Day 42 - Renewed Challenge

40 days completed.  The effect was initially surprising, then flattened.  It is true, the muscle tone of my buttock and thighs had not felt so good for at least a decade.  How do I know?  After a ride through the cold air, when the shorts were removed, the icy cheeks (slight sagging) are no longer so icy.  Yet, I began to feel restless during the nightly stance sessions.  And the sessions seemed to begin later and later.  I need more challenge.

This morning I gave myself a challenge.  I added the morning session.  It was not just a 20 minutes session.  I bent lower than before, and then I stretched it to 25 minutes.

It worked.   Approaching 20 minutes mark, the intense shaking began.  I held it.. for 5 more minutes, as the flame inside burned, and perspiration on the verge of forming on my forehead.  Let's begin another 40 days.

Day 23, Movements within Stillness

Day 23 --

The word - "Balance" came to my mind when I played tennis the first time in a month.  My body was moving noticeably lighter, with a sense of The intangible feel of the body moving with easy and stability was noticeable.  Was this the product of this little 20 minutes routine nightly?

Stillness!?

You might notice that staying standing still isn't as easy as it seems.  If you are able to overcome that initial .. difficulty and persist you might begin to see that the world is actually full of movement.  The world that one ought to pay attention to is actually the body.  Keep in mind that the goal actually is not about holding a pose stiffly.  It is alright to move, to gently flex the joints, to stretch.  You want to be relaxed with just a small effort on your muscles.  When you are still you can begin to notice things happening in your body.  Feeling warm all over is perfectly normal.  Some people feel a fire ignited from the base of the spine burning upward and out.  Some begins to shake.  With the slightest movement in say hands, I felt this .. vibration like sensation some called it Qi or life energy in my fingers.  There is no need to seek those sensation.  If it comes, allow it.  Everything should be happening naturally and gently.  The moment is about you so you do what you feel like doing, being there with yourself, just being.

 

Stand to Regenerate or Taxing Exercise

Day 14 - Thursday

Tuesday was particularly difficult because the cold affected me so severely I took a couple of hours off from work.  Getting home was another minor challenge since I chose to pedal to work on this day.  The two hour nap helped, and I nearly skipped the Stance that night.

Two days later the cold has nearly vanished.  Perhaps the Stance made an impact on my recovery.

Exercise such as the Stance can regenerate rather than drain energy.  Recharge oneself by adjusting the intensity to avoid getting out of breath.  Maintain a deep steady breathing rhyme.  And focus on keeping the energy in, visualize a red flame in the abdominal or allowing the energy to flow or loop around the upper body.

Yet, relax always.  Let it happens, Do not force.

A Miracle Cure... Almost

Day 10 -

Even I sometimes foolishly wish there is a miracle cure for .... every illness there is.

Lately a cold is brewing in me.  Might have caught it from dad whom I visited earlier this week.  Symptoms include an odd sensation in the back of the throat, tender back, tight neck, sneezing, and nose a little runny.

But my lower back does not bother me.

It is almost like a car has miraculously grown a bigger spare tank.

Images of Stance

A Shift Back to One

There is risk in using too many words for this.

Doing this simple stance gives space for the noise to fade, clutters to dissipate, and clarity to emerge.
In time, perhaps this clarity will permeate the rest of the world.

All one needs to do is to stand and breath, for a little while.

The Stance - a relaxed stillness

While there are many Chinese writing on the stance, few can be found in English.  The following will give you an idea about the pose.  

The general idea is to stay in a relaxed balanced stance with a slight knee bend.  

The words STILL and RELAXED are the key words.  Think natural, unforced opposite to awkward, forced.  Stand with feet shoulder width or slightly wider.  Body straight.  Bend knee slightly as if sitting down.  Feel an even pressure between the 2 feet and between the toe/ball and the heel.  Stretch your arms slightly outward from the rib cage, naturally bend/round the forearms and stretch out the hands slightly, like ballet arms, like hugging a tree or holding a giant ball.  

Breath naturally and deeply.  It is not necessary to hold the post rigidly.  Gently stretch the joints if you feel tight.  Shaking, feel of vibration, heat or tingling are sensations that might occur.  Increase or decrease the intensity by lowering or raising your body.