Thank you for sharing this type of standing practice. I think a lot of people will prefer this method instead of just standing for 45 minutes.

@phoenixmountaintaichi

6 ай бұрын

Yea! I hope to see many people enjoying and benefitting from this type of standing practice. Because it will be great when more and more people become skilled at Tai Chi and enjoy being their natural and best selves! 🎉🙏

What a great description and explanation. It was wonderful to see his transformation. I really appreciate how you teach it to embody both expansion and contraction in simultaneous balance. 👏

@phoenixmountaintaichi

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! The simultaneous duality is an ongoing theme in Phoenix Mountain teaching, flowing Yin and Yang until you discover harmony and blossom a new quality. 🏵️

@InternalTaiChi

3 ай бұрын

​@@phoenixmountaintaichi yes, it's that simultaneous expression that most miss. They think either/or but not both at same time. I actually felt relieved when I heard you say it! You validated something I have been discovering and thinking but never heard anyone else say so clearly. Or at least say in terms I understood.😊 Thanks again.

I'm once again trying this exercise :) The key to relax optimally is the visualisation. The mental simulation or picture should help to feel a quality of the sensed body. So the method is as effective as my visualisation abilities. Or: the technique is as good as proposed visualisation. I must say I have a problem with picturing the ball of energy. I think it's a problem of understanding. Should I concentrate on the expansion in my body (extensors) during inhalation and on shrinking in my body (flexors) during inhalation or on the ball of energy. Is the ball of energy like an external engine evoking the movement of my body or the function of visualisation of the ball is different? And, since I have difficulty to imagine ball of energy can I change it to the picture of someone pulling me and pushing lightly?

Thanks for continuing to share.

@phoenixmountaintaichi

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment! You can count on more and more sharing to come 😀

Very Beautiful 🙏❤️🎨💯⛩️

@phoenixmountaintaichi

6 ай бұрын

🙌🙏

There's still a difference between knowing how to actually do something with a teacher there and being able to do that same thing by yourself without the teacher being there to show you and guide you on the spot! When you can do the same thing that you do with the teacher there but without your teacher there then that is when you can say the skill is really yours! 👌 😊 🎉

@phoenixmountaintaichi

6 ай бұрын

That's very true! And to that extent, as people experience what it's like to move and feel better, the part of you that can understand and appreciate that experience, can grow and become your inner guide to success. It's like finding your way to a new place. The first few times you may rely on GPS or directions from a friend. But each time you go it becomes a little familiar as you enjoy the trusted guidance. And eventually, even though you didn't necessarily try to memorize it, you suddenly notice that you know the way, all on your own! Thank you for sharing your wisdom! It's a great thing to point out and appreciate! 🙏

That was awesome! I try to understand the idea behind Zhan Zhuang for some time now. I think this video helped me more to grasp it. I would like to paraphrase what you said. Is it correct to say, that by playing with two opposite movements - expanding and shrinking - we try to find a neutral alignment of the whole body? Another words, we try to find that sweet spot, alignment of balance, which is felt as stability, comfort and paradoxically strength in total body.What I like from lesson is that you point out that the purpose of Zhan Zhuang is to create condition to move after with more naturalness.

@phoenixmountaintaichi

6 ай бұрын

Yes your understanding is spot on! By experiencing the two opposites you create the conditions for a harmony of the extremes to come into being. In Phoenix Mountain Tai Chi, we use this core concept over. Yin and Yang cycle until they harmonize and blossom. What does blossom mean? In a Tai Chi symbol, imagine the white and black part to rotate until they harmonize, but I don't mean that they blend into a grey circle. Instead, a dynamic balance forms and it's as if the spinning circles blooms into a 3 dimensional sphere, something more than the sun of its parts. Like you take a seed. And sunlight and water from heaven meets the physical nutrients of earth, and then, a tree grows, flowers bloom. In your body, you will experience a comfort, an unusual comfort. A balance, even though you may sway at first as you experience a new lightness. A tentativeness to your first movements, like a baby learning their arms and legs. And you may then experience again what we experience as children, an ease to movement that we don't have to think about, remember that? And then the conditions are there for a tree to grow, for you to become powerful, in time, in a natural, pleasant way. Thanks for your summary and I'm very happy you understand! That's what motivates me to share, seeing everyone improve together! 🙏🌲

Thank you, I’ve already heard of expansion/retractation or push/pull, but I’ve never thought of mixing the two at the same time while standing or moving. Pretty difficult to feel at first, but fundamental from what I understand !

@phoenixmountaintaichi

6 ай бұрын

Yes it is the unusualness of the thought that opens up the self to the complete experience. It's a physical meditation, like how Zen koans ask about trees falling in the forest and the mysterious sound of one hand clapping, opening up the mind to a greater awareness. It isn't as difficult as you would initially think, as long as you're open to whatever the opposites take you! Thank you for your comment and especially for trying it out! 😀

I would love to know your thoughts on this. I've heard that Zhan Zhuang is 1st an exercise to sink the chi to build the Dantian, Than 2nd it's an exercise to connect and immerse your yi into all parts of the body. Than 3rd it's to build Chi. And that Zhan Zhuang and meditation is the only way to build Chi. Moving Tai chi (forms ) Etc are just to balance and move the chi, they don't build chi. Do you have a video about Dantian?

@phoenixmountaintaichi

Ай бұрын

When you really consider if zhan zhuang is the only way to build Qi, you can consider how zhan zhuang, as people understand it today, is really only about a hundred years old. And how did all the legendary masters, Yang Luchan, all the members of the Chen Taiji family, Sun Lutang, and more, build their Qi, before Zhan Zhuang standing, that made them the masters they are? You're right to think that forms are not the primary avenue to build Qi, and you'd be right to realize that the essential training, in a complete curriculum, always had the exercises to sink chi to Dantien, complete the body and immerse it in Yi, and build Qi, and to do it before one begins practicing forms. Because the essential foundation of Tai Chi, Song Gong (Song Practice), efficiently does all of this. In this video, which is a standing meditation that gives you the quality of Song and improves both the Yi and unconscious connection of the body, you see that as the gentleman relaxed, his Qi naturally sinks. And as he sends this relaxation and awareness of expansion and condensing to every part of the body, the body is connected by Song and the Yi becomes aware of every part of the body. That is why his punch push becomes more effective. And when it comes to building Qi, does our Qi magically increase as we do zhan zhuang or any other exercise? If not, why does our Qi feel more powerful with practice? Because what really happens is that we are removing the obstacles to the full function and flow of Qi in our body. And the biggest obstacle to Qi flow within us is our intent and our tension. And that means Song, as it releases all of our tension and frees our mind, is an incredibly effective way to improve the power of your Qi. So while many people have attributed all benefits of Qigong, meditation, Neigong, all to Zhan Zhuang, history has shown us that in the era of the highest levels of Tai Chi skill, a multitude of great masters achieved the most profound Tai Chi skill using the essential Tai Chi Neigong, Song. I myself practiced standing in Zhan Zhuang, 45 minutes a day, for an entire year. It was beneficial for body integration. And when I really understood Song in Tai Chi, my skill in the internal arts entered a whole new realm. Today, when I teach my in person students, Song is what we begin with and it brings their body integration even beyond where I had reached doing standing meditation, in less time than it took me. And I am happy they can be successful, in less time, with more comfort. 😄 Thanks for the question! Check out our other videos on the channel about Song and let me know how it helps you improve! kzread.info/dash/bejne/fGSGtLBpkqfelpc.html

@Ninjaotaku

Ай бұрын

@@phoenixmountaintaichi Zongqing Lin, Thankyou kindly for the time you took to write such a detailed explanation and reply. To paraphrase your reply to make sure i understand, It all Starts with Song to free our mind and tension, then our Qi will naturally sink. If we are aware of the expansion and condensing our yi becomes connected to every part of the body. The great masters didn't use the current static competitive Zhan Zhuang. Hence why your teaching a more dynamic way to discover Song and Yi Connection? The reason for my original question was I've heard a couple Influential neigong and Tai chi Teachers who seam to have real skills claim, That building Qi, is done through stillness like Zhan Zhuang or seated meditation. And that moving exercises just unblock, open, move, release and access the Qi you already have. I learnt Yang Tai as a kid, and i'm quite alliterate on the theory and technical aspects of Tai chi. All of my very limited understanding has come from direct introspection, curiosity and playing. And the Above statement Chi is only built through stillness, Just doesn't make sense to me. And goes against my personal experience and understanding. I am curious to hear your perspective on that. Thank You