The Universal Post Standing Meditation

Written under the direction of Y. C. Chiang by Fu-Tung Cheng

I. Origin of Universal Post Standing.

Standing Meditation was traditionally practiced in China as a complement to various martial art forms. Ostensibly it is a form of body and mind centering, and it certainly can be practiced solely for good health and good spirits. There can, however, be more to it. By cultivating and nurturing internal energy, promoting untrammeled vascular and motor circulation, and heightening tactile sensitivity, one can channel and utilize these forces dynamically.

Our "Universal Post" stance is a synthesis of standing positions from several different martial art disciplines that trace an evolution from the Tang Dynasty in the 6th century to the Ching dynasty in the 19th century. The origin (Suppress Dragon Stance), Fu Hu Chuang (Overpower Tiger Stance), Zi Wu Chuang and San Tzai Chuang were combined into one "Universal Post" and this was incorporated into the Hsing-I style martial art. Much later, in the Ching dynasty, Master Yang Lu Chan incorporated this discipline from Hsing-I into his Tai Chi practice. This was passed to one of his sons, Yang Ban Hou, who in turn taught, among others, Wang Zhao Yu in Guang Ping City. He taught this practice to both Kuo Lien Ying and Wang Zi Chen. Most practitioners of this type of standing meditation in the United States would trace a path to these two men.

II. The Three Physiological Stages of Standing Meditation.

There are three stages of progression that are observed in standing meditation. These stages are described as movement of body tides. Each stage will vary in duration with each person. However, only prolonged standing will set these "tides" in motion. The Chinese explain this phenomenon as the result of a tonification of the body circulation. Once you have progressed beyond the first two stages of "fire" and "water" the third stage is considered a state of equilibrium that will continue indefinitely without a return to the first two stages.

What do we mean by prolonged standing? It simply means standing daily a minimum of twenty to thirty minutes. This is not as difficult as it may sound, for if you begin with five minutes a day and add one minute a week, in less than a year you will be standing thirty minutes effortlessly! Some will find this easier than others and might be able to stand for two hours after six months. Find a pace that best suits you, one that You can realistically and diligently adhere to without causing tension or frustration.

First Stage:

The Fire Stage (Yang Stage). Warmth will originate in the abdomen or chest area. An unsettling feeling of tension and anxiety, sometimes coupled with a palpitating heart will emanate from within your chest. You will want to stop. You may feel worried that you can't stand the ache in the shoulders and arms. Don't worry and don't stop standing immediately upon feeling this "FIRE", rather resort to utilizing the techniques described under "What To Do When Tension Arises During Standing Meditation."

For some persons the fire stage begins immediately, for others it may begin after a month's practice. Again, depending upon the person, the duration of the fire stage may last from four months to as long as one year.

Second Stage:

The Water Stage (Yin Stage). This stage immediately follows the fire stage. The hands and feet turn cold, and the body may feel chilled. This is described as the body "water" cooling the "fire". It may last up to a year depending upon the individual.

Third Stage:

In the third stage the body is perfectly balanced between Yin and Yang. Every part of the body should feel comfortable and warm, the body temperature will remain even. From this stage further progress will be made in relation to feeling the "chi" actually move throughout the body.

III. Body Positioning

Hands: Hands should bend at the wrist to complete the circle. Fingers, extended, but relaxed. Take care that your thumbs do not point skywards, but that they are slightly bent.

Head: The head should be erect but relaxed, as if suspended from above by a string. The eyes should look at a distant object like a mountain, or a tree. The gaze should be vacant and not intense, the mouth closed, the tongue against the roof of the mouth. Breathe naturally.

Body: The body should be held relaxed as if there were a straight line passing from the heel of the left foot all the way to the crown of the head. Front leg, no weight. Standing leg, no extra tension.

Mind: The mind should be free from worries and should try not to attach itself to any extraneous thoughts or external disturbances.

In the beginning, think nothing. Do not try to suppress thoughts, but allow them to dissolve by their own accord. Look far, think nothing. Relax body. Relax mind.
After a few weeks of uninterrupted standing (perhaps 15 minutes total each time) looking far and thinking nothing:
a) begin to imagine a light emanating from the crown of your head directly to the sky,
b) "push" with your mind against the distant object (mountain, tree) that you are gazing upon as if that object were extremely close and you could push the mountain with your extended hands - this should not result in arty tension in the arms, hands or fingers.
c) relax shoulders.
After a few months increase staying time if possible to between 20-30 minutes. At this time you may begin to imagine your arms weighing 100 pounds each; you can barely hold them up. In no way should this thought create tenseness. Rather, the hands, if touched, are relaxed. Furthermore, you may imagine that your hands grasp two iron balls each weighing 30 pounds. This mind dynamic tension exercise is designed to increase circulation of "chi" and increase the power of mind.

Left Stance: Interchange "right" with "left" in the instructions above.

The Objective: The objective is to keep standing in both the right and left stances as long as you can endure naturally and without undue strain. Beginners can start with 5 minutes in each stance for a total of 10 minutes standing time. As you advance, you may be able to reach upwards of 2 hours total standing time.

Duration: Increase total standing time gradually to 2 hours daily.

To be continued in next issue: "Exercises While Standing" and "What to do When Tension Arises During Standing Meditation.

by Fu-Tung Cheng

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