Zhan Zhuang Practice Videos

[Robin]

I found Mark Cohen's Inside Zhan Zhuang DVD to be very informative, but haven't done much practice using it as yet. Not sure if this is quite what you are after, but he goes into a lot of detail, including many acupuncture points. The DVD covers variations on the basic wuji posture, postures for health and martial arts and those that affect specific organs. He also has a book, and a number of YouTube videos.

I like the look of this guy's work. He talks about and uses the kwa, which is pretty crucial in all chi work, as far as I can tell. The production of the videos on YouTube is a bit iffy though and the DVD is a a bit more expensive than I would like.

[Shevek]

I like the look of this guy's work. He talks about and uses the kwa, which is pretty crucial in all chi work, as far as I can tell. The production of the videos on YouTube is a bit iffy though and the DVD is a a bit more expensive than I would like.

 

I agree the DVD seems a bit expensive, but it is quite well-produced and runs for 2 hours. It's not like the YouTube videos. It starts at beginner level and presents Zhan Zhuang as a complete system, including breathing, opening and closing and many other topics. I am glad that I bought the DVD, and would recommend it.

[GreytoWhite]

Lam Kam Chuen's approach is top notch.

I am of the mind that, with respect to zhang zhuang, less is more. 

Basic standing posture is all you will ever need.

If you stay with it with open mind and heart, allow the breath to deepen and lengthen, and sink qi to dan tian, everything else that needs to happen can come from there. 

Certainly you can learn other postures and study videos and so forth.

If you take all the time you would spend watching videos and practicing multiple postures and put all of that into simple standing in any one posture, I think the benefits will be much greater.

Just my $.02.

 

Uh... OK, enjoy that delusion. There are some stances in martial training that will illuminate certain things that a "basic standing posture" will not. Granted, the true details of standing are never given in books and videos - you're not getting what you think you bought. Also, there are different ways of standing. Engaged daoyin guiding and leading standing may not be possible for more than two or three minutes even later on in life after much practice. Relaxed, structural standing can go on as long as two hours sometimes. It just depends on the focus.

Edited February 7, 2016 by GreytoWhite

[Robin]

I agree the DVD seems a bit expensive, but it is quite well-produced and runs for 2 hours. It's not like the YouTube videos. It starts at beginner level and presents Zhan Zhuang as a complete system, including breathing, opening and closing and many other topics. I am glad that I bought the DVD, and would recommend it.

OK, I'm going to bite the bullet. I may post here again about it once I've worked with it for a while.

[Gerard]

 

Any suggestions/recommendations? It doesn't have to be the same exact system, but I like the overall style and approach.

 

OK. Here's something that might be helpful:

 

 

Split into 4 parts.

 

The audio was flawless when I first watched this vid 3-4 years ago. It is very dull on my end. Hope it works better for you.

 

Good luck!

[DSCB57]

I would also recommend BK Frantzis's "8 Yiquan Postures" DVD. He introduces each posture in considerable detail, and he also makes a very important distinction as compared to the way Master Lam taught, which is never to move into a posture until your body is adequately prepared. Unlike Master Lam, BK Frantzis also does not begin with the Wuji posture, but instead reserves that for 'opening up the side channels of the body after first building sufficient Qi in the lower Dantian. I was surprised to see how different the postures were from those I was taught by Master Lam as well, and quite honestly the BK Frantzis versions seem considerably more powerful as well. From personal experience I would certainly agree that it is very difficult to take home the minute adjustments that have been received in a class. But I would add that there is definitely a negative side to participating in a class based largely upon energetic transmission - I feel sure that this builds a deliberate dependence upon the master. I would say that a true master would want to instil independence rather than dependence in his students, but then obviously this would have a direct effect upon their financial gains from teaching students. I can only say that once I left Master Lam's Association I was unable to continue to reap the same benefits as I could while attending his classes for several years, and in my opinion that should not be the case, because many of his top students could only rarely visit because they lived abroad, and if they found themselves dependent to the same degree as I was upon Master Lam's transmissions, then they would be severely handicapped in their cultivation. I am absolutely sure that this was never Grandmaster Wang's intention, and frankly I am rather disappointed with the tools I was given for my cultivation practice. I agree with many statements made on this thread. Unless you are taught correctly, Zhan Zhuang can be a painful and rather unrewarding experience. 

Another point that BK Frantzis makes is that these standing postures are pretty much all variants of the same thing. I agree when he states that it is the Qi itself which brings about the different postures - that is to say that once the meridians open sufficiently the Qi will allow the postures to change and expand, but something that Master Lam never mentions is the feeling of 'Peng', which to me is the feeling one needs to experience before moving from the lower postures to the higher postures, as it is this which tends to push the arms and hands out from the body, so that the higher postures do not depend upon the physical muscles to maintain the postural integrity. A master of Master Lam's level has no problem bypassing this to a large extent through direct energetic transmission, but I see that as a crutch which as I said previously tends to lead to dependence. In fact Master Lam would frequently use our Qi to redistribute it to help less developed students with their cultivation. But the point is that I never met one single student capable of putting into practice what Master Lam demonstrated from time to time. (And I trained for 6 years with his thumb student, then a considerable amount of time with Richard Reoch before I even met Master Lam!) To clarify, what I am alluding to is my belief that Master Lam was practising very differently form the way he taught. I am not talking about his level of cultivation, but rather the basics of the method, which in this instance relates to the postures themselves, and the hidden Neidan aspect of the training. If for example one uses reverse Taoist breathing during part of one's cultivation this can produce a very different effect, yet such subtleties are very difficult to perceive, even with a trained eye. That is just a very obvious example, but there are many more which are far more subtle, even what he is doing with his eyes, which in fact was how most of the transmission took place. This also lends further credence to statements regarding the difficulty of learning from videos. You may be able to learn the external forms, but would have absolutely no idea what is going on internally - that is a key issue here...

I also feel that it is at the least helpful to have a direct understanding of the purpose for each posture, or at least have a general idea of which meridians and organs are being affected, that is something we were never taught, whereas it is one of the first things BK Frantizis's videos teach. There are many aspects to the system of Yiquan developed by Grandmaster Wang Xiangzhai which are simply never taught. And in addition to that, anyone who says that you could become a great martial artist or a great healer with what Master Lam teaches is simply deluding themselves, I am sorry to say, because it is not in my opinion real Yiquan/Dachengquan, and it is important to remember that it needs to work for martial application in order to be effective in healing or self healing.

Edited December 22, 2016 by DSCB57

[SeekerOfHealing]

If you know nuts and bolts in the body thru TCM you can develop neidan standing meditations.

 

There is standing meditation in neidan which works great and gives results as regular alchemy but it's not easy to do.

[LaoZiDao]

If you know nuts and bolts in the body thru TCM you can develop neidan standing meditations. There is standing meditation in neidan which works great and gives results as regular alchemy but it's not easy to do.

TCM has no relation to Neidan, probably you mean Neigong.

 

You cannot self-develop Neidan. And there is no sense in the word "meditations" in Neidan world.

[SeekerOfHealing]

You must be kidding me basis of neidan are 5 elements. and 5 elements are basis of TCM - you clearly do not know things about neidan the way you try to portray yourself. 

[LaoZiDao]

You must be kidding me basis of neidan are 5 elements. and 5 elements are basis of TCM - you clearly do not know things about neidan the way you try to portray yourself.

TCM is medicine, post-natal. Neidan is not.

 

Sure, about preparation for Neidan there could be use of 5 elements.

 

And personal attacks or belittling are not needed, Christian.

 

Herbs and Qigong won't return Yuanqi, the main point that you miss every time.

 

No comment on self-developing your own Neidan methods, right?

Edited December 25, 2016 by LaoZiDao

[SeekerOfHealing]

No personal attacks - just facts and experience. Five elements creates everything whatever post-natal or pre-natal, it have it own nature whatever its post natal water or true water or true fire.

 

TCM covers neidan and all functions related to neidan, without TCM you can not practice neidan really. There are substances which covers yuanqi (ask you friends in Wu Liu Pai). I have method for yuan qi, but I would not say it's efficient (but enough for cultivation ming + xing) 

[YiYinYiYang]

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Edited August 13, 2017 by YiYinYiYang

[Aetherous]

Herbs and Qigong won't return Yuanqi

 

Of course they can.

 

It's good to "stay in your lane"...if you practice a certain type of alchemy, and aren't a Chinese Medicine physician, it's best to only speak about your particular style of alchemy and not about Chinese Medicine.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Aetherous

[YiYinYiYang]

.

Edited August 13, 2017 by YiYinYiYang

[LaoZiDao]

Of course they can.

 

It's good to "stay in your lane"...if you practice a certain type of alchemy, and aren't a Chinese Medicine physician, it's best to only speak about your particular style of alchemy and not about Chinese Medicine.

I didn't mention about any specific "style" of Alchemy. It's basic Daoist principles, and what you say goes in opposite direction to the basic principles of Daoist knowledge. As was pointed out in above comment.

 

TCM is not Alchemy, you can check about it in Neijing. A TCM Scripture, not a Neidan one. Anywhere in there is there mention about returning Ming by TCM? I think you know the answer.

 

Maybe you should stay in your lane, stick to TCM and not mix it with Neidan details you have no clue about (demonstrated by your comments).

[Aetherous]

Maybe you should stay in your lane, stick to TCM and not mix it with Neidan details you have no clue about (demonstrated by your comments).

 

I haven't commented about neidan at all...whereas you've commented about TCM.

Yes, TCM deals with yuan qi. Read up on it if you're interested...look at a section on diagnosis that has to do with qi blood and fluids - in the qi part it will mention yuan qi. This is not me personally mixing neidan into TCM...it's part of the system. TCM also deals with the prenatal in a few ways.

 

It would be admirable if the proponents of the Russian school knew enough about TCM to distinguish how its discussion of prenatal and yuan qi are not actually dealing with the xiantian...rather than just saying it has nothing to do with it. The latter is obviously not true to anyone who has studied TCM.

[Aetherous]

TCM is not Alchemy, you can check about it in Neijing. A TCM Scripture, not a Neidan one. Anywhere in there is there mention about returning Ming by TCM? I think you know the answer.

 

Actually the first chapter of the Su Wen addresses that subject.

[SeekerOfHealing]

The standing meditation which I use can be measured for example that you white hair go black like some of Wu Liu Pai want to have. 

 

There are herbs who have yuan qi like ginseng, moxa etc. there are even herbs for yuan jing but those are for physical immortality or longevity. If you do not understand that houtian materials have actually xiantian essence then you have no idea about how nature works and nature itself can cultivate various ways if you understand ways of yin and yang. 

[damdao]

(...)

Yes, TCM deals with yuan qi. Read up on it if you're interested...look at a section on diagnosis that has to do with qi blood and fluids - in the qi part it will mention yuan qi. This is not me personally mixing neidan into TCM...it's part of the system. TCM also deals with the prenatal in a few ways.

 

(...)

 

As far I know TCM can movilize yuan qi for therapeutic purposes.

I have heard of some intepretations about accesing the eight extraordinary channels in order to treat constitutional illnesses (and then Jeffrey Yuen went on comparing those with gentetic illnesses and changing ming or destiny etc. etc.), very interesting.

But what neidan looks for (in one of its sateges) is to replenish yuan jing and here is where it parts ways with TCM.

Today there are researches in Classical Chinese Medicine and H. Fruehauf has interviewed "the salt doctor" who was an alchemical physician but I don't know if in this branch of chinese medicine something is said about restoring yuan treasures.

[SeekerOfHealing]

Some of TCM lineages and streams have ways to work with yuan qi, little with yuan jing too. 

[LaoZiDao]

Actually the first chapter of the Su Wen addresses that subject.

Provide a quote where it talks about restoring Yuanqi with TCM. You fail to understand the difference.

[Aetherous]

Provide a quote where it talks about restoring Yuanqi with TCM. You fail to understand the difference.

 

Su Wen chapter 1 doesn't talk about "restoring yuan qi with TCM".

[LaoZiDao]

But what neidan looks for (in one of its sateges) is to replenish yuan jing and here is where it parts ways with TCM

Thanks, that's right.

 

Which is what I mentioned, I didn't say Neijing does not contain any details about Yuanqi. But it contains nothing about replenishing it with herbs or Qigong (if I'm wrong please provide a quote). There is a big difference, which is obviously hard to see for some.

Edited December 27, 2016 by LaoZiDao

[LaoZiDao]

Su Wen chapter 1 doesn't talk about "restoring yuan qi with TCM".

"Anywhere in there is there mention about returning Ming by TCM?"

 

It's what you suggested before.

 

Hopefully it is clear for you now.

 

Thanks.

[SeekerOfHealing]

You are wrong, but this is secret knowledge so I will not quote anything yet.