Standing Qigong body alignments

[Anonymous]

Hello,

When practicing standing qigong, I have my feet at 45 degrees facing outwards and in page 97 of Opening Gates book it says this is wrong.

I wanted to ask:

1. why is this wrong? Is there a lot of energy deviation when my feet are not parallel to each other?

2. I do not have them parallel because it puts a lot of pressure on my knees and I cannot stand relaxed for long periods of time , therefore its easier for me to stand that way. Maybe its the structure of my b9nes that way, that does not help me stand parallel don’t know exactly…Will that compromise my efforts to gather maximum Qi inside me?

3. Do you suggest trying to have them parallel anyway?

4. Also, standing for 4 hours every day, is good or too much ? How long is the maximum time I should practice continuously for one session of the day?

Please let me know.

thank you !!

[Anonymous]

Hi George,

1. When your feet rotate out, your energy goes out to the periphery.

2. Ideally you want your feet parallel as this is the most neutral position and aligns them with your side channels. The key word there is “ideally.” More important is the 70% rule. Not having pressure on your knees is more important than getting your feet parallel.

3. Remember this is a “practice”. You are always working toward improving, not getting it perfect. Bruce’s teacher, Liu Hung Chieh, told him that he thought maybe he did it perfect once. You are always working towards the ideal within your own limitations. I had a bad bicycle accident many years ago that twisted me up and eventually misaligned one of my feet and knees. It took some work but I was able to get my feet parallel again. Don’t force it, use the scanning and sinking to bring awareness to your body and you’ll figure out what you need to do .

4. As for the amount of time to stand, again, always keep in mind the 70% rule. Bruce has said that if you’re standing for less than 2 hours, there should be no strain. After 2 hours, you can have a little. He also said that when you’re in your 20s – 30s, you can stand for up to 6 hours. From your 30s – 50s, no more than 4 hours and 50s – 70s no more than 1-2 hours. Anything more, you won’t get much benefit from it. Hope that helps. Good luck,

Dejota

[Anonymous]

Hello there– some references to other forum-threads which I think will help approach your questions… (mostly relate to 2&3.. but also #1 and #4.. re 70%, and the development process).
[in regards to “how practice” how-do-today adjusts, bit by bit, and moves towards a more refined form.. can’t just “jump to forcing a final-form” if want to develop a foundation)… reference: https://www.energyarts.com/forum/how-develop-internal-power-vs-just-external-interp-espec-so-many-meaning-redefined-isolation-v ]

http://www.energyarts.com/forum/feet-standing-alignment
===========
https://www.energyarts.com/forum/due-collapsed-ankles-i-cant-do-foot-alignement-what-do

https://www.energyarts.com/forum/standing-start-feet-or-start-head

http://www.energyarts.com/forum/body-issues-while-learning-standing-quigong

http://www.energyarts.com/forum/leg-position-grounding

https://www.energyarts.com/forum/sitting-posture-what-do-legs
*********
https://www.energyarts.com/forum/re-new-material-standing-mastery-standing-video-8-review-posture-isnt-just-review-posture-howt

[Anonymous]

Hello George
I do not feel qualified to answer the bulk of your question. But I feel safe in saying that 4 hrs is quite a lot and would have to be worked up to over considerable time, 30-45 min per day is I feel substantial for most and is the prescribed schedule by most.

Peace

[Anonymous]

Hi,

My issue is the same as yours – standing with feet parallel causing me discomfort or pain and if I just point my toes slightly outward, it is more comfortable for me. This has always been the case in standing.

Below is a link to a site which shows different hip socket joint formation. The idea is that different constructions allow for different activities or not. In this case, they are talking about squats; however, they do mention foot alignment briefly. The pictures of the different size and shape of the pelvis and the difference it makes is also interesting. (The ‘active’ link did not come through so you must copy and paste into the URL.)
https://www.theptdc.com/2015/02/why-people-must-have-different-squat-stance/

Sandra

[Author]

Posts