In today’s hectic, fast-paced world, can you imagine an exercise class where people simply stand and do nothing for ten, twenty, or even thirty minutes? And then leave feeling refreshed, as if they just had a vigorous workout?
Well, it’s true. There are classes with people standing perfectly still, and they do feel refreshed afterwards, and they seem to be in better health.
It’s called Zhan Zhuang, and it’s a Chinese form of exercise that grew out of martial arts and Taoism. In its basic form, Zhan Zhuang involves simply standing for a period of time, usually with arms in a position as if they are wrapped around a pole, which is where the name Zhan Zhuang comes from (“pole” or “post” standing).
You bend your knees slightly, relax your shoulders, hollow your chest, and pretend you’re holding a large beach ball. You breathe through your stomach, and simply try to relax the tension out of various parts of your body. Most people can’t hold the posture for more than a minute in the beginning, because their muscles tense up and may even start to tremble. Gradually, however, your body can handle longer sessions, as your muscles learn to relax.
This type of “standing meditation” has been used for hundreds of years in Chinese martial arts practice, and it offers many benefits. Martial artists say it helps them to gain awareness of their body’s “qi”, or energy, and to control it. They also say it helps to strengthen their body and give it stamina, as well as increase mental clarity, patience, and balance.
I’m not an expert on these things, but I can attest to what Zhan Zhuang has done for me. I have practiced it off and on for about ten years, and I do feel a great difference in myself when I practice it faithfully for, say, 10-15 minutes a day. After a few weeks I feel stronger and more energetic, to be sure. My breathing gets deeper and more regular, and I do not lose my breath as often. I also find that I have more mental discipline, I can focus longer on tasks, and I do not get impatient or frustrated when things go wrong.
There are scientific explanations for what happens when you do Zhan Zhuang, involving the strengthening of the deeper, postural muscles in your body, and there are books and Web sites you can explore to learn more about this (I recommend "Chi Kung: The Way of Energy", by Lam Kam Cheun). From my personal experience, though, the thing I like most about Zhan Zhuang is that it is exercise that doesn’t hurt, makes me feel stronger, and gets rid of my stress effectively.
And those are pretty good results for any exercise program.
