Zhan Zhuang (1): The Art of Sitting

[@michaelsmith9714]

When I grow up I want to be like this. Clear concise and confident

[@taichiqong]

If only I were confident about absolutely everything... I'm not keen on performing on the piano in public!!!

[@mountainpeakcloud8442]

Excellent details! I’ve been training internal arts for 27 years and this is some of the clearest instructions on arguably the most important details I’ve come across online. Many people talk about the pelvic tilt during Zhan Zhuang, but not many are clear about how you achieve it, nor do many address what the front should feel like. You should do a video addressing knee position, how it should be aligned, whether you should or should not go past the toes etc. because I feel there’s a lot of misunderstandings on that topic, and you would no doubt give very clear instructions on the right way to do it.

[@taichiqong]

Thank you! You're right, there's a lot to be said about the knees and the legs in general. James.

[@EazyMac]

ANY solid Zhan Zhuang instructional will ALWAYS be deeply appreciated by me. Thank you for this video. You have a new subscriber!

[@taichiqong]

Thank you. James.

[@horstschlammer393]

Thanks for this simple but very effective approach. Helped me alot.

[@taichiqong]

You're welcome.

[@terefefeyssa877]

The best instruction I ever seen. Thank you. 🙏

[@taichiqong]

I’m glad it was helpful!

[@samimarche2640]

Hi , many thanks.Very clear and efficient directions.

[@taichiqong]

Thank you.

[@kkangilly]

Great tips, clear instruction!

[@taichiqong]

Thank you.

[@ChengManChing]

Very nice job explaining some important points in a commonsense manner.

[@taichiqong]

Thank you.

[@djdisasterjames]

This is the best best best video on standing that I’ve seen to date. And I’ve seen a few. You taught HOW the movements in qigong start from the lower Dantien. Most simply state that it should, but your pelvic tilts shows how that is done. And I felt it right away. THEN you added the SHOULDERS!! Showing the two different ways to raise the arms.. that MASSIVELY freed up my neck for the first time ever. I appreciate you. Please do another one with good sound and such people will come from far and wide to find you if you share the depth of wisdom you gave here. Thank you so so much. Love, Light and Dreams 🙏

[@taichiqong]

Thank you very much... much appreciated.

[@johntay3831]

The spine needs to be in a neutral curve to deliver strikes as well as absorb. It’s the reason why all chiropractors aim to restore to neutral spine. Better shock and stress absorption

[@YerexCliff]

I'm sure people with healthy backs would have no issue with the pelvic tilt. However, not everyone does have a healthy back. With all due respect to you James and your Master, I have to make a comment here as a person practicing tai chi for over 30 years with disc and lower back issues. As I was taught, the pelvic tilt is possibly damaging to people with disc and lower back issues. Tai Chi, as taught by Master Moy Lin Shin provides a safer alternative and that is letting go so the whole spine stretches, dragon exercise - donyu. In our training we were taught that if muscle was used it was just another blockage to the movement of chi, travelling between the muscles closer to the bones. With this method, there is no focus on the knees as there is no reason to bend them. They simply bend because the spine is stretching at the maximum. When the spine stops stretching, the knees start to come forward and it's time to stop. With regular practice the tendons will stretch to the maximum until the femurs are both parallel to the floor.

[@taichiqong]

Couldn't agree with you more. The whole point is that you don't FORCE the pelvis under, it is a release of the lower back (kidneys area/lumbar spine etc.) that is part of the tilt. Not entirely though because you need to engage the front of the body by gently lifting the pubic bone towards the navel. By learning how to do this correctly, I have sorted out my lower back issues that I have had since I was in my 20s.

[@YerexCliff]

@@taichiqong Awesome!

[@mkleng]

Amazing instruction there, James. Did you gather all the intricacies from digesting Chinese manuals and texts?

[@taichiqong]

Hi, No. I've had a few very good teachers over the years, although not one of them has really put together all the various strands that go together to make this exercise really work, so that it feels 'comfortable' (and as though you could quite happily stay there for hours). If you haven't already done so, take a look at the short video 'Stabilizers & Mobiizers'; it goes a long way to explaining about the disconnection of white muscle tissue (which is what you're aiming to do), and the integration of red muscle tissue (stabilisers). J.

[@RobertAgarHutton]

Very clear explanation - nicely done.

[@taichiqong]

Thanks Robert...

[@AikiSys]

Thanks for sharing James - get lesson 👏👏👏👏👏🙏🏿

[@taichiqong]

Thank you.

[@senseisubramanyan3162]

I have been practicing Taichi and Chi gong for many years (I don't want to say how many years). If you can do this regularly , you will be healthy physically and mentally. But as they say in India it has to be written. This I believe.

[@mhm2908]

I am told by top Chinese masters that you must absolutely not tuck your pelvis under, you should relax the muscles in you lower back to allow it drop naturally. Incidentally, why is this called the Art of Sitting, when it is actually Standing?

[@taichiqong]

Very true. The act of relaxing the muscles in the back, and lifting the public bone, causes the pelvis to tuck under. See other comments for why it's called 'The Art of Sitting' (rather than 'Standing').

[@salbiahahmad8264]

Sitting on your quah. Sitting

[@gsnail8189]

Why is it like that? My past Qigong practice was good but i had massive incoming energies (violent) So i HAVE been forcing it down and it became habitual! Now whats going on than? Why is it bad, what is dangerous about it? Losing Yang???

[@gsnail8189]

So i have been pulled upwards and dont understand whats going on. Painful.

[@taichiqong]

@@gsnail8189 You'll have to explain more, I'm afraid.

[@jameswhitehouse1115]

Why not show the body from the side view since the emphasis in demonstrating the movement?

[@taichiqong]

Well, I suppose the answer is 'because you're not going to see very much on camera'. The changes are very subtle... but then thinking about it, you haven't actually said which aspect you'd like to see from the side.

[@erwinwizzy]

Anyone here managed to get hunyuan strength? What does it feel like? How do you know you've got it? In which way is all this related to Qi and Jing? And all the meridians and extraordinary vessels? And smal heavenly circulation? What does standing this way give more than classical seated daoist dan tien meditation?

[@taichiqong]

A lot of questions, each of which would take ages to answer! The first thing about Hunyuan strength is that you need whole-body Peng, and until you have Peng even in only one direction, the concept of Hunyuan strength is a bit irrelevant. If you are practising Zhan Zhuang, then you are learning to develop Peng, but without a teacher to correct you or even explain Peng to you, it's quite a slow process. You know when you have Peng when you can hold a tai chi posture with great ease whilst someone is pushing you - you are able to channel their push to pass through you, so it i9s almost as though your body isn't even slightly involved and simply happens to be in the way between the person pushing you, and your (usually) rear foot.

[@erwinwizzy]

@@taichiqong thank you so much for answering, I really appreciate it. You know, in the past 10 years I got quite deaf due to a congenital disease and around where I live there aren't teachers of Yi Chuan, not even good Tai Chi ones My interest in Zhan Zhuang is for health, increasing my vital energy and keeping strong. That's why I'm asking these questions here and there. So, what about the Qi stuff? Does this increase, tonify Qi and Qi circulation? Or should we do abdominal deep breathing while standing (focusing on dan tien)? I mean, is this as equal as daoist meditation even without deep slow breathing? I'm trying to understand which way has more profound inpact on energy level. I do both anyway right now 😁

[@taichiqong]

@@erwinwizzy "What about the Qi stuff? Does this increase, tonify Qi and Qi circulation? Or should we do abdominal deep breathing while standing (focusing on dan tien)? I mean, is this as equal as daoist meditation even without deep slow breathing? I'm trying to understand which way has more profound impact on energy level." I'm not sure if this answers it, but in my opinion, the action of doing Zhan Zhuang and not OVER-focussing on what you do is very important. Trying too hard is just another form of stress (mental stress in this case), and it's just as detrimental as tensing your body whilst doing ZZ. Qi is allowed to flow when the body is very relaxed, and the muscles aren't tightened, so when doing ZZ you need to scan the body for any tension, releasing it if possible. When doing ZZ you are practising opening up the pipelines in the body. Breathing: The same thing applies... Don't try too hard. Natural breathing will produce better results than trying to adapt to a particular method of breathing, in my experience. You might find some of my blogs to be useful, incidentally. If you subscribe to the site, you'll get send a blog at the start of each month, and there are a lot of back issue blogs as well. I think the Wordpress address is in the description of every one of my videos.

[@delfibeban78]

A pesar del idioma se comprende la explicación gracias

[@taichiqong]

I'm glad to hear it! (¡Me alegra oír eso!).... I hope that's right! James.

[@TheBhannah]

Very clear instructions !

[@taichiqong]

Thanks...

[@olegmosk66]

Основа этой техники-стояние в дереве!стоять нужно долго ,не меньше сорока минут.вы не стоите достаточно ,это видно по стойке.возмите надувной мяч и вы увидите ,что держите его не всеми пальцами ,а только двумя или тремя.большие пальцы должны быть согнуты навстречу мезинцам.Везде ,в руках ,локтях шар!

[@taichiqong]

Absolutely, but what’s your point? This is a short lesson… it’s unlikely in a video that the practitioner will stand still for 40 minutes!!

[@mindfulmomentswithColm]

fantastic teaching I've subscribed and would add not to do this after a meal unless its a piece of fruit, and the key to relaxing the glutes is to feel the bones of the pelvis rotate. its not rain- its heavenly qi!

[@christonylau]

站桩 standing stance

[@taichiqong]

Absolutely correct... see previous answers below.

[@spinningdragontao]

Zhan Zhuang is pronounced Jam Jong - just so you know. This video may prove useful for your viewers also kzbin.info/www/bejne/epDaaoWwr8lqfZY

[@taichiqong]

I do know that some people pronounce it that way, I think it's a dialect thing... My understanding is that in classical mandarin it's as I pronounce it.

[@curtrod]

'zhan' means standing

[@taichiqong]

Absolutely. Which is why it's often referred to as 'Standing Like a Tree' or 'Standing Pole'.

[@summer12151]

Yes..but your title says sitting

[@taichiqong]

@@summer12151 True, and deliberately, because you adopt a sitting position. I am fully aware that it is often traditionally referred to as a 'Standing' Qigong (see the 'Description' with the video) but the position is usually (although not necessarily always) done with bent legs as though sitting on a stool. I could have called the video: 'Zhan Zhuang - the Art of Standing Whilst Sitting', but it was a bit lengthy. In addition to this, a part of the video concentrates strongly on how to actually sit down correctly - a part often ignored by several teachers that I have had in the past. But in my view, if you don't get into the sitting position correctly right from the start, it is much harder to get your spine into the right position later on, and causes more problems when attempting to relax inside the bowl of the pelvis.

[@DrMARDOC]

Why not learn the correct Chinese pronunciation?

[@taichiqong]

@@DrMARDOC I suspect you probably mean 'translation' rather than 'pronunciation'. 'The Art of Sitting' is not meant to be a translation, and is obviously not a pronunciation. It is a 'comment' on the words Zhan Zhuang because in Zhan Zhuang you are actually 'sitting' slightly - although that being said, you can also stand up to do it.

[@muibryan88]

Where is the class please?

[@taichiqong]

Hi, I teach in London & North Kent. The website is www.taiji.co.uk, and my email is [e-mail]. There is a PDF of all classes (including a Zoom class) on several pages of the site including the Homepage, and there is also a 'subscription' side for both tai chi and qigong.

[@ИсламЯзвинский]

Брат мы одного возраста прости ты мой отец задумайся

[@taichiqong]

Why not make a USEFUL comment in Russian. That one isn't terribly helpful to anyone!

[@spaideman7850]

guess you are making the mistake on purpose (stand = sit).

[@taichiqong]

Thank you for recognising that!!!! James.

[@DrMARDOC]

Why not learn correct Chinese pronunciation?

[@AwakenZen]

Learn from an Chinese man then

[@КонстантинСид]

Hi from Russia! Your exercise for novelties))). But many bodies needs your). Do it what you do... (But all fingers should "take a cap", but not as your big one))) And so and so on... Anyway 🙏