Tai Chi Standing

Tai Chi Standing

Tai Chi Standing, also known as Zhan Zhuang is a powerful internal practice that looks to find movement within stillness.  Standing practice is a static meditation where a posture is held for a period of time completely still.  Standing is an important part of Tai Chi and Qi Gong training and should be built up gradually whilst the legs grow stronger.  Beginner students usually start with a few minutes and build from there.  There are different standing postures, from empty stance, embracing stance to holding any of the Tai Chi movements within the form.  All can be practiced for the same effect.

Wu Ji Zhuang

How to stand in the Wu Ji Zhuang posture, also known as Wu Ji posture or empty posture.  The easiest way is to go from your feet upwards;

• Align your feet either straight forward (Qi Gong posture, closed/yin) or slightly opened out (Tai Chi posture, open/yang)
• Centre your weight into the middle of the foot, equal weight on each foot
• Let your bodyweight sink into your feet, and feel it push back up the legs and body
• Make sure your knees are aligned in the direction of your feet (not bowing inwards or outwards)
• Softly bend the knee, not passed the arch of the foot
• Roll the pelvis under so that the tailbone points down, straightening the spine and opening the lumbar area
• Relax holding of the hip/groin area, let the body holds itself up without effort
• Relax the abdomen, do not contract the abdominal muscles
• Keep the body upright
• Exhale to the end of the breath, this is the chest position needed, slightly dipped with the vertebra between the shoulder blades opened
• Relax the shoulders down, not hunched forward and not thrown back
• Pull your head and chin back a little, with your crown pointing upwards
• Imagine there is a ‘plumb line’ that connects the top of your crown (heaven) and perineum (earth), this line should be vertical, not leaning to one side or the front or back
• Arms hang loosely by the side of the body
• Hands relaxed down and palms facing the outside thighs
• Eyes half or fully closed
• Mouth closed

Ping Bu Cheng Bao Zhuang

How to stand in the Wu Ji Zhuang posture, also known as embracing posture, hugging the tree and Tai Chi standing.  Follow the same sequence as above, the only difference is the hand and arm position.

• Raise your hands slowly from the empty stance posture
• Aim to have your arms in the position as if hugging a tree
• Elbows are heavy, pointing down and out
• Hands and arms follow the curve of the body in an arc
• Palms face the body any height from lower abdomen to chest height
• Fingers are slightly separated
• Fingers are inflated like full of air or water, not tensed and not floppy
• Thumbs point upwards (Tai Chi), thumbs are relaxed down (Qi Gong)
• Shoulders are still relaxed down and not tensed or raised

 Alignment and Structure

In your standing posture, root your weight to the ground via the Dan Tian.  The aim is to absorb any pressure that is applied from any direction into the ground naturally without effort, without resistance.  If someone pushes you from the front or pushes onto your shoulders, your body needs to be in such alignment that the weight is absorbed, meaning you don’t move, your body adapts to the pressure internally.

Breathing

• Close the mouth and teeth gently
• Touch the tongue on the roof of the palate behind the front teeth
• Breath into the abdomen
• The stomach raises as you breath in
• The stomach goes in as you breath out
• The chest does not rise and fall
• Imagine you are bypassing the lungs in the chest area, for a much deeper breath
• Circular breathing (without pause)

Mind

The mind may wander and jump about from topic to topic, some people call this the ‘monkey mind’.  When Tai Chi standing the aim is not to clear your mind completely of these thoughts, like in other forms of Buddhist meditation.   The aim is to become aware of the internal body, which in turn stops the monkey mind.  Instead, your mind may become aware of areas in the body that are tense, here you can mentally relax and drop away tension.  You may also become aware of incorrect alignment in your posture, here you can self adjust with micro movements.  You may become aware that your breathing is shallow or erratic, here you can bring the breathing back to the abdomen. As you stand your bring your mind and body into the now.  You no longer look to the past or think about the future, there is only what you are doing right now.  This helps calm the mind and body, as the body merely reacts to what the mind tells it something fearful or stressful is happening.

Sink Qi to the Dan Tian

Once in your standing posture, bring your focus to moving Qi in the Dan Tian.  This means sinking your body weight from your head, shoulders, chest and upper abdomen down to the Dan Tian area.  A natural sinking and lowering of your centre of gravity to give you a more solid feeling in the lower body.

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