FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT DOING ZHAN ZHUANG. I started zhan zhuang in 2018 at age 71 and have practiced every day since then. Until 6 months ago it was all I did. Now I do both tai chi and zhan zhuang. So I think age is no reason not to begin. I train at home, self-directed, and change my routine fairly often. At times I have done 2-3 hours total in a day, Now I do 45-60 minutes, about evenly split. I can easily go an hour in a single standing meditation but the health and fitness results are better when I do 15-30 minutes. Some of the principals (balance, relaxation, focus) carry over to everyday 24/7 life. YOU CAN START AT 2 MINUTES IN A POSE. That is what I did. After a week or so I did 5. After a week of that I did a 15 minute medley of 6 poses. You just bootstrap your way to better form for longer periods at whatever pace works for you. WHY DO IT? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? I guess different for everyone but definitely will see areas of improvement in health, fitness, and performance of sports and martial arts.
Nice to hear that you have had such good progress at and advanced age. But why do you think health and fitness results are better when you only do 15-30 min? Sounds a bit contradictory to me? The effects from the standing should be cumulative. The energy stored should grow.
@@CT2507 Recovery is important. I want to feel good, not tired, after exercising. I self train but I believe it is better to have a teacher for guidance in practice habits.
@@rpullman I was doing 1 hour standing daily at one time and felt stronger and stronger. Not tired. And didnt feel the need for recovery. That was only in the begining. Once i did a 2 hour standing, and felt even more energized. Maybe you should be looking at your diet? Or other habits that drain you. I dont know. Just saying.
It's from my personal experience, that if you start with warm up, then some qigung, and whatever other forms you parctice, we do Zhan Zhuang at the end to bring everything to calm and center, most impostantly at the end of Zhan Zhuang must place hand over hand over belly to center all the energies. My favourite sequence at the moment is Shaolin ba duan jin the way Shi Huan Yi teaches
I did standing practice, building up to half an hour every day for about four months. I developed blockages in my body because I wasn't doing enough tendon stretches to open the channels. I built so much Qi I basically blew a fuse. I went light sensitive for a month, was tripping non stop for two weeks and basically had so much energy moving through my body, at times I thought my heart might give out. I'm an otherwise completely healthy person. In many ways it was positive as it cleared huge amounts of early childhood conditioning in a very short space of time and at times was euphoric. But overall I inadvertently fried myself and at times it was terrifying. My experience was unusual however, I would highly recommend learning how to anchor the breath properly during these practices. They are very powerful and should be approached with a clear understanding of what you are actually doing.
I used to do this a lot when i was younger. I managed to build it up to 1 hour regularly. My record is 2 hours. After i did that 2 hours standing, when i came out of it, it was like i couldnt feel the ground. Like i was floataing and all of my muscles and joints felt like they had been washed with melted butter! Just walking down the street felt amazing. And i started to be very aware of chi all around me in the air. Breathing in the chi made me euphoric! I almost believed i could see the chi in the air. Am not so sure now. But i rembemer that the chi in the air that was making me high, kinda scared me a bit. So i stopped standing for so long and went into other things. Now i want to get back to that state that i lost. :) Cheers.
I totally agree zhang zhuang is the most important. I had very painful eye strain yesterday and the moment I started doing zhang zhuang I felt a relief and could sleep well. I don't how to explain it. Thanks for posting.
Beautiful! I love this in-depth explanation of what is becoming one of my favorite postures. It seems that 7 minutes is my current 'wall' when the shoulders really start to cramp. My goal for the first half of 2021 is to get to 10 minutes with ease. I love the crashing waves in the background too, and the video quality was fine for me. Never apologize for your amazing offerings here, Nick. You are a huge force in my life at the moment. Much love, much light, for a blessed Yuletide. 🎄❤️
Thanks so much! I'm a bit of a geek on the video details ;P Yes, building the time in the posture up slowly is the way to go. Best of luck! Blessed Yule!
Try to "breathe" through your limbs. Imagine your arms and legs as glass tubes and visualize chi like a light smoke flowing through them. Visulaize your arms floating cause of this chi smoke and becoming light as clouds. I imagine that my arms are getting lighter and lighter the more i stand. And the arms want to float upwards. This removes thensions in the shoulders and muscles over time. And standing half an hour becomes easy.
My calves were on fire almost immediately! Not sure what that's all about but I"ll be practicing this more often to find out :). Thank you for all that you do, Nick! You certainly have a gift for teaching.
Missed you live by "this" much. Luckily, all time is happening all the time. Thank you , once more, for sharing your wisdom and your gifts. To you , Nick, and to all : May your days be merry and bright . May peace and grace be with us all.
Thank you Nick for the informative explanation. As a newcomer to qigong it is much appreciated. Blessings to you an thank you for been a positive force.
Ha ha! First viewer, first student on that one!!! Great tips, I love your channel man! And the “frequency” or “wave length” of the sea behind was subliminally perfectly in sync with a very slow, deep and powerful breath! Amazing!!! Salutations de Montréal, Canada!
Hello Nick, I would like to thank you so much for your videos, I am in my late 50's and have taken up the Shaolin words of wisdom....'Action is life' your videos are simple and easy to understand. I got up early this morning and started with your Bioenergetic fitness 1 and the most important Qigong exercise...the stance...I am looking forward to continuing my pursuit of health and have decided to take up Shaolin Kung fu with a great instructor who believes in what you do...and yes I could feel your exercises way over here in Australia...hahaha
Ah, I'm glad the Qi can reach down under! ;P Shaolin is so fun. Glad I inspired you. Next stance video is up if you haven't seen it. Keep progressing! ruclips.net/video/8x9b08_kfac/видео.html
Thanks! One question about the hips/sacrum. I've heard some explanations stress a kind of tucked tailbone, but it seems the goal is a more "neutral" position for the hips, not a flexed "tucking" of the tailbone/thrusting of the pelvis. Is the goal more towards neutrality of hip rotation, i.e. neither tucked nor rear end sticking out, or is it more of a tucking of the tailbone?
Great question. You are correct, "tucking" is an inaccurate word. It is really more of a "dropping". It should be pointed down, so as to open the low back muscles, but not tucked so much the low back rounds. So yes, aiming for a neutral pelvic tilt.
HELLO Nick I am practicing zz for 7 months now, I enjoy more doing 3, or 4 postures for 10 minutes than staying in one for example 20 minutes, it is quite challenging, but I can do it. That makes a total of 40 minutes daily practice What is your opinion about the benefits and progress for one way over the other, what would be best suitable for a beginner like me, but who wants to make the best out of practice? I practice Lam Kam Chuen style .
Ah I love Lam Kam Chuen’s version! I have his book on it. My understanding is that this lower posture is best for pressurizing and building the Dan Tian, while the variety of postures with the arms are better for circulating Qi through the various meridians. Sounds like you are practicing hard either way!
Hello, just started this practice few days ago. 5 mins per day. I read here that someone had negative effects. Is this practice safe? Or does it have risks? Energy blockages, etc. I normally do tai chi after. Please share if you have any suggestions or tips how not to get into any trouble. I Plan doing this regularly. Thanks ❤
Thank you Nick for your guidance. I appreciate your explanation. I have a question for you. Doing these practices around 5 or 6pm, would that cause too much energy impeding proper sleeping ? I would appreciate knowing a couple of qi qong exercises to practice before going to bed. I tend to wake up around 3 am. Note that I suffer from insomnia but falls asleep fast but do wake up several times during the night. Thanks in advance if you can let me know. Best wishes. Corinne
Around that time should be fine to do, especially if you are still able to fall asleep. To help stay asleep, I'd recommend eating a big dose of sugar 30 minutes before bed. The fructose in sugar is what your body prefers to make melatonin out of, and helps you stay asleep. Also, you could keep a bottle of honey next to your bed and have a tablespoon or two in the middle of the night if you wake up. Sounds too simple to work but I've found it does wonders.
Get some CBD oil, preferably 40% cbd and 2-3% THC, experiment with the dose, you‘ll have a deep and recharging sleep. So even if you do baduajin & zhanzhong at midnight you‘ll sleep profoundly :)
@@josephsalmonte4995 Wuji means that the body isn't differentiating itself into Yin and Yang ... it's considered a precursor to the actual Zhan Zhuang posture, which is done with the body evenly spread over Yin and Yang. I.e., Wuji is always the traditional warmup for Zhan Zhuang ... it is not Zhan Zhuang itself.
All good, these postures are hard! Especially for beginners. You might start with some mobility and flexibility: ruclips.net/video/8-qQJHAaC8Q/видео.html
@@TheNickLoffree Thanks.i actually love to try also advanced postures, i am practicing Qigong allready about 7 years, am not sure if im still complitly beginner.i love all your videos.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT DOING ZHAN ZHUANG. I started zhan zhuang in 2018 at age 71 and have practiced every day since then. Until 6 months ago it was all I did. Now I do both tai chi and zhan zhuang. So I think age is no reason not to begin. I train at home, self-directed, and change my routine fairly often. At times I have done 2-3 hours total in a day, Now I do 45-60 minutes, about evenly split. I can easily go an hour in a single standing meditation but the health and fitness results are better when I do 15-30 minutes. Some of the principals (balance, relaxation, focus) carry over to everyday 24/7 life. YOU CAN START AT 2 MINUTES IN A POSE. That is what I did. After a week or so I did 5. After a week of that I did a 15 minute medley of 6 poses. You just bootstrap your way to better form for longer periods at whatever pace works for you. WHY DO IT? WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? I guess different for everyone but definitely will see areas of improvement in health, fitness, and performance of sports and martial arts.
Awesome Robert! Zhan Zhuang is the least known powerful health technique out there. Good for you for your commitment.
One great reason for reading the comments is when there are inspiring pearls of wisdom like this one!
Nice to hear that you have had such good progress at and advanced age. But why do you think health and fitness results are better when you only do 15-30 min? Sounds a bit contradictory to me? The effects from the standing should be cumulative. The energy stored should grow.
@@CT2507 Recovery is important. I want to feel good, not tired, after exercising. I self train but I believe it is better to have a teacher for guidance in practice habits.
@@rpullman I was doing 1 hour standing daily at one time and felt stronger and stronger. Not tired. And didnt feel the need for recovery. That was only in the begining. Once i did a 2 hour standing, and felt even more energized.
Maybe you should be looking at your diet? Or other habits that drain you. I dont know. Just saying.
It's from my personal experience, that if you start with warm up, then some qigung, and whatever other forms you parctice, we do Zhan Zhuang at the end to bring everything to calm and center, most impostantly at the end of Zhan Zhuang must place hand over hand over belly to center all the energies. My favourite sequence at the moment is Shaolin ba duan jin the way Shi Huan Yi teaches
I appreciate you sharing your knowledge of Qigong,.The fact that you personally experienced healing from your practice makes it even more special.
Very nice - I especially liked "The river needs the river banks". Lucid, coherent, well presented, convincing.
I did standing practice, building up to half an hour every day for about four months. I developed blockages in my body because I wasn't doing enough tendon stretches to open the channels. I built so much Qi I basically blew a fuse. I went light sensitive for a month, was tripping non stop for two weeks and basically had so much energy moving through my body, at times I thought my heart might give out. I'm an otherwise completely healthy person. In many ways it was positive as it cleared huge amounts of early childhood conditioning in a very short space of time and at times was euphoric. But overall I inadvertently fried myself and at times it was terrifying. My experience was unusual however, I would highly recommend learning how to anchor the breath properly during these practices. They are very powerful and should be approached with a clear understanding of what you are actually doing.
Yes they can be very powerful, I’m
Sorry to hear that you went through that! Definitely best to start slow and with lots of preparation.
Sounds like you had a third eye opening. I did from meditation and was walking around in la la land for two to three months.
I used to do this a lot when i was younger. I managed to build it up to 1 hour regularly. My record is 2 hours. After i did that 2 hours standing, when i came out of it, it was like i couldnt feel the ground. Like i was floataing and all of my muscles and joints felt like they had been washed with melted butter! Just walking down the street felt amazing. And i started to be very aware of chi all around me in the air. Breathing in the chi made me euphoric! I almost believed i could see the chi in the air. Am not so sure now. But i rembemer that the chi in the air that was making me high, kinda scared me a bit. So i stopped standing for so long and went into other things.
Now i want to get back to that state that i lost. :)
Cheers.
I am so pleased you are emphasizing this practice. It is a body and meditative practice. Relaxing into it is essential. Thank you!
I totally agree zhang zhuang is the most important. I had very painful eye strain yesterday and the moment I started doing zhang zhuang I felt a relief and could sleep well. I don't how to explain it.
Thanks for posting.
It is such a mysterious practice, but so beneficial!
Beautiful! I love this in-depth explanation of what is becoming one of my favorite postures. It seems that 7 minutes is my current 'wall' when the shoulders really start to cramp. My goal for the first half of 2021 is to get to 10 minutes with ease. I love the crashing waves in the background too, and the video quality was fine for me. Never apologize for your amazing offerings here, Nick. You are a huge force in my life at the moment. Much love, much light, for a blessed Yuletide. 🎄❤️
Thanks so much! I'm a bit of a geek on the video details ;P
Yes, building the time in the posture up slowly is the way to go. Best of luck! Blessed Yule!
Try to "breathe" through your limbs. Imagine your arms and legs as glass tubes and visualize chi like a light smoke flowing through them. Visulaize your arms floating cause of this chi smoke and becoming light as clouds. I imagine that my arms are getting lighter and lighter the more i stand. And the arms want to float upwards. This removes thensions in the shoulders and muscles over time. And standing half an hour becomes easy.
My calves were on fire almost immediately! Not sure what that's all about but I"ll be practicing this more often to find out :). Thank you for all that you do, Nick! You certainly have a gift for teaching.
I truly enjoy your teaching methods
I appreciate that!
Missed you live by "this" much. Luckily, all time is happening all the time.
Thank you , once more, for sharing your wisdom and your gifts.
To you , Nick, and to all :
May your days be merry and bright . May peace and grace be with us all.
I'll be live again tomorrow for a solstice class! 5pm Los Angelos
I’m in , love the clear explanations , clear and simple .. thank you 🙏
Thank you Nick for the informative explanation. As a newcomer to qigong it is much appreciated. Blessings to you an thank you for been a positive force.
Thank you!
Ha ha! First viewer, first student on that one!!! Great tips, I love your channel man! And the “frequency” or “wave length” of the sea behind was subliminally perfectly in sync with a very slow, deep and powerful breath! Amazing!!! Salutations de Montréal, Canada!
Thank you! Santa Cruz waves are legendary ;)
I'm from Toronto! Salut Mon Frere!
@@TheNickLoffree 😀♥️✌️
Hello Nick, thank you so much for making this wonderful work available to us! I live so far away and you teach me so many wonderful things!
I began practising Zhan Zhuang 30 days ago. I found this video very helpful. Thank you!
Has it made you have a lot more energy?
You're very welcome! Great work!
Hello Nick,
I would like to thank you so much for your videos, I am in my late 50's and have taken up the Shaolin words of wisdom....'Action is life' your videos are simple and easy to understand. I got up early this morning and started with your Bioenergetic fitness 1 and the most important Qigong exercise...the stance...I am looking forward to continuing my pursuit of health and have decided to take up Shaolin Kung fu with a great instructor who believes in what you do...and yes I could feel your exercises way over here in Australia...hahaha
Ah, I'm glad the Qi can reach down under! ;P
Shaolin is so fun. Glad I inspired you. Next stance video is up if you haven't seen it. Keep progressing!
ruclips.net/video/8x9b08_kfac/видео.html
Thank you Nick 🙏 as ever brilliant clear instructions and awareness.
this detailed guide is helpful, thank u
Glad it was helpful!
Brilliant explanation-Nick you are truly a wonderful Teacher. Beautiful setting for a truly magical experience. Thank you so much:)
always love your backdrop
Thanks for sharing nick! Merry Christmas and happy new year!🎄
Same to you!
Really good video on posture, which is a challenge for me. Looking forward to further videos on this theme Nick.
Thanks Nick!!! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!!💖🎅🎄✨♒ And the official ushering in the Aupicious Age of Aquarius ♒! 🔆 Let us Shine💞
Merry Christmas! Shine on!
Thank you Nick. I'll enjoy this training for appropriate Zhan Zhuang posture. Beautiful setting! Happy New Year !!
Thanks Dori! Did you see the sequel yet? Even better!
@@TheNickLoffree thanks for the reminder. I see it's posted. Plan to start tomorrow. "After all, tomorrow is another day..." 🤗🕯️
Love this part of all chi gong.
Powerful stuff right?
@@TheNickLoffree sensations of heat all over. I do standing meditation before bed. Sleep like a baby.
Thank you Nick!
Thank YOU!
Your a wealth of information!
Thank you 🌠
Thanks!
Very helpful!
I love your channel 🌹
Thank you!
Thanks! One question about the hips/sacrum. I've heard some explanations stress a kind of tucked tailbone, but it seems the goal is a more "neutral" position for the hips, not a flexed "tucking" of the tailbone/thrusting of the pelvis. Is the goal more towards neutrality of hip rotation, i.e. neither tucked nor rear end sticking out, or is it more of a tucking of the tailbone?
Great question. You are correct, "tucking" is an inaccurate word. It is really more of a "dropping". It should be pointed down, so as to open the low back muscles, but not tucked so much the low back rounds. So yes, aiming for a neutral pelvic tilt.
Love it
Happy to hear you love it!
HELLO Nick I am practicing zz for 7 months now, I enjoy more doing 3, or 4 postures for 10 minutes than staying in one for example 20 minutes, it is quite challenging, but I can do it. That makes a total of 40 minutes daily practice What is your opinion about the benefits and progress for one way over the other, what would be best suitable for a beginner like me, but who wants to make the best out of practice?
I practice Lam Kam Chuen style .
Ah I love Lam Kam Chuen’s version! I have his book on it. My understanding is that this lower posture is best for pressurizing and building the Dan Tian, while the variety of postures with the arms are better for circulating Qi through the various meridians. Sounds like you are practicing hard either way!
Hello, just started this practice few days ago. 5 mins per day. I read here that someone had negative effects. Is this practice safe? Or does it have risks? Energy blockages, etc. I normally do tai chi after. Please share if you have any suggestions or tips how not to get into any trouble. I Plan doing this regularly. Thanks ❤
Nice shirt!
The best!
Thank you Nick for your guidance. I appreciate your explanation. I have a question for you. Doing these practices around 5 or 6pm, would that cause too much energy impeding proper sleeping ? I would appreciate knowing a couple of qi qong exercises to practice before going to bed. I tend to wake up around 3 am. Note that I suffer from insomnia but falls asleep fast but do wake up several times during the night. Thanks in advance if you can let me know. Best wishes. Corinne
Around that time should be fine to do, especially if you are still able to fall asleep. To help stay asleep, I'd recommend eating a big dose of sugar 30 minutes before bed. The fructose in sugar is what your body prefers to make melatonin out of, and helps you stay asleep. Also, you could keep a bottle of honey next to your bed and have a tablespoon or two in the middle of the night if you wake up. Sounds too simple to work but I've found it does wonders.
Get some CBD oil, preferably 40% cbd and 2-3% THC, experiment with the dose, you‘ll have a deep and recharging sleep. So even if you do baduajin & zhanzhong at midnight you‘ll sleep profoundly :)
@@TheNickLoffree i wouldnt eat honey in the middle of the night as it'd attract a ton of bacteria into the teeth and gums.
@@TheNickLoffree eating sugar before bed?!! How about chamomile and valerian tea? At least it doesn't shut down your immune system like sugar does.
Is honey not antiseptic?
💚💚💚
🙏
Wuji is different from Zhan Zhuang. Wuji is before you separate the body into the Yin and Yang of zhan zhuang.
According to Wong Kiew Kit (Former abbot at the Shaolin Temple) & Lam Cam Cheun, Wuji is the first & most important position in all of Zhan Zhang.
@@josephsalmonte4995 Wuji means that the body isn't differentiating itself into Yin and Yang ... it's considered a precursor to the actual Zhan Zhuang posture, which is done with the body evenly spread over Yin and Yang. I.e., Wuji is always the traditional warmup for Zhan Zhuang ... it is not Zhan Zhuang itself.
But standing in a pose with no movement hurt my back....
All good, these postures are hard! Especially for beginners. You might start with some mobility and flexibility: ruclips.net/video/8-qQJHAaC8Q/видео.html
@@TheNickLoffree Thanks.i actually love to try also advanced postures, i am practicing Qigong allready about 7 years, am not sure if im still complitly beginner.i love all your videos.