Zhan Zhuang Geezer

A week ago today Daniel Lee posted a tai chi course on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/MasterDanielLeeTaiChiQigong/videos. So I watched one titled "What Is Tai Chi? Finally Explained." Since then I have gone through his five-lesson course in tai chi. More precisely the beginner version of an abbreviated form of wu style tai chi. There is also an advanced version of the short form but I have not watched those videos. I have practiced every day since, watching at most one new video per day. Yesterday I completed the sequence. It takes a couple of minutes to go through the form. The end position is the same as the start position so I usually loop through several iterations. The first time I watched a lesson it was awkward to get the movements right. Daniel Lee does an excellent job explaining, with ample repetition, the movements in each lesson. And the movements themselves are not that demanding of agility, strength, or balance. The sequence of the movements,...

This interview was probably in the late 1940's. It covers many schools of martial arts, most of them I never heard of. He admires tai chi but is very critical of how its practice has evolved and derides the skills of most of its practitioners. "The founding master of 'Dachengquan', Wang Xiangzhai, who is famous in the North and South, and praised by the martial arts circles of the whole country, has recently moved to Beijing. For the exchange of knowledge and opinions among the practitioners of different martial arts, he has arranged a meeting time every Sunday afternoon from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, at Dayangyibin Alley, where he acts as the host, and exchanges opinions with other famous experts of boxing, carrying forward and promoting the martial spirit of our nation as his sincere wish. A reporter interviewed Mr. Wang yesterday, having the following discussion with him....... "....As masters of the original ‘Taijiquan’, I should recommend the Yang brothers Sh...

I think it is because it was developed by martial artists, but it is good for health and fitness as well as combat. I do not see any martial artsy development in my case. Internal development, sure, but subtle, not sure exactly where what and how, and beyond me to describe. The tingling sensations. Heightened sensitivity. A sort of euphoric state sometimes. Energy flowing around, maybe. But nothing that relates to combat.

Change of routine this week. Before breakfast I do ba duan jin to loosen up. After breakfast I do an hour sitting zhan zhuang followed by an hour standing in one position. In the late afternoon I do an hour long medley of 8 standing positions. The position I stand in for an hour is what Mark Cohen calls Cultivating Middle Balance. It is easy to describe. From wu chi position I raise my forearms til they are perpendicular to my upper arms, palms facing the floor. Until this week I never held this position for more than 5 minutes. It is not difficult for me to hold it for an hour. I listen to Satie's Gymnopedie, which is repetitious so I never know how long I have been standing. Minor physical discomfort comes and goes. Stiffness and/or numbness in my hands, wrists, and shoulders. Tightness or soreness in my leg muscles. Usually I ignore the discomfort and it goes away on its own. Sometimes I mentally scan my form and discover that a foot is pronated, or shoulders hun...

Change just one thing and then see what the results are. That way you can see if there is any difference, and, if there is, be sure what the difference is due to. This week I extended my standing time from 40 minutes to an hour, twice a day. The extended time is not a problem. I notice my shoulders are stronger and a wee bit of soreness in my legs. My senses are slightly sharper. I no longer get sleepy in the evening, otherwise sleep is about the same. I follow the same rule with adding a new exercise. Recently I experimented with horse stance. Soreness in my hips ensued. I stopped doing it. Probably the soreness would have gone away in time and I would have begun to benefit. Judgement call. There is only so much time and too many options for exercise - tai chi, qi gong, kung fu, pilates, yoga, isometrics. Getting healthy and fit is a reasonable goal. It takes some trial and error but an hour a day of the right combination of exercises for you should suffice to meet g...

I'm no expert on zhan zhuang but think that relaxation and experimentation are very important. I will cite two statements from Mark Cohen as the expert. He has practiced since the mid-60's, and studied under teachers who learned from Wang Xiang Zhai (1885-1963) who popularized zhan zhuang in China. Cohen asked one of his teachers which was more important , form or relaxation. After a moment of consideration the teacher said relaxation. Cohen also wrote that Wang encouraged experimentation. This week I have been practicing 2 hours in the morning, 1 hour sitting and 1 hour standing and 30 minutes standing in the afternoon. Mark Cohen has videos on sitting zhan zhuang on his YouTube channel. In a January 2020 Skype call Mark gave me some pointers on sitting zhan zhuang. I have been doing siting meditation every day since, although I do not know what the purpose of sitting is, other than a focus on the lower dan tien. The lower dan tien is akin to a chakra, in the area o...

This is really about the mysterious effects of practicing zhan zhuang. It is easy to see how the isometric aspect of zhan zhuang promotes strength, fitness, and vitality. It is not intrinsically different than planks, pikes, bridges, wall sits, etc. Even the mental effects of clearer thinking and sharper senses can be obtained by conventional isometrics. Where zhan zhuang stands apart from those other exercises is in repair of injuries and defects. I do not know how this aspect works. I could say it is due to the holistic nature of zhan zhuang but that explains nothing in particular. Stuff happens internally. Good stuff. Zhan zhuang cured my trigger finger. I don't know how. I had it for many years, just on one finger, my left ring finger. In 2009 it was cured by an injection. It came back in 2015. I had another injection which did not help much. In 2018, after 6 months of zhan zhuang practice, it suddenly went away. The next day it cropped up on the right ring fing...

The name translates as 'the eight brocades'. One source showed a depiction of one of these eight exercises drawn 5,000 years ago. Another stated that the eight exercises were used by zen monks to limber up after hours of sitting meditation. There are variations of each of the eight exercises. The Shaolin monks do a very vigorous, athletic version. On his YouTube channel Daniel Lee demonstrates a 'beginner' version which is slow and gentle. Lam Kam Chuen's book "The Way Of Energy" presents instructions for a version close to what Daniel Lee does. Myself, I started doing the ba duan jin as prescribed by Chuen's book in April of 2018, first thing every morning to limber up. I have watched several YouTube videos (try a search on Ba Duan Jin) and modified my routine now and then. After two years of daily practice I began to develop my own way. Like Daniel Lee's beginner version I do slow and gentle movements. If you are interested I recomm...

First assume the wu chi position described in the previous post. Raise your arms until your hands are level with the top of youe ribs with palms facing in. Hands 3-6 inches apart, and around a foot away from the chest. Check that your shoulders are not hunched or tensed up. Fingers should be separated and slightly curved. The rest of the posture is the same as wu chi. Hold this for as long as you comfortably can. Build up to 5 minutes with repeated practice. Alternate between wu chi and hold the ball for a couple of minutes each. Build up to where you can do each for 5 minutes. Variations: level of hands can be higher or lower. Hands can be farther apart, closer in, further out. Feet can be shoulder width apart, hip width apart. Feet can be parallel, slightly turned out, or turned in. You can lower your butt if you like, keeping the back and neck straight and the knees not bent past the toes. Lowering the butt will stress the legs, muscles and sinews. I generally st...

It is good to focus on the feet. Make sure they are stable. Keep your center of gravity between them so they support your weight. If your center of gravity moves outside of your feet that adds torque and makes it harder for the feet to support your weight. If your feet are not set the angle of the ankles also increases the torque. Either will make balance more difficult and a fall more likely. So focus on the feet, soles in particular. Let your weight sink into the soles of your feet. Let your center of gravity sink into your pelvis. This will minimize torque and maximize stability. To get up from a chair be mindful of where your feet and center of gravity are. Plant your feet flat and bend your knees slightly. Grasp the arms of the chair and bring your center of gravity forward to a point between your feet. Push down with the soles of your flat feet as you straighten your knees and leverage off the arms of the chair. Come to a rest in the standing position and let your...