“One day’s exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books.” – John Muir via Zen Calendar
Monthly Archives: September 2008
One day’s exposure to mountains
“One day’s exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books.” – John Muir via Zen Calendar
Everyday Knee Strains
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I think it’s rather strange that my knees are sore pretty much ALL the time, regardless of what activity I am doing! In fact, even sitting in an office type chair, my knees feel rather tender, sort of warm and tingly. In light of this, I have decided to think about the possible ‘everyday strains’ on the knee.
At night, when I sleep, I used to sleep with one leg crossed over the other. I then began to notice this resulting in a slight strain in the knees, shifting them a bit sideways. So, I changed my sleeping position to just legs straight, however I am beginning to notice a potential strain on my ankle as the blanket can push down my foot. I could either pull up the blanket so it doesn’t put too much weight on my foot or I could sleep on my side (not preferable, though may try).
I commute roughly 2 hours round-trip 5 days a week. I noticed that sometime my left foot is placed very close to the seat, resulting in a slight strain on the top of the knees due to the knee being over the toe. I have been trying to put my foot on the provided foot rest as that seems to reduce the strain a bit.
When sitting at my office chair at work, I have noticed that if I begin to tense up, I will often have both of my feet really close to the base of my chair. Again, this puts some unnecessary strain on the knees. If I am too relaxed, I my cross my ankles, putting some strain on the knee. My solution has been to try and do some active sitting where I do not use the chair backrest and I sit on the forward 1/3 of my seat cushion. Not only does this provide some exercise for the back, but it also forces me to look a bit more at my posture (strain in shoulders, placement of feet, relaxed kua, etc).
I would like to provide a little shout out to ZenMindSword for providing a bit of thought on my knee issue. I think in regards to zhan zhuang, I still try to root downward in my training. I will have to continually remind myself NOT to do this. I must have slipped back into old patterns …
The pain seems almost cyclical in nature
The pain seems almost cyclical in nature. Every winter, I the pain in my knee seems to start acting up. Just doing the basic standing zhan zhuang posture last night, I could feel my left knee sort of throbbing. In fact, the throbbing generally goes on all day but the sensations are heightened during standing. Perhaps because my mind is quiet enough to actually hear my body.
I know that if I feel any pain or tension, I am supposed to stop doing what I am doing and sit down. However, last night, I just persisted and tried to ‘cultivate’ it. I often heard the term ‘cultivate’ used in the Fong Ha workshop. Initially I wondered, what is the main difference between ‘cultivating’ and ‘eating bitter’? Perhaps it’s the state of the mind?
Tranquility of the Son
Lately, I have been doing my zhan zhuang in my son’s room after he falls asleep. Both my wife and I have commented how our son’s presence can calm us… when he’s asleep 
So, instead of doing zhan zhuang in my office or bedroom, I have shifted my location to my son’s bedroom.
Just entering into my son’s room I am hit with a wave of tranquility. There’s a little night light in the corner that creates little shadows off his play toys. The curtains are slightly open so I can see a dimly lit park across the street under a clear starry sky. The sound of my son’s breath is steady, flowing, natural. The pheromones of my son’s sweat seeping into my nostrils as I take a slow, deep breath. The mind does not wander, there are no distractions, I am in the present.
