Zhan Zhuang or "Standing Post"

Zhan Zhuang or Standing Post is an exercise often employed by Tai Chi Chuan practicioners. In teaching my students I usually begin their instruction with this Chi Kung exercise and maintain their practice by beginning class with a few minutes of quiet Zhan Zhuang meditation. This all sounds good and well, but before we begin let us first know just what Zhan Zhuang is.

Zhan Zhuang or Standing Post, is a meditative, standing exercise that allows the student to focus his energy by calming the mind, relieving any stress (and related imbalances) in the body, and helping the practitioner concentrate. In this way the student feels more alive and energetic. This is achieved by relieving any stress in the body and helping the body function closer to its optimal state. In essence the student moves the energy (or chi) throughout the body more freely by removing energy blockages related to the stress points on the body. In time this also allows the student to better cultivate his ability to control his/her own body and, by focusing their minds, move their energy across their bodies as desired. This is vital to Tai Chi Chuan practice since the effectiveness of all our movements depends on our moving the energy throughout our body as desired. Standing Post meditation allows the practicioner to relax and eliminate energy and stress blocking the free flow of energy across the body while allowing him/her to focus on conciously moving that energy. Later on the student will progress to moving the energy throughout the body in conjunction with an accompanying movement (which is the conerstone of all internal arts).

Zhan Zhuang is performed by standing in a relaxed posture, feet shouder width apart and the arms gently resting in front of the body (how high depends on the practitioner, but not lower than the abdomen or higher than the shoulders). As always in our practice, it seems easier than it truly is! What we are attempting to do is sink our breath into the Dan Tien, straighten the spine toward the sky and root our body into the earth.

Sounds a little esoteric, so let's break it down into body mechanics; the practicioner stands in the above posture, while keeping the body in a relaxed state by gently bending all the joints and taking deep slow breaths. As described in our last post the tailbone is tucked in and the chin is slightly brought down to lengthen the spine. All of this helps the student settle in the most balanced and rooted posture available to the human body (aka The Supreme Ultimate Stance). Look into the distance while allowing the eyes to slightly lose focus while concentrating the mind on drawing the breath slowly into the Dan Tien (about 2 inches below the navel) and then exhaling.

Allowing the mind to spread all over the body the practicioner will become aware of points of stiffness, discomfort, or "blockage"in the body. Relaxing these points will allow the energy to flow smoothly all over the body. This aids the body in all its functions and gives a sense of bursting energy to the practicioner (it is also fairly common to feel a warm sensation across the body, especially the feet, and the urge to run and jump). Over time the practicioner will become aware of a sensation of heat or tingling on some or all of the body. This is the chi (energy) that we use in Tai Chi Chuan. Over time the practitioner will learn to concentrate on this energy and move it across the body. Once this has been achieved the student may progress to combining the movement of energy in the body with the movements of the body's mass employed in form practice.

In essence Zhan Zhuang allows the practitioner to relax, energize and focus while learning to control his/her chi. Therefore this meditative movement (or a similar exercise) is a vital first step toward efficient Tai Chi Chuan pratice which also grants even beginning students an instant boon toward their health.

-Jon