Category Archives: zhan zhuang

Reader Question: Sinking Lower in Zhan Zhuang

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From time to time, I get people contacting me and asking me taiji related questions. Instead of answering them one by one, I figure it would be good to just answer via the blog.  This way, other readers can chime in and give some insight that I may miss.

Below is a question I received:
 

I've recently started with Zhan Zhuang following the book The Way of Energy. But I still can't figure out how to sink down and have my back straight at the same time.

I suppose that the final pose should look like this picture from the book:

However, when I try to do it, I keep falling backward. I know I can sink lower (as long as muscles are concerned) but I'm not able to maintain the balance.

Do you have any tips?

MM

MM,

First off, the Way of Energy by Kam Lam Chuen is a great book and one that I often recommend. In fact, it's listed as one of my "Life Changing Books". 

Regarding the "sinking down", I've asked may teachers over the years about their thoughts on the topic. At first, I just muscled my way and sank down in a deep wushu (kung fu) style horse stance. However, over time I've begun to realize that maybe the goal isn't necessarily to see how low one can go in zhan zhuang, but to try and maintain good alignment.

Regarding alignment in zhan zhuang, I will refer you to what I consider one of the best articles written on the topic. The post is from Rick of Wujifa and he wrote an EXCELLENT article on Zhan Zhuang Alignment.  In fact, I have visited Rick and felt FIRST-HAND what correct alignment feels like and TRUST ME, you don't have to be in a low stance to get it. In fact, Rick adjusted my posture while I was in a very high stance (maybe 20 degree bend in knees) and I felt the BURN in my legs and almost began shaking. This type of correction can only be experienced through the transmission of touch with a good teacher. If you don't have regular access to a good teacher, check out a Chen Xiao Wang workshop and ask for Pizza ;)

I'm reminded of a comment made by Rick of Wujifa: "You are where you are, and that's where you start."  If you feel yourself falling backwards, then don't go that low. Go to where you feel stable and aligned.

Good luck.
w.

ps. For other readers out there, feel free to chime in ;)

Wujifa Zhan Zhuang Alignment

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When I first started doing zhan zhuang, I was basically told to stand with my feet parallel, raise my arms about shoulder height forming a ball,  and relax. That’s it.  “Hold this position for 40 minutes”, said the instructor. I was then handed the book The Way of Energy by Kam Lam Chuen. No other real correction was given beyond that.

What this lead to was my own approach of external, school of hard knocks, eating bitter style of zhan zhuang. What do I mean by this? My goal was to hold the posture for a specific length of time, no matter what!  At first, I couldn’t hold the posture for more than 5 minutes, so I use tools to get my mind off the pain. I started off by watching TV during zhan zhuang, then I slowly moved to listening to music and now finally I do neither. From time to time, I play a bit of ambient music when the day has been rough ;)

It wasn’t until I started training in traditional Chen Style Taijiquan that I received my first corrections on zhan zhuang.  During class, I received my first corrections of “zhan zhuang” tweaking.   Afterwards, my eyes were opened to a whole new layer of taijiquan.  For more on these tweakings, check out my post on Zhan Zhuang Adjustments where I outline some of the corrections.  Then, I happened upon a Chen Xiaowang seminar that focused on zhan zhuang and silk reeling where more zhan zhuang tweaking occurred.  What I took away from all these adjustments was: being off my a millimeter can cause one to miss the target by kilometers.  The minutia of the corrections are yet another reason to seek out a qualified instructor.  A lot of the corrections will often require a hands-on touch (post: The Transmission of Touch).

I recently took a weekend trip to visit Rick of Wujifa where he covered some of these zhan zhuang corrections (more on the trip in another future post).  More importantly, Rick has put together a formalized method for alignment in zhan zhuang and he calls 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4.  I had heard about this before, but was completely blown away by the method after experiencing it’s effects in-person with Rick.  At a high level, the first 1,2,3,4 address the basic alignment between the feet, knees, hips and shoulders.  The second 1,2,3,4 addresses the alignment between the kua, tailbone, chest and head.

Zhan zhuang is used to develop connection within the body.  What does connection feel like?  For me, connection and correct alignment resulted in a feeling of intense burning in the thigh, similar to my previous post on The Burn.  Additionally, I felt as if my arms just floated in the air.  Yes, I know, sounds a bit ‘woo-woo’ (to quote Rick ;) ), but I kid you not.  How could simple minute adjustments have such a dramatic effect?

I want to extend a gracious hat tip to Rick (twitter: @wujifa) for further opening my eyes on what it means to be connected.  Additionally, I feel that many people will benefit from his explanation on alignment.  Below is a snippet of his post, but I would implore you to click through and read all about Wujifa Zhan Zhuang Alignment.

When practicing Standing, or Zhan Zhuang, getting good alignment is one of the common difficulties for beginners. The method for Zhan Zhuang alignment in Wujifa is called “One Two Three Four, One Two Three Four”. The two sets of One Two Three Four are different and complementary sets of alignment points.

The first set of alignment points are:
1. The feet are parallel.
2. The knees are over the feet.
3. The hip/inguinal crease/kua are lined up over the feet and knees.
4. The shoulders are lined up over the kua, or inguinal crease. …

– Source: Zhan Zhuang Alignment | Wujifa

Zhan Zhuang – Stand Still and Be Fit

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I just finished doing a 10 minute zhan zhuang session following the instruction of Kam Lam Chuen.  My first exposure of Zhan Zhuang was through Master’s Lam’s book, The Way of Energy: Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise, borrowed to me by my college taiji instructor.

The video below includes a warm-up exercise, instruction on a standing posture, and a cool-down exercise.  I picked up a couple of pointers on arm positioning on the wuji posture, so all is good!

During the session, I still felt a bit of tension in my right hip, but not nearly as much as I did a couple of days ago.  Additionally, I noticed some dissolving in the my shoulders that felt like a bit of tingling under and in between my shoulder blades. Whenever I feel this, I am reminded of how much tension we can carry with us throughout the day.

If you have never done any zhan zhuang before, now is the perfect time to give it a try. Watch the video and follow along.  Be sure not to stop holding the posture until the cool-down exercise is covered!