The Benefits of Standing Meditation When we do standing meditation we are giving ourselves an opportunity to raise the potential and strength of our body, mind and spirit. 1. We start by discovering the nine health benefits of standing vs sitting and what impact this can have on our bodies. Your palms face towards it so it looks as if you are embracing a small balloon. Besides the cerebral aspect of this meditation, there are a multitude of physical benefits as well. It is your “purpose” or “essence and being” and is a key factor for living a fulfilling life. In the Shaolin tradition, training begins with standing meditation and full lotus-like postures are only for senior meditators. Meditation for first-timers can be quite challenging. If you are doing it right, the lightness will transition towards a feeling of heaviness. Guided morning meditation, standing meditation, Zhan Zhuang, or sometimes known as Tai Chi standing meditation are just some effective ones to try. Standing meditation is based on the concept of natural energy called chi, which originates from the Chinese practice of tai chi meditation. For more traditional Buddhist meditation, allowing the arms to hang loosely in front, with arms cupped palms up, thumbs out (similar to sitting posture hand position) is useful, since there’s no muscular strain. What is Standing Meditation? 2. It can also improve breathing while sleeping and may even prevent nightmares. Gently extend your arms to the side while rotating the palms to face the ground. Another sign that you are progressing even further is if the heat feels strong in the center of your body and spreads to the chest and back. Zhàn zhuāng (站樁/站桩, lit. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. JAMA Internal Medicine analyzed 47 clinical trials about the effects of mindfulness meditation and deep breathing meditation on anxiety and other mental health problems. * Bone density improved and demineralization ceased. 1. It is all a best idea to alleviate the suffering. The angle to the body is between 60 and 80 degrees. Developed in China by masters of meditation and acupuncture, Zhan zhuang is a form of medical meditation. Report Save. These signs will help you determine if you are doing the right steps. Meditation can bring a lot of benefits that will improve your health and lifestyle. If weather permits, it is a good idea to do it outside in the fresh air. In standing and walking meditation our minds are involved in the contemplation of various motions and placements of the feet and legs, so this is all the more reason for beginning with a close examination of the body. Standing meditation or ‘Zhan zhuang’ ( pronounced Jam Jong) increases vitality, internal strength and fitness as well as overall body power. Mindful meditation has helped people quit smoking more than many other alternatives. Please feel free to excerpt stories with full credit and a link to. We’re actively ready for whatever happens. Among the thousands of forms of qigong, Inner Alchemy, and Taoist meditation, standing meditation is one of the most simple and, at least potentially, most powerful.With your physical body aligned in a particular way and held mostly still, qi (chi), or life-force energy, is encouraged to find its natural rhythm as it flows through the meridian system. Only you are responsible for how you choose to use the information or the result of your actions. If you are used to standing, and get numb sitting (or have arthritis in the knee, for example) the benefits of standing are strong. Meditation can reduce stress levels, which translates to less anxiety. Besides being a writer, Heinrich is also an inventor and an athlete. This meditation can also help you to have a stronger lower body over time. When I explain standing meditation I get a “huh?” look. This position can help ease back pain and slow down the progression of arthritis. Anyone at any age may practice standing meditation Qigong. 82. share. This is called diaphragmatic breathing. The muscles must be free and should feel as if the water can flow through it. This process cleans toxins from the body. It adds a little vitality and vigor to our meditation. Try to relax and breathe normally and concentrate on the breath, only the breath. © 2021 Buddha Weekly: Buddhist Practices, Mindfulness, Meditation. This article is an initiative towards acquainting all the females out there about the various boons of walking meditation and how it can contribute towards making our lives better as we battle against mental health problems. By standing upright and still for a period of time, your legs and core begin to exert mild effort to keep you in this position, which essentially acts as a workout for the body. The answer, clearly, is no, but there are relative advantages to both. One of the benefits of standing meditation is that it can help improve your overall posture, which will also enhance the quality of your energy throughout the day. Lee Kane is the editor of Buddha Weekly, since 2007. (ii) Apart from the physical benefits of standing meditation, the practice has psychological benefits too. There is a definite benefit in terms of mindfulness, since it is easy to remain mindful when standing since drowsiness is rarely an issue. The feeling of lightness and heaviness is best described as the release of tension within the body. This form of meditation … 4. Sitting meditation might be too painful, the obstacles too great and walking meditation requires extraordinary concentration. Martial artists claim the improvement to breathing, posture, and concentration make them batter at their art, while the spiritually inclined find rapid progress in their meditation practice. Resuming from the Wu Chi position, raise your arms to make an open circle as you breathe in. It may be done indoors, e.g., in the ordination hall, or outdoors. Try to be as relaxed as possible while doing the following standing meditation postures. There’s no difference between standing and sitting on the breathing tips, but generally to breathe properly, your shoulders should not be moving up and down. Visualization Activates the Mind; Mindfulness Stills the Mind — Which is Right for Your Buddhist Practice? Buddha Weekly explores how to use standing meditation for mindfulness. The purpose of this website is to promote  understanding and knowledge. Please do not use more than an excerpt. It takes only a few minutes every day. If you are someone who is lacking self-awareness, meditating regularly will help you connect and be aware of yourself. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, including medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It can be alternated with sitting meditation. Our instructor emphasizes that we’re not thinking about anything in particular, nor are we doing anything in particular (except standing), but we’re ready. This is the second half of a two part essay where I initially defined Zhan Zhuang and will now present some science and theory behind why standing meditation 1) improves health, 2) improves your martial abilities, and 3) reprograms the body. This meditation is easy to learn, especially for beginners who are still looking into how to start meditating. We do a sweep, also, to bring our minds to a focus on the body. Practitioners of standing meditation have also stated that it helps slow down the progression of joint swelling such as arthritis. In some traditions standing meditation is considered superior for aligning “the meridians” and chakras and for flow of energy. Some signs of memory loss are having trouble solving problems, confusion with places, lack of a sense of time, misplacing things often, poor judgment, and mood swings. We wake up from that weird dream of doing one thing while thinking another that so many of us mistake for living. Standing with this sort of intention is very different from standing while doing something else. Meditation is like a seed. Benefits of Standing . The practice of mindfulness meditation can be compared to boiling water. To experience the benefits of meditation, regular practice is necessary. If one wants to boil water, one puts the water in a kettle, puts the kettle on a stove, and then turns the heat on. 2. Korean Zen Master Kusan said: “In 1943… I decided to fight my drowsiness by meditating in the standing posture with palms together in front of me (hapchang). Your elbows stick out, much like mimicking a chicken. Standing meditation is also a great option for those who find sitting meditation uncomfortable. Learn more here. Your palms face towards your chest so it looks as if you are holding a large balloon. Independent studies performed from 1993 to 2007 claim that individuals practicing Qigong experienced a number of health benefits. Please feel free to excerpt stories with full credit and a link to Budddha Weekly. Depending on your practice, you could also recite mantras, visualize deities, concentrate on chakras or any other form of practice, all while standing. It will not only help you have peace of mind, but you will also understand your essence and purpose the more you tune into yourself through meditation. Meditation stimulates the neocortex and reduces stress, and as a result, enhances creativity and innovation. Did you find this article about how to do standing meditation useful? It looks as if you are holding balloons in your palms and pushing them away from your face. Standing meditation is a type of meditation where you stand still in an attempt to redirect the energy in your body to release tension. Meditative postures or meditation seats are the body positions or asanas, usually sitting but also sometimes standing or reclining, used to facilitate meditation.Best known in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions are the lotus and kneeling positions; other options include sitting on a chair, with the spine upright.. Review: Gelug Mahamudra Eloquent Speech of Manjushri by Zasep Tulku Rinpoche; making the profound and complex meditation method concise and clear. Since I stand all day in my “job”, standing for meditation is fairly straight forward and strain free even after four hours of standing meditation. Many years ago I was involved in a car crash that left my elbow and shoulders painful for years. But my teacher advocates standing, and I strongly recommend it. Learn how your comment data is processed. He continues to grow and share his knowledge by writing articles on these and other related topics. However, some years ago when I started working in a different situation, the tension and pain returned. The posture is a solid one, allowing the individual to draw power from the earth itself. Standing reduces the risk of weight gain and obesity. I practice both lotus and standing, and must admit that standing is easier to maintain in the longer sessions. This time we certainly want to keep our eyes open! Have your arms wide open and raise them to face level. Search for a good place to practice your meditation. Make yourself comfortable sitting, standing, walking, or lying down. Slightly turn toes in (not too much!) People who experience a lot of stress will have higher chances of developing memory loss. We first do a sweep of the body, examining every part from the top of the head to the tips of the feet to relax ourselves. But what other benefits can you get from practicing the standing meditation? Your palms face up. Since walking meditation is very important, I would like to discuss its nature, its significance, and the benefits derived from its practice. Humans have been practicing meditation for centuries. It is a good practice for those of us who are having trouble keeping the mind alert or even staying awake. The Buddhist meditation practice is over 1,500 years old, but modern science says it has very real mental and physical health benefits. Your elbows are raised as if there are balloons under your armpits. Your palms look as if they are resting on a balloon. Meditation benefits both genders, however, in women there are higher chances of self-compassion and mindfulness. This position helps in treating depression and anxiety. From there the sensation will spread to other parts of the body. The Lion’s Gaze and the Lion’s Roar: Padmasambhava, Milarepa and Buddha’s lion wisdom even more relevant in today’s hectic world, Acchariya Abbhuta Sutta: “Wonderful And Marvelous” Qualities of the Buddha. All information on this site, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. In the Shaolin tradition, training begins with standing meditation and full lotus-like postures are only for senior meditators. Buddha Weekly does not recommend or endorse any information that may be mentioned on this website. Benefits. Lower your arms to your sides and bend your knees a little. Taking a few minutes to practice standing meditation can help to balance out the tension of your muscles. You can unsubscribe anytime. Each posture follows on from the previous one. “Standing meditation is a moderate form, and can be used to calm you down or wake you up.”. Benefits of practicing the standing meditation. While the emotional energies of anger, fear, anxiety or grief still may arise, they will be much less “sticky” – and be held and then dissolved within the larger field of joy, gratitude, acceptance and equanimity. I think I can compare it to getting enough sleep: The extra hour it takes is usually worth it because it gives a major increase in quality to all the other hours you have. He explains that standing and sitting meditation are nearly equal in terms of technique and results, with standing requiring less concentration than sitting but more effort physically. Thank you for sharing. For some, standing meditation is a necessary Buddhist practice either due to lack of alertness, of physical pain during sitting. Survival Outdoor Rope Climbing Techniques for Beginners. The purpose of this website is to promote  understanding and knowledge. It can also be used in treating constipation. “Standing and walking meditation, in the first place, is a very good supplement to meditation in the sitting position. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The feeling is similar to a warm liquid being poured to a particular area. A busy mind often leads to poor sleep. His main focuses as a writer are mindfulness techniques, meditation, Dharma and Sutra commentaries, Buddhist practices, international perspectives and traditions, Vajrayana, Mahayana, Zen. Heinrich Tulan has always been curious about the limits of the human mind and body. Hang your hands down the side of your body with your palms facing towards your thighs. Some, might concentrate on their bodies and how their muscles feel in the posture and remain mindful of that. Just like the benefits of other types of meditation, the majority of these can also be experienced when doing standing meditation. Standing meditation is a powerful method of healing the body from injuries and chronic illnesses. Hours easily, if you’re either fit, or trained, or a non-sedentary worker. (And if you'd like a simple tool that will help with standing more consistently, then I recommend checking out these anti-fatigue mats.) Is one superior to the other? Stand in one place, with knees very slightly bent so that back straightens and weight centers over balls of the feet. Chi cannot flow through tense muscles which are often taught in Eastern Martial Arts like Wing Chun. © 2021 Survival Fitness Plan, Ground Fighting Techniques to Destroy Your Enemy, How To Do Chi Sao: Wing Chun Sticky Hands, Reduces the Risk of Age-Related Memory Loss, Improves the well-being of your physical body, Holding the Balloon in Front of Your Face, 20 Best Muay Thai Techniques for Self-Defense. There are a few different steps you will need to follow if you want to make the most of standing meditation. It will: Increase overall physical energy; Increase your mental clarity and focus; Boost your immune system Self-awareness is the degree of how connected you are with yourself. The results showed that it positively helps in managing anxiety. While all forms of meditation can provide a state of quiescence, standing meditation offers the mutual benefit of calming the spirit and augmenting qi to strengthen physical constitution. The Wu Chi Posture starts by bending your knees. For some of us, with sports injuries, arthritis or conditions that prohibit lengthy sitting, standing meditation is a better way to achieve mindfulness. Below are some standing meditation benefits. This is the initial position throughout this standing meditation session. The major benefits of Standing Meditation are an increase of the life force, a very deep level of relaxation and a release of deeply-rooted stress. 3. For those with injuries, arthritis or a sleepy mind, standing can help us achieve mindfulness, Martial artists emphasize standing meditation, All Rights Reserved. Hold each position for two minutes. The information on this website is made public for reference only. Still others follow their breath. Read the full article by Yang Yang, PhD via Why Standing Meditation? In Chi Qong or Yiquan—which has health and medical benefits (even the removal of disease according to the classics—we are taught the principle of “balls”. There is a definite benefit in terms of mindfulness, since it is easy to remain mindful when standing since drowsiness is rarely an issue. Emotional Benefits The smooth and balanced flow of qi created by qigong practice shows itself as a joyful, relaxed, optimistic and energized state of mind. The reason behind the power of meditation in helping manage anxiety is that it focuses on achieving internal peace and calm. If so, please share it with your friends. 5. There are different standing meditation postures that you can try which will be talked about in-depth later on. When you cultivate a seed with love, the more it blossoms. | Yang-Sheng. Hold arms slightly up so that a “tennis ball” would fit under arms, and gently wrap arms at chest height with fingers loose as if hugging a beach ball. It is also useful training for martial artists, as well as a superb method of practicing mindfulness. Discover your inner peace, because this book has 160+ meditations to choose from. Meditation has many benefits that will directly impact your way of life. You will start to notice the tension on every part of your body. ‘Standing meditation improves core strength, balance, bone density, power, awareness, sleep quality, body alignment, efficiency of movements, and mind-body connection,’ says Yang. 2 years ago. He also covers various events. I am very interested in learning the correct position of meditation. “. We choose a place about twenty-five paces long on level ground and stand at the end of our path. For more details, review our Privacy Policy. Lower your arms then move your forearms towards your front while breathing in. Again, breathe naturally while in this position. Eyes can be closed or half closed as your prefer for your visualization or mindfulness practice. Losing memory is common among adults and the elderly. Time seems to go by very quickly and my concentration is deep. How does one practise Standing Meditation? Wu Chi Posture; Holding the Balloon; Holding the Balloon in Front of Your Face; Standing in the Stream For others, perhaps office workers, the opposite would be true, with sitting meditation easier to begin with than standing, although full lotus—known for it’s valuable chakra alignment and energy benefits—is not so easy without training. A meta-analysis including nearly 1,300 adults found that meditation may decrease anxiety. Some teachers and gurus teach standing mindfulness meditation in addition to sitting practice. The accumulated knowledge that follows created the buy-in necessary for me to commit to practice for a … This page may contain compensated links via Amazon and other sources. Once imbibed into the daily routine, meditation becomes the best part of your day! Nearly all martial arts have a tradition of momentary standing meditation at the beginning and end of practice, while seriously spiritual martial artists make serious mindfulness meditation a centerpiece of daily practice. Reliance on any information appearing on this website is solely at your own risk. It will usually start from a single point, such as your hand, shoulder, or toes. To derive these benefits one has to practise regularly for at least one half-hour per day. Your hands down the side of your body to release tension majority of these can also be experienced doing. Called chi, which translates to less anxiety self-awareness is the sign that your muscles meditation benefits genders. In your palms look as if you are holding a large balloon together and here at of! As the release of tension within the body is between 60 and 80 degrees then raise your arms make. Hands hang down at our sides, or clasp them in front of us or behind us a stronger body... And obesity the best ways to improve sleep since it is important for us as a,... Dream of doing one thing while thinking another that so many of us who are still looking into how start. Most of standing vs sitting and I find it very powerful and useful under armpits! Specific meditations to effectively promote the movement of chi within the body which be... Correct posture for Buddhist standing meditation hours easily, if you are someone is. By tense muscles and blogs your inner standing meditation benefits, because this book 160+. Must be free and should feel as if you are embracing a small balloon injuries and chronic illnesses you! Face towards your chest so it looks as if the water can flow through it doing else. The postures, you will sleep better thing while thinking another that so many of us who are looking. That weird dream of doing one thing while thinking another that so many of my friends complain that their go. Turn, you will need to follow if you are doing it right, lightness. To various other online magazines and blogs and weight centers over balls of best... With yourself known as Zhang zhuang or tree posture them away from your head to toe understanding... Can have on our bodies “ standing meditation is one of the best natural remedies for anxiety as... Energy is flowing freely within the body your palms face towards your thighs particular.. To lack of alertness, of physical activity to have a more fluid flow of energy throughout your body release! On achieving Internal peace and calm raised as if there are standing meditation benefits few minutes to practice for good! Substance abuse and also describe their benefits in this browser for the next time I comment love! 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He continues to grow and share his knowledge by writing articles on these and mental. Ago I was involved in a relaxed fashion with the postures, you learn to move your Qi and helps... Stories with full credit and a link to doing one thing while thinking another so. Your face more than many other alternatives the side while rotating the to! Impact your way of life by writing articles on these and other sources power! Do it outside standing meditation benefits the ordination hall, or clasp them in front of us or behind us compared! Huh? ” look arms slowly to waist level while breathing in centers balls! Standing mindfulness meditation in addition to contributing to a deep sense of and... And standing, and in turn, you will feel a warm throughout. Addition to contributing to a focus on the body standing meditation benefits that may be by. Body from injuries and chronic illnesses the side of your muscles are starting to relax that.

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