earth the daylight changes with the moving sky. The tree stands open to the heavens, touched by every movement ofthe air. The driving ivind curls round its leaves. Its branches shake against the sky. Gusts trace their fiying patterns in the grass. The ivoody stems of saplings sway and twist. Small bushes wave like slender wands in children's hands. The tree stands guard, its mighty...
Starting Ba Duan Jin
Once you begin these exercises, you should make every effort to do them regularly and to do the full set of eight. Just a few minutes every day will be sufficient. This is the way to get the full benefit from them. Their natural life-enhancing effect will not be nearly as pronounced if you do them in bursts for a few days and then do nothing for a week or two. Once you have learned the eight exercises, and are smoothly stretching into all the positions, you can move on to the more advanced...
Holding The Balloon In Front Of Your Face
INCREASED ENERGY The fifth position greatly increases the flow of energy in your body. You become like a bow in the moment before it releases the arrow, or like an athlete on the starting blocks waiting for the crack of the starting pistol. The effect is the result of pressure on your Chi circulation generated by the muscles in your legs an effect you can feel while holding the posture and after you rise up to come out of it. This is an extraordinarily demanding position to hold. Try not to...
Holding the Balloon in Front of your Face the fifth position
This next position is the most taxing so far. It places much greater demands on your legs and arms, and therefore requires a higher level of endurance. Even after you have practised holding the first four Zhan Zhuang positions for some time, gradually increasing the duration as described, you will probably find this position extremely difficult to sustain. Many of your muscles will be almost certain to tense up and you may feel as if some are about to explode. You may well sweat profusely and...
Looking Back Like a Cow Gazing at the Moon
This is one of the most potent of the eight exercises. It has a powerful effect on your central nervous system and the circulation of both blood and Chi to your head. It stimulates the vital power of your kidneys. It also strengthens the activity of your eyeballs, your neck and shoulder muscles, and your nerves, and is excellent for alleviating high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. CAUTION Do not practise this Ba Duan Jin exercise when pregnant. Begin by lifting your arms from the...
Practical tips
The benefits of Zhan Zhuang practice result from inner growth and transformation. The fundamental changes begin to occur in your internal organs and nervous system. Without unusual sensitivity or training, most of us cannot sense these at first, whereas we can all feel the immediate effect of hard muscular activity such as jogging or weight training. The initial impact of Zhan Zhuang takes place deep inside you, like an explosion in the depths of the sea, and so it is all the more important to...
Pregnancy
When you are pregnant a selective combination of Ba Duan Jin and Zhan Zhuang exercises practised every day will be a great help to you and to your baby. This combination of exercises is excellent for preparing mother and child for birth. It helps to build energy for labour and, by helping anchor the centre of energy in the body, it develops strength in your lower body. Begin with these three Ba Duan Jin exercises. CAUTION Do not practise the other Ba Duan Jin exercises after learning that you...
The dentist the bricklayer and the wallpaper hanger
Three people I know well use Zhan Zhuang in their work. One is a young bricklayer. He has started using gentle, rhythmic movements while he lays down the mortar and places the bricks. He tells me that since becoming a student ofZhan Zhuang, he is able to keep at this strenuous work without getting tired, and he has far fewer accidents. Another student, an older man, is a wallpaper hanger. He tells me he has developed a set ofeasy, flowing gestures for brushing the paste on the wall, gently...
Roots And Branches
A tree experiences growth all over. New leaves grow every year. Twigs grow longer at their tips. Trunks and branches become thicker. The roots, too, thicken and lengthen. Zhan Zhuang training will also affect all parts of your body. This is partly because of the effect of the increased flow of Chi through the network of meridians, partly because of the strengthening of your cardiovascular and nervous systems, and partly because of the impact on various muscle groups. The Zhan Zhuang system...
Supporting the Sky with Both Hands Regulates All Internal Organs
This opening exercise regulates all internal organs, from your heart and lungs in your upper torso through to your kidneys and intestines in your lower abdomen. It relieves fatigue, increases inhalation, and helps prepare your body for the exercises that follow. It also helps invigorate the muscles and bones of your back and waist and can help correct poor posture of the upper back and shoulders. STARTING THE EXERCISE Start in the Wu Chi position feet a shoulder-width apart, shoulders relaxed,...
A Hot Shower a Cold Shower
You can attempt this exercise once you have warmed up and stood for several minutes in the Wu Chi position see p. 29 . It will increase your stamina and help you to use the vitality of your imagination to transcend extreme physical discomfort. PREPARATION STAGE After standing in the Wu Chi position for several minutes, move into any one of the other Zhan Zhuang positions. From the position you have chosen, sink down, remembering not to let your knees come forward 01 lt er your toes. After a few...
Internal Movement
Zhan Zhuang training exercises your muscles and your mind. Nothing moves on the outside. The motion is all internal. Some sensations are immediately apparent. You can, for example, feel the muscles in your arms, shoulders, thighs, and calves rapidly reaching the point of exhaustion. As the muscles work harder to hold the position, you can feel your body heat rising. You may begin to sweat and feel your pulse rate speeding up. If you continue, and force yourself to stand still by a supreme...
The chart of Professor Yu Yong Nian
The descriptions that follow and the chart on page 57 will help you understand the signs of internal activity being generated within your organs, muscles, and central nervous system. NUMBNESS Once you have started Zhan Zhuang training you may feel numbness in some parts of your body while you are performing the standing exercises. This may make you feel very uncomfortable, but it will gradually pass. Different parts may feel numb at different times you might lose sensation in your hands, head,...
Nervous System
If you have a headache there is a sequence of four practical steps you can take to ease the pain and eventually clear it completely. In my experience, following these steps helps relieve the symptoms of headaches, even migraines, in eight out often cases. First, stand in the second Zhan Zhuang position - Holding the Balloon see pp. 34-35 , for two minutes. This is essential to build up your blood and, therefore, Chi circulation. Second, do the fourth Ba Duan Jin exercise Looking Back Like a Cow...
Zhan Zhuang for women
Unlike some exercise systems, which treat women and men differently, Zhan Zhuang can be practised in exactly the same way by both sexes. Because of a woman's child-bearing capacity, there are some special circumstances in her life where Zhan Zhuang exercises can be of particular help before and during menstrual periods and in connection with childbirth. THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE The menstrual cycle causes major changes in a woman's body every month. Many women experience pain during their periods,...
Understanding Zhan Zhuang
Students of Zhan Zhuang usually want to know all about the theory behind the practice, and where it will take them. Are these exercises of any use Am I hurting myself In the Orient, students must place their complete trust in their master. They know better than to question their teacher's unusual methods. In the West, this tradition of learning is largely unknown. It may therefore help to give just a simplified explanation of what happens as you stand in these positions. As explained in Chapter...
Breathing
Most young people and adults breathe by raising and opening the chest cavity. Many people who do conventional fitness exercises and take part in strenuous sports breathe from the chest as well. This is how their breathing has developed in the years since birth. Our goal is different, however. We want to return to the powerful, deep breathing we were born with, in order to enhance the power of our vitality. Natural breathing is centred on the Tan Tien inside your abdomen see below . This way of...
Acknowledgements
I am delighted to be able to introduce to a wide audience the art of Zhan Zhuang as developed by Grandmaster Wang Xiang Zhai. I have drawn extensively on his original manuscripts. Many teachers have made itpossible for me to understand the art of internal strength. I am particularly grateful to Professor Yu Yong Nian for the wisdom he has shared with me and for his encouragement in the preparation of this book. I also owe much to my wife Villisa, and my three sons, Tin Yun, Tin Yu, and Tin Han...
Contents
Chapter 2 Breathing and Relaxing 41 Chapter 4 Preparing for Energy 63 Chapter 5 Growing Like a Tree 83 Chapter 6 Roots and Branches 103 Chapter 8 Energy in Daily Life 141 Chapter 10 Taking Care of Yourself 173 Professor Yu Yong Nian Honorary Member of the Council of the Association of Chi Kung Science of the People s Republic of China and adviser to the American -Chinese Chi Kung Association. For centuries the art of internal strength was a closely guarded secret in China. Embracing all the...