Body issues while learning standing Quigong

[Anonymous]

I have just commenced the standing Qigong program.

Firstly, I am not sure about the requirement for the knee area. Should my legs be straight, with an unflexed , but relaxed knee or should there be a conscious flexing of the knee joint?

Also after staying in the standing position about ten minutes, I felt a soreness on the right side of my neck which would not go away, and I had to discontinue the practice after a few more minutes which resulted in the disappearance of the soreness. I do have some arthritis of the spinal area at that side of my neck, although it ordinarily does not cause any discomfort.

Can anyone advise if there is anything I can do to help remove that pain or discomfort?

Thank you,

Karl Plofker

[Anonymous]

Hi Karl

Be gentle to yourself.
I’m not entirely sure about the knees either but erring on the side of relaxed sounds good.
The 70% rule is really important even when your entirety healthy.
Be very careful around your neck and give yourself a generous buffer between your pain or soreness. Take a break from practicing or stop altogether well before the soreness.
Try standing for less time or less aggressively.
The only way to remove the pain or discomfort is to practice gently and within your 70% of capacity, which can mean less time standing and more gentle and forgiving alignments.

Be gentle
Cody

[Anonymous]

Hello Karl, to follow-on Cody’s well-put advice.. just another angle- I find that one of the ‘grosser’ aspects of standing is that it highlights all the imbalances as your system releases- it goes right to the weaker-tighter links..
(if you stand and don’t feel this, I’d say one is “holding” one’s self- not “standing” ie release and the system settles and pulls… unless one has no imbalances.. one is likely to feel these– (many do stand as an isometric type holding- grin and bear it.. cool, just different.. )
as much as one is imbalanced.. if they are focused strongly in areas, can be quite sore, vs more generally undeveloped.. more even, isn’t felt as ouch… -I ended up having similar expers you mention- all kinds of spine and inside head and neck and eyes- etc.. as shift.. ugh… [just ease in, not leap-in… like drops of water accumulating in a bowl, over time.] .)

I’d take a note of how the tension is building up.. perhaps at 10mins ouch, then 8mins (or even 5) you may have been able to feel your system going- umm and tightening up.. saying (sort of Non-verbally) I don’t like this… watch that, and that is where to back off, and rather get used to bit by bit (even not just one ‘session’ but 5min, pause a min or 2, 3-4min, then pause again, and then repeat 7-8 times.. not time feel getting into the ugh state, but rather in the vicinity.. and your body (mind-E) may self-adjust.. but we often think in our culture, do in a session if need stop- done, vs many doses

(think a blacksmith heat in forge, pull metal out- pound it/shape and layer… as cools return to forge and re-heat (not too hot.. and let get too cool.. and not over hammer.. keep an eye on it as work.. and keep safe- not burn yourself, or hit yourself with hammer- as reference to injury/ouch during session or even too much overtime.. the Training affect.. ) -once you can stand and fully let go (skeleton-bones, and joint-capsules touch floor.. they hold your weight? what keeps the skeleton in alignment? so you don’t fall down? that is what is developing.. like a Sail on an old pirate-ship.. (then can feel the wind..)

I hope that adds some pointers that might help (what might you find/exper?) luck

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a specific that came to mind, and relates to the “holding” tension- not let-go I mention up above, the comment about knees “locked” or “bent” – I read that as if you are mentioning to positions that are either side of desired…

— “Locked” is knee caps either fully pushed back, so bones are literally locked (a very solid and yet brittle position- makes me cringe to think of it, but at first that feels “solid” while- as below- will feel wobbley… .. or even if not fully “locked” still do you feel the bones sort of connected in the joint- there is a subtle twist in the joint (like you are giving yourself a joint-lock, in the knee, or also common, in the ankle- it isn’t the joint-capsule fluid buffering – as below- but the shin bones-ankle bones are actually feeling sort of grinding contact…
— “Bent” is often meant as bend enough, so that the thigh muscles are fully engaged- thus a different “lock” (rather than bones, it is more the muscle grabs the femur and knee solidly).. again vs the in-between that is transferring the weight to ground.. and feels (when get used-to) less solid.. but only per not shock into bone, vs springey-fluid and rubber-bandy shock-absorption (note even after feel this, the body will likely slip off it, and re-brace on the ground.. as a balance-reflex.. until get re-trained).

..This accustoming your body to use more durable and shock-absorber type structure-aligns will change you alot (when you don’t do this, but have the body feel solid and locked and just any jolt and even just gravity pulls.. then unless you shift-and constantly adjust and change.. when you stayput.. that force is consistently felt in where it is pulling.. and thus the ouch….

ie the discomfort can be from how you stand- and note as it starts to happen (during even before, not after too-late).. and retrain your reflex-actions (not so much do xyz, but rather, how your system feels natural.. which clearly- takes time
======
Last example- imagine you have some tape- masking tape and/or duct tape. and you wrap it along the side of your legs down to your outside edge of foot- up around your low back.. and another strip along back of shoulders -up back of neck… and now stand…

ugh you can then not help but notice this thing, and as you try and align your feet straight, even straighten back&neck.. or adjust inside pelvis-hips there is a feeling of something pulling
(like tape along your skin: either bunching, or pulling depending on how tape was placed…
-or- myofascial bindings of ‘bands” that shorten or stiffen to support years of twisting on the tissues (to relieve from joints) but now you attempt to re-align your stance, and have to fight these.. (need to remove the tape… -I mean rather than “work on it directly” as some therapies do.. rather the standing itself does.. but like working at the forge, bit by bit.. work it, heat it, not burn-it.. not too hot. and pay attention to all the changes as it is folded and worked…

[Anonymous]

Hi Karl,

You might want to check your posture from the side in a mirror. Where is your head in relation to your torso? If you have a head-forward posture, which is common in this age of computers, it could be causing neck strain.

Try placing your fingertip on your chin and gently moving the head back so the ears are in line with the shoulders. Doing it this way should also bring a slight bit of length to the back of the neck.

If you’ve had the head forward as a matter of habit, having your head actually in the correct position will feel a bit odd and almost like your head is too far back. But if you can check in the mirror or have a friend look, you’ll probably find this is better alignment.

Also, try doing some neck stretches prior to the standing qigong.

I hope that helps!
Stephanie

[Author]

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