Physical effects of standing meditation

[markern]

I did standing meditation for a while and liked it a lot so I am planning to get into it again at some point. One of the things that is said about standing meditation is that over time it corrects your alignment and fascia to near perfection. I was wondering what other physical effects you`ve noticed from it. Does it make you more flexible through loosening your fascia and because of the energy produced for example?

[Mal]

If I can tag a question on here too. I've switched a 20 min morning meditation session to standing. How much time should I allow as a decent "test run" 4weeks? 90 days? more?

[markern]

If I can tag a question on here too. I've switched a 20 min morning meditation session to standing. How much time should I allow as a decent "test run" 4weeks? 90 days? more?

 

Tag along

[mYTHmAKER]

I originally did standing everyday one hour

I did this for 2 -3 years

2 years ago I switched to 30 minutes 5 days a week

due to need to spend more time on other practices.

 

I stand wuji with my hands relaxed at my sides.

 

At one point i tried standing in different postures like hugging a tree but i prefer wuji

[gendao]

If I can tag a question on here too. I've switched a 20 min morning meditation session to standing. How much time should I allow as a decent "test run" 4weeks? 90 days? more?

It took me about a year of 1 hr daily practice to reach this "stage" (which may have even just been largely imaginary).

 

The more I do it - I breathe slower, relax more, go in deeper & let go more... But progress is measured very slowly...like growing your hair out... Imperceptible in short amounts of time..

Edited September 24, 2010 by vortex

[thelerner]

Must be something in the air. I got up, put on Rawn Clark's Archaeous meditation and stood 15 minutes in ZZ. Listening to it while standing makes it very easy. I could probably set the piece up twice and do 30 minutes.

 

 

It was probably a combination of things, but I energetically cooked myself about a year ago. I took the event as a sign to stop and slow down. Time to get back on the train I think.

 

 

Michael

[Birch]

"I took the event as a sign to stop and slow down."

 

Sounds like a good call to me

[Martial Development]

I did standing meditation for a while and liked it a lot so I am planning to get into it again at some point. One of the things that is said about standing meditation is that over time it corrects your alignment and fascia to near perfection. I was wondering what other physical effects you`ve noticed from it. Does it make you more flexible through loosening your fascia and because of the energy produced for example?

 

Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

How do you learn to practice perfectly? By doing it wrong.

 

IME its effects are very much dependent on the posture chosen AND the intent used with it AND the length of time it is held AND the pre-existing condition(s) of the person holding it AND the environment in which they practice...

[goldisheavy]

Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

How do you learn to practice perfectly? By doing it wrong.

 

IME its effects are very much dependent on the posture chosen AND the intent used with it AND the length of time it is held AND the pre-existing condition(s) of the person holding it AND the environment in which they practice...

 

Can you briefly expand on each of the conditions you list, please?

[DaoChild]

I did standing meditation for a while and liked it a lot so I am planning to get into it again at some point. One of the things that is said about standing meditation is that over time it corrects your alignment and fascia to near perfection. I was wondering what other physical effects you`ve noticed from it. Does it make you more flexible through loosening your fascia and because of the energy produced for example?

 

It only corrects your alignment if you do it properly. Does sitting in a chair or stand or sleeping automatically fix your alignment? No, not unless you sit properly, walk and stand properly, sleep properly. It produces pain if done wrong.

 

I don't know what "correcting your fascia" means.

[DaoChild]

If I can tag a question on here too. I've switched a 20 min morning meditation session to standing. How much time should I allow as a decent "test run" 4weeks? 90 days? more?

 

A common recommendation I've heard is to practice an exercise (usually in reference to a new Qigong) 30 minutes daily for 100 days to gauge its effects. Judge it from there.

[Mal]

That's my usual method for trialling practices. But it seems that the both the practice time and the length of trial may be to short for standing to show results (eg like vortex mentioned)

[mYTHmAKER]

That's my usual method for trialling practices. But it seems that the both the practice time and the length of trial may be to short for standing to show results (eg like vortex mentioned)

 

Don't concern yourself with how long it takes to see results.

Just take note of how you feel while your standing and how you feel after you finish.

Some results may be obvious and some not obvious at all.

Feel how you feel. Is it enjoyable

[LaoTzu21]

i had my first ZZ lesson with a student of master lam kam cheun he said the most common mistake that people make is to assume its a standing meditation because it is not. he said you can watch t.v or listen to music talk whilst u do it.

 

i cant beleive i did a whole hour of zz it was intense at first you get a huge amount of body shakes to clear the energy channels. and i would get periods of clarity and then shaking.

 

after a while i was told that this would go away if i practised 10 minutes a day. he also said the most common mistake people make is to try and do is to fill the dan tien with meditation.

 

but hes seen it countless times because of the zz that the bodies of the people who try this form of meditation dont have the physical strength or all there energy channels open he said he doesn't recommend doing such meditation until the person is comfortable with ZZ.

[Martial Development]

Can you briefly expand on each of the conditions you list, please?

 

In Yiquan and other martial arts (and qigongs), multiple postures are, or can be used...not just the most popular "standing squarely while holding a ball in front". Normally the form and the intent will be coupled together...different joints will have different intents within a single posture, and there are multiple "valid" sets that can be employed within any single posture. The effect of any such practice is related to one's ability to perceive it (and thus adjust it), which is a function of one's inherent sensitivity, the power of the practice, and the presence of distractions (and one's amenity to distraction). The power of the practice is in turn related to the posture itself and the length of time it is performed.

 

Naturally, when you adjust even a single finger, you are also adjusting an organ function.

 

This practice is not a cure-all. Just a few months ago, I saw a gentleman pass out after he exceeded his own capacity. Thank goodness he didn't hit his head on the way down, but we called an ambulance anyway.

 

So, in summary, everything is related to everything else. It's all very simple.

[DalTheJigsaw123]

In Yiquan and other martial arts (and qigongs), multiple postures are, or can be used...not just the most popular "standing squarely while holding a ball in front". Normally the form and the intent will be coupled together...different joints will have different intents within a single posture, and there are multiple "valid" sets that can be employed within any single posture. The effect of any such practice is related to one's ability to perceive it (and thus adjust it), which is a function of one's inherent sensitivity, the power of the practice, and the presence of distractions (and one's amenity to distraction). The power of the practice is in turn related to the posture itself and the length of time it is performed.

 

Naturally, when you adjust even a single finger, you are also adjusting an organ function.

 

This practice is not a cure-all. Just a few months ago, I saw a gentleman pass out after he exceeded his own capacity. Thank goodness he didn't hit his head on the way down, but we called an ambulance anyway.

 

So, in summary, everything is related to everything else. It's all very simple.

 

Thank you for sharing!

Interesting.

[fiveelementtao]

According to our grandmaster... At some point energy masters only do standing postures. In his words, (I'm paraphrasing) "...just pick one posture and do it for 45 minutes a day and it will give you everything you need..."

 

 

I did standing meditation for a while and liked it a lot so I am planning to get into it again at some point. One of the things that is said about standing meditation is that over time it corrects your alignment and fascia to near perfection. I was wondering what other physical effects you`ve noticed from it. Does it make you more flexible through loosening your fascia and because of the energy produced for example?

[TzuJanLi]

Greetings..

 

I follow the practice of WuJi as taught by Cai Song Fang, 20-40 minutes as feels appropriate, almost every day.. have done so since '97, i think?? long time!

 

Be well..

[markern]

Thanks for the replies all of you but for the most part you have only said that you do standing meditation and like it etc. No one seems to answer the questions I asked such as do you get more flexible as you would from stretching (I understand that must be a very limited effect but I am guessing the energy could soften on up): I am also wondering about the type of strength built. WHen I was doing it I felt very strong in my legs but as technique gets better one doesn`t use so much strength and when the holds are long you train a type of strength that is the exact opposite of maximum strength training. So I was wondering how you experience those kinds of strength gains and how they feel useful. I know from experience what yoga gives me and what weights give me and was trying to get a picture in my head of what standing would give me long term but it`s a bit difficult for me to pin down based on my limited experience with it.

 

To be very specific: 20 minutes a day in wuji or hold the ball just focusing on standing relaxed with good posture and correcting posture no extra focus on training muscles and keeping them active during standing.

Edited September 28, 2010 by markern

[fizix]

Thanks for the replies all of you but for the most part you have only said that you do standing meditation and like it etc. No one seems to answer the questions I asked such as do you get more flexible as you would from stretching (I understand that must be a very limited effect but I am guessing the energy could soften on up): I am also wondering about the type of strength built. WHen I was doing it I felt very strong in my legs but as technique gets better one doesn`t use so much strength and when the holds are long you train a type of strength that is the exact opposite of maximum strength training. So I was wondering how you experience those kinds of strength gains and how they feel useful. I know from experience what yoga gives me and what weights give me and was trying to get a picture in my head of what standing would give me long term but it`s a bit difficult for me to pin down based on my limited experience with it.

 

To be very specific: 20 minutes a day in wuji or hold the ball just focusing on standing relaxed with good posture and correcting posture no extra focus on training muscles and keeping them active during standing.

It's very simple, it's like transmuting cotton into metal, on the level of your energy; that is bio-physical energy, a purely physical effect of standing meditation would be increased amount and density of muscle fibers, better circulation and respiration..

[fiveelementtao]

for the most part you have only said that you do standing meditation and like it etc. No one seems to answer the questions I asked such as do you get more flexible as you would from stretching (I understand that must be a very limited effect but I am guessing the energy could soften on up):

What I told you is that according to a grandmaster any legitimate posture will give you everything you need. "Everything" includes all the things you asked about.

[TzuJanLi]

Greetings..

 

Hi Markern: I will use an analogy that makes sense, if you like automobiles.. good standing, testing your alignment, central equilibrium, creating 'space' between the joints, etc.. is like a good tune-up on your automobile, it just runs better.. and, using the 'tune-up', you also learn the efficiencies of energy (Qi) movements.. you begin to sense the connectivity to the ground/earth.. i am fond of Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming's practice of standing on bricks stood on end for my evening practice.. and, if you are adventurous, set up a Bagua circle with the bricks (and get a lot of Jow for the learning curve).. All of this will illustrate the futility of trying to force the issue, and the wisdom letting your attention/awareness create the result..

 

No, it's not the standing that creates the flexibility.. the standing creates the proper conditions for maximum results in your practices..

 

Be well..

[Baguakid]

Standing builds kidney strength and Qi and Blood.

 

TzuJanLi, Cai Songfang suggested 20 minutes minimum for maintaining health. More if you want to develop "gong fu". He suggested my teacher, his student, to stand 4 hours a day. He suggested 2 hours a day for myself.

 

Since I'm unemployed at the moment I'm currently standing between 3 and 4 hours a day. When I go back to work it will be 2 hours a day minimum.

[IMPERIAGO]

Standing builds kidney strength and Qi and Blood.

 

TzuJanLi, Cai Songfang suggested 20 minutes minimum for maintaining health. More if you want to develop "gong fu". He suggested my teacher, his student, to stand 4 hours a day. He suggested 2 hours a day for myself.

 

Since I'm unemployed at the moment I'm currently standing between 3 and 4 hours a day. When I go back to work it will be 2 hours a day minimum.

 

 

Is that several hrs straight, or several sessions throughout the day?

[Baguakid]

Is that several hrs straight, or several sessions throughout the day?

 

Told me don't stand for more than one hour at a time although when I stood with him we stood for one hour twenty minutes one time.... Stand for an hour.. Stop, rub hands, wash face, pat legs up and down, walk around, relax... stretch, etc... Then practice another hour and repeat.

 

I practice an hour in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one to two in the evening before sleep.

 

Let me add that I think it's important to stretch.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Baguakid