Standing Question

[Walk the Torque]

Just a quick one,

When doing standing practice, do you

A) just relax in each posture
B) Stretch all areas of the body while maintaining the shape
C) a combination of both (while doing some kind of visualization)

?

Very interested in how different people have been taught.

Konn

[Peacedog]

Depends upon what I am working on.

If the energy is more yang in nature, the joints expand outward pushing from the fingertips.

If the the energy is more yin, the joints pull open.

It's easy to show someone how to do it and hard to explain in writing.

Visualization varies depending upon what specifically I'm working on, but if being utilized it frequently involves a specific pattern of energy movement, color and sound. Resistance may also be utilized via a variety of sources (someone pressing on me, bands, free weights, or a static source like a wall, etc.).

Breath retention, full or empty, may also be employed.

And all, or none, of these things may be used at the same time.

[Walk the Torque]

Thanks Peacedog,

nice answer. I relate to the pulling open of the joints.

I've been working on maintaining the stretching /expansion from the center to the periphery while standing and seeing good results.

I started "stretching inward'" before expanding outward to express force and its quite yummy! a gradual and very "clear" force if you catch my drift.

[Peacedog]

Thanks.

And I used to call it "stretch in expansion."

But it's one of those internal things the Chinese systems expect you to figure out. Just remember to train both directions.

A lot of the systems I've seen only train the yang aspect and I think this is partially responsible for a lot of the unbalanced behavior that some of their long term practitioners display.

I didn't train the yin aspect until I met Rasmus and even now it's only half as strong as the yang aspect.

With practice you can learn how to release potential energy stored in the ligaments and tendons as kinetic energy by pushing and pulling on the tissue in this manner. It takes awhile to learn how to do this and is part of the power generation system in some internal arts as well. Bottom line is that these ligament/tendon tissues are poorly enervated and learning how to work these consciously is a little tricky.

If you pay attention very closely in some of the rebounding partner pair exercises in the internal martial arts that's probably the fastest way to do this. Just be careful with your spine. The loading on the disks is not inconsequential.

Be careful working with others as well. The first few times this happens it is explosive and unplanned. Broken bones and torn ligaments are not unheard of.

[Walk the Torque]

I didn't train the yin aspect until I met Rasmus and even now it's only half as strong as the yang aspect.

Hey Peacedog, does this mean you're in Oz?

Konn

[Kelley Graham]

I teach that standing is about the foot bones and how they work to support your posture. The yin-yang muscles are not used as a reference. There are 10 specific points to maintain in order to uncover the specific mental aspect of standing that guides the feel. This method is my own and differs greatly from the 4 previous methods I was taught. The most important thing to me is to work to uncover where you are collapsed. Referencing the yin-yang muscles and not the bone produces collapse. The difference is very subtle at first. Later, not so much.

[Peacedog]

I didn't meet Mark until he was living in Asia proper.

I live in a rather rural area of the mid-Atlantic (i.e. USA).