Qi Gong Basic Standing Posture
Just standing
When I asked my first Qi gong Teacher: “what pose I should practise at home?”. She answered: “Practise the basic standing posture.” I must admit that I felt almost insulted by that answer. I could do more than that and I wanted to work with more elaborate moving poses. But now after some years of practising Qi gong, I understand her.
more than just standing
This basic standing posture might be the most important of all. It sets the foundation for the rest of the practise. I helps the mind to be present in the body and to notice what happens in the body. You can learn to see beyond what meets the outer eyes. The pose allows to contain and restore energy. So if you want to practise Qi gong, yes, I would recommend the same as my first Qi gong Teacher: start with the first pose and all will come from there in time.
HOW TO start?
Like all Qi gong postures and movements, this practise contains 3 elements.
how you place your body
how you use your mind
how you breath
the body
Let us start with the body. One of the important functions of Qi gong is to realign your body in a correct way, so your bones and joint are stacked well on top of each other and you can move with the least amount of effort and greatest amount of strength. Placing your body in a good alignment is very healing for your body and all its organs. It also allows the energy to flow throughout the whole body.
So basically you stand with your feet under your hips. Your toes grap the earth and tailbone reaches down.
Simultaneously the crown of the head reached up. This pull in opposite directions creates space in between the vertebrae of your spine and in your chest and belly.
You lift up the perineum. This is called closing the earthly door. This will help you maintain and build your energy.
Your shoulders and arms are relaxed down and your fingertips reach towards the centre of the earth.
You place the tip of your tong behind your upper front teeth and bring the upper and lower teeth together. This connects 2 important energy streams in your body. You will learn more about it later.
The mind
Just focus your mind on your body. See your body with your inner eyes, your heart and spirit.
The breath
Your breath relaxed and even. You breath fully in and out.
Relax. Don’t do any effort. Allow the breath to be nature. Just gently guide it to open more and more.
Breathing evenly. This means the in and out breath are the same length.
Breathing fully. In the belly, solar plexus and chest. Front and back. Left and right side.
Exhaling fully all old air out. Until you feel peaceful.
Inhaling fresh beautiful energy (from nature, love, joy, the beautiful smells of your foods cooking, …) and exhaling it towards your belly, until you feel energised and calm.
You can listen to this guided meditation to do the pose for the first times. Then try it on your own. And than alternate one day with the guided meditation and one day on your own, until it becomes part of you. Practise this pose every day for at least a week every day when you wake up or before you go to sleep.