Zhan Zhuang - Pole Stance Zhanzhuang is first and foremost a form of Qigong, unlike other forms of moving Qigong

Zhanzhuang or "Standing Pole Exercise" as the translation suggests, is an entirely stationary exercise. here are variations on !oth the "osition of the arms, feet and trunk !ut once the Zhanzhuang "osture is ado"ted its static nature is the feature to !e nurtured.

#ig $ he ma%ority of &ongfei students are familiar 'ith (aoyin )angsheng *ong exercises. his system of moving Qigong is very "o"ular !ut it also ado"ts some more stationary techni+ues. , have found that the "o"ularity of standing "ostures de"ends entirely on the character of the student. -y o'n introduction 'as to a one and a half hour session. his "eriod 'as inters"ersed 'ith not too fre+uent instructions to straighten the legs and then to resume the sitting "osture. his is not the kind of treatment the ma%ority of students 'elcome, my o'n reaction 'as a version of .ils /ar!orundum. ,n 0110 -aster &am 2am /huen "u!lished a very good !ook on the su!%ect, " he 3ay 4f Energy", this 'as follo'ed !y his e+ually good 5 series "Stand Still to *et #it" in 0116, su!titled Standing &ike a ree. ,t "resented five !asic "ostures of this system and the "rogramme introduced 'arming u" and cooling do'n exercises. $lthough &am7s "resentation did not include the martial as"ect. 8e is a ai%i+uan master of note. 8o'ever his Zhan Zhuang deals s"ecifically 'ith fitness and health "romotion. he 5 series is "ro!a!ly availa!le on video and can !e recommended for its content, "hiloso"hy and "resentation. he "rere+uisite of all (aoyin, Qigong or )angsheng *ong in all of the varieties is the cultivation and the art of nourishing life, in traditional /hinese medicine the " hree *ems" 9San :ao;. hese re"resent the three forces of nature inherent in human !eings, essence 9<ing;, vital !reath 9Qi;, s"irit 9Shen;. hese terms are difficult to define in as much as the different /hinese traditions have arrived at se"arate conclusions. 4ne common thread running through most systems is the use of res"iratory disci"lines referred to as " una" 9taking in and "ushing out; or "=ing-Qi" 9moving the !reath;. 4ne +uote !y ao 8ong%ing exem"lifies the im"ortance "layed to una and =ing-Qi> ",f one is tired and listless then "ractice (aoyin exercises and close u" the !reathing to attack the illness."

$t some time in Qigong training it must !e necessary to take a vie' on a "ractical and "ragmatic a""roach to the 'ork. ,f you ask the average /hinese on the street a!out Qi, he or she 'ill +uite likely 'ave an arm indicating the air and the ozone. his o!servation is of course correct !ut serves little "ur"ose as it re"resents %ust a tiny overvie' of the semantics that can !e em"loyed. Perha"s the !est a""roach is through the more relia!le source !ooks on raditional /hinese -edicine and avoid the avenues of mysticism. /hinese medicine em"hasises the relationshi"s !et'een human !eings and their environment. /hinese doctors considered the Qi of humanity to !e an end result of the interaction of the Qi of heaven and earth. ,t7s interesting to note that the characters that indicate Qi are at the same time material and non-material? the t'o characters indicate va"our and rice. /ommentators suggest this im"lies that 'hich cannot !e gras"ed 9va"our, immaterial; and that 'hich can !e gras"ed 9rice, material;. his does hel" to understand the /hinese a""roach to calisthenics having the dual "ur"ose of 'orking on the material of the !ody and at the same time guiding Qi and nourishing Shen 9hence, (aoyin and Qigong;. he uni+ueness of this self cultivation a""roach is self evident 'hen students 'ithout a clue of the foregoing comment on ho' good they feel after training, in a relaxed mood and s"irit lifted. -y introduction to Zhanzhuang came from master /hu 2ing 8ung of the ,nternational ai /hi /huan $ssociation many years !efore -aster &am7s 5 "rogramme and !ook. ,n this issue , "resent some elements of my o'n training 'ith the hel" of a fe' line dra'ings. 3u%i Posture he &o'er &im!s ai%i and 3u%i are terms that have roots in /hinese /osmogony. ai%i is itself rooted in aoist conce"ts that signify the origin of the duality of existence as manifested from the void 93u%i;. ai%i is the mother of )in and )ang. his 'hole conce"t is a clue to the "osture to !e ado"ted? to !e formless 'ith a!solutely nothing ha""ening, "hysically, mentally, emotionally 'ith a +uiet s"irit. he foundation is in the lo'er lim!s, the feet should !e "arallel, shoulder 'idth and su""ort the ankle. ,n turn the ankles 'ill rest directly under the ti!ia and fi!ula 'hich in turn su""ort the knee and femur. he knees should !e gently "ushed out as if a large !alloon 'as !eing su""orted and at the same time !eing inflated. he feet ho'ever should !e e+ually 'eighed from heels to toes and from inside to outside edges. $t the same time do not lose sight of the conce"t of nothing ha""ening. he orso he trunk should !e u"right. 3hen dealing 'ith the !ody one should also address the head. he head should !e lifted from the cro'n 9acu"oint :aihui;, the feeling should !e as if a !alloon filled 'ith air 'as lightly dra'ing the cro'n u". $t the same time one can visualise a 'eight is lightly dra'ing do'n the !ase of the s"ine. So the feeling visualised is an o"ening of the verte!rae of the !ack!one. ,n the 3u%i "osture !ecause the arms are !y the sides it can hel" to relax the shoulders 'hich is im"ortant for eradicating discomfort in the shoulder and u""er !ack. he defining line of the trunk 'ould !e "lum! from :aihui 9(@AB; and 8uiyin 9CE.0;. ,t is im"ortant to give attention to the relaxation of the a!domen, the inguinal %oints, hi" %oints and the sacro illiac area. his 'ill hel" to sink the Qi to (antian. 5isualisation can !e a""lied to the

relaxation of the internal organs. he overall aim should !e calm and loose 'ithout colla"sing. @""er &im!s he arm and hand directives in this "osture can !e sim"le. hey should hang loosely !y the sides 'ith a feeling that a "air of rolled socks 'ere !eing held in the arm"its. he hands and fingers should !e relaxed and loose, the hand is slightly dish sha"ed 'ith the fingers "ointed to the ground and at the root of each finger a ga" the size of a garden "ea. 8ead he head "osition is im"ortant and 'e have already commented on the raising of :aihui. he tongue rests on the roof of the mouth connecting the t'o governing vessels, (u and Cen. he eyes must remain relaxed and look directly ahead? alternatively they can !e averted do'n. 3hen the eyes are averted take care that the head remains lifted. his care 'ith the head should also a""ly 'hen 'e lift the cro'n "oint. ,t7s a common fault 'ith !eginners, that 'hen instructed to lift the cro'n they also lift the chin. his 'ill !e counter "roductive to the relaxation of the neck, 'hen lifting the cro'n one must also tuck the chin. $s in all meditation techni+ues all students are confronted 'ith their endless discursive mind. 3hatever "ro!lems this may "resent are !est discussed 'ith an ex"erienced instructor. 3ith more "ractice the chattering mind can lose some im"etus and the student 'ill ada"t his or her a""roach over a suita!le "eriod of time. Cemem!er the instruction to do nothing can !e a""lied on all levels of !eing. :reathing :reathing should !e "erformed +uietly through the nose kee"ing it sim"le, 'arm and friendly. he accent is on !eing natural and treating yourself gently. he res"iration should !e dee" and slo' !ut this should arrive naturally and never forcefully. Cemem!er that any mental effort to govern the !reath 'ill !e counter "roductive to some overall relaxation. ,t is "ermissa!le and "ractical to !e attentive to the flo' of !reath even to count them as an aid to meditation. *eneral guides to good "ractice ,t is !etter not to "ush yourself too hard? 'e are looking for nourishment not "unishment. Perseverance and "atience and a little training daily 'ill !ring its o'n re'ards eventually. 3hen "ractice is esta!lished non-"ractice can result in 'ithdra'al sym"toms. he exercise 'e are discussing is not directed to martial arts training. Standing still has !een found to !e very !eneficial for a variety of health "ro!lems !ut one can only gain ex"erience for oneself. So the aim is to !uild strength and im"rove general health. 3hen , 'as training 'ith -aster /hu, 'hen the legs !ecome tired , 'as urged to use a techni+ue of rocking !ack'ard and for'ard and from side to side. his served t'o "ur"oses> the first is +uite o!vious, 'hen rocking to either direction there is alternating relief for the legs? the second, and not so o!vious "ur"ose, is finding a "osition 'here the legs ex"erience the least strain. 3hen the legs ex"erience the least amount of strain it allo's the u""er !ody to relax more. 3hen rocking for'ard or !ack'ard one feels the greater "ressure on the legs that arises to sto" us from falling over. 3ith ex"erience this 'ill ena!le us to find a resting "osture 'ith %ust sufficient leg strength to kee" us u"right. ,n the 'ork of )i+uan this is kno'n as sta!lising one7s "osture and allo'ing the mo!ilising muscles to !e "assive. , have discussed Zhan Zhuang 'ith Professor &i. 8e feels that there is insufficient kno'ledge a!out the !eginning of this form of exercise to "lace dates on its arrival in /hinese history. ,n the

"rogramme "Stand Still to *et #it" &am 2am /huen7s teacher, "rofessor )u, remarks that this form of exercise dates !ack A,DBB years to the times of &ao zu and 'as one of the most ancient forms of oriental exercise. here is a tendency in /hinese health arts to assume that locating the !eginnings in anti+uity 'ill someho' !ring greater credi!ility. 8o'ever a great deal of the current "o"ularity of stationary "ostures can !e attri!uted to the 'ork of "rofessor )u7s teacher, 3ang =iangzhai 90EE6-01FG;. -aster 3ang 'as among the most famous /hinese martial artists of the t'entieth century. 3ang develo"ed the art of )i+uan from his "revious martial arts ex"erience 'hich 'as heavily influenced !y his =ingyi+uan training. )i+uan fundamental training is !ased in stillness unlike many other martial arts 'ith the !asics concentrated in forms. 3ang 'as considered a formida!le fighter and !uilt a considera!le re"utation !ut 'hen the communists came to "o'er in 01H1 he a!andoned his )i+uan /lu! in :ei%ing, a""arently discouraged from teaching the )i+uan as a martial art !y the authorities. 8e 'as su!se+uently invited to teach the standing meditation at the 8e!ei ,nstitute for raditional /hinese -edicine. his "rohi!ition 'ould have continued through the cultural revolution and until the "assing of -ao Zedong some t'elve years after 3ang7s o'n death. his se+uence of events goes some 'ay to ex"lain 'hy Zhan Zhuang !ecame more "o"ular during the second half of the t'entieth century. ,ts s"read to the 3est has !een a slo' "rocess since /hina o"ened u" after President .ixon7s visit to :ei%ing in 01DA. , have no "ersonal reference to any teacher "resenting standing exercise !efore -aster /hu 2ing 8ung !rought it to &ondon in 01DF. /hu stressed !oth the !enefits to health and its a""lication to martial arts "ractice. -ore a!out this as"ect later.

#ig : -ost of the general o!servations for #igure $, a""ly e+ually to #igures : and /. ,t7s o!vious from the illustrations that the knees are !ent, the !ending of the knees is not excessive and a good guideline is not to allo' the knee to move for'ard !eyond the toe. /are must !e taken not to lean !ack or to incline the !ody for'ard. $ third "oint to note is that the !ottom must not stick out. he sitting must !e %ust that, as if 'e

'ere sitting on a !ar stool. his is !y no means an easy "osture to ado"t for a novice and su"ervision is advised 'ith regular checks on attaining the correct "osture. Each one of us can !ring a variety of "ro!lems to the training, these can !e from a lifetime of !ad "ostures or inherited traits and also from accumulated "sychological tension. he "osition of the arms is very comforta!le, it allo's the shoulders to relax, sink and sit comforta!ly. he el!o's must also sink and relax. he fingers are o"en as in #igure $, the ti"s are a"art 'ith a ga" a""roximately the 'idth of the head. he feeling is not as if holding and clutching something heavy to the !ody? on the contrary it7s as if the arms 'ere floating or !eing su""orted !y a !alloon, 'ith the muscles and tendons relaxed and the ligaments o"en. /ultivating the correct feeling is of "rime im"ortance. Cemem!er in #igure $, the knees are relaxed !ut not !ent in #igure : they are !ent using the guidelines a!ove.

#ig / he o!vious change here is the lo'ering of the arms, the arm formation is 'ith the "alms facing u" as if su""orting the a!domen and the feeling as if sinking the energy to (an ien. $ll the general o!servations for "ostures in #igures $ and : a""ly e+ually to #igure /. :efore starting "ractice one should do some gentle 'arming u" exercises, stretching and loosening the !ody in "re"aration for sitting. ,t7s also advisa!le to cool do'n 'ith some !reathing exercise. he continual "rocess of "ractising Zhan Zhuang is self-learning and self cultivation, correction to "ostural defects, arranging the skeletal structure as if 'e 'ere erecting a !uilding so that 'e have a good foundation, a sound structure allo'ing our internal organs to !reathe and our meta!olism to function at its o"timum. ,n the 3est the 'ork of the $lexander techni+ue and the #eldenkrais system have !rought a'areness to the "ro!lems of ha!itual "ostural a!use and its effect on function. ,n /hinese medicine the sim"le vie' that senility !egins from the ground u" 9not confined to the !rain; ex"lains the "osition of Zhan Zhuang7s a""roach to strengthen the legs. ,n recent years 'e are constantly !eing reminded of the need to use exercise to strengthen our leg !ones and muscles to counter the onset of osteo"orosis. Perha"s the gentle 'ork of Zhan Zhuang ideally fits the !ill.

,t7s certain that osteo"orosis sufferers need to !e very selective a!out their exercise to avoid the onset of stress fractures. &ongfei has !een 'orking 'ith the .orth &ondon 4steo"orosis Society for some years. 3hen the !ody7s frame'ork is arranged correctly 'ith the muscles relaxed and using only enough strength to maintain e+uili!rium 'e can ex"erience the uno!structed circulation of the !lood 9and Qi;. 3hile this form of exercise 'ill !ring a slight rise in the heart rate it certainly avoids the excessive rise in meta!olic rates induced in more vigorous forms of activity. his 'ill facilitate the "ossi!ility of taking the exercise into our most advanced years. ,n general "ractitioners should "roceed at their "referred rate. 8o'ever one should "ersevere in a disci"lined fashion, it7s very easy to shorten or retreat from regular and correct training. $ good "lan 'ould !e to make a start 'ith five minutes t'ice a day 'ith "osture $ "rogressing to fifteen minutes and then ex"eriment 'ith "ostures : and /. Practice can !e taken indoors or in the o"en, the air outside is considered !eneficial in most of the /hinese methods of exercise. he aim of Zhan Zhuang is to !ring a greater a'areness of the !ody and its functions, to im"rove overall health and to im"rove one7s energy +uotient strengthening !oth !ody and resolve. ,n our next issue 'e 'ill take a look at the more martial "ostures the training and the function. Cichard 3atson IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Part 'o> IIIIIIIII ,n the "revious article 'e looked at the "ole stance as a "ure health nourishing exercise, 'ith reference to the nurturing of one7s Essence 9<ing;, :reath 9Qi;, S"irit 9Shen;. he term essence a""ears in traditional /hinese medical !ooks under three different headings> "Pre-8eaven Essence" "Post-8eaven Essence" "2idney Essence" PCE-8E$5E. ESSE./E is a com!ining of the sexual energies of male and female and forms the essence of a ne'ly conceived human !eing. Pre-8eaven Essence sustains a foetus until it has inde"endent "hysiological activity. Pre-8eaven Essence creates a "erson7s uni+ue individuality. Since it is inherited from the "arents it is said to !e fixed at !irth and is difficult to influence "ositively in adult life. $ccording to /hinese medicine the "ositive 'ay to affect the Pre-8eaven Essence is to live a !alanced life, 'ith all that may !e im"lied !y this advice. $ direct 'ay to "ositively influence one7s essence is through !reathing exercises, ai%i+uan and Qigong. P4S -8E$5E. ESSE./E is refined from our intake of food and fluids and is extracted !y the s"leen and stomach. $fter !irth, 'hen the !a!y !egins digestion and res"iration, the lungs, stomach and s"leen function to "roduce Qi from food, fluids and air. $t the !asis of all is Qi, all the other vital su!stances are manifestations of Qi in varying degrees, from the com"letely material, such as !ody fluids, to the totally immaterial, such as the mind 9Shen;.

8E ESSE./E 92,(.E); is derived !oth from Pre and Post-8eaven Essence and "lays an im"ortant "art in human "hysiology. ,t is a hereditary energy and determines a "erson7s constitution. ,t determines gro'th, re"roduction, develo"ment, sexual maturation, conce"tion and "regnancy. here are differences !et'een Essence and Qi in human !eings> J Essence is mostly derived from "arents - Qi is formed after !irth. J Essence is fluid like - Qi is energy like. J Essence resides mostly in the kidneys - Qi is every'here. J Essence is re"lenished 'ith difficulty - Qi can easily !e re"lenished on a day-to-day !asis. J Essence follo's long cycles of D or E years - Qi follo's shorter cycles, some yearly, some circadian, some shorter still. J Essence changes slo'ly over long "eriods - 'hereas Qi moves and changes +uickly from moment to moment. :CE$ 8 9Qi;. he lungs govern Qi and res"iration and are res"onsi!le for inhaling air 9Qi;. #or this reason, and also !ecause they influence the skin, they are the intermediary organ !et'een the organism and the environment. he functions of the lungs are> J J J J o govern Qi and res"iration. hey control channels and !lood vessels. o control dis"ersing and descending. hey regulate 'ater "assages. o control skin and hair. hey o"en into the nose. o house the /or"oreal Soul.

he lungs extract clean Qi for the !ody 'hich com!ines 'ith the food Qi coming from the s"leen. he constant exchange and rene'al of Qi !y the lungs ensures the "ro"er functioning of all the !ody7s "hysiological "rocesses 'hich take Qi as their !asis. he /or"oreal Soul is the most "hysical and material "art of the human !eing7s soul. ,t could !e said to !e the somatic manifestation of the soul. S8E. 9-,.(, SP,C, ;. Essence-Qi--ind are called in /hinese the " hree reasures" 9San :ao;. 8ealth, strength, vitality, ha""iness, volition, mental sta!ility and clarity all de"end on a good su""ly of these three vital su!stances. Essence is related to the kidneys, Qi to the lungs and mind to the heart. Qi is the refined energy that nourishes the !ody and mind and the mind is the most refined and immaterial of the three su!stances. ,f Essence and Qi are strong the mind 'ill !e healthy and if the Essence and Qi are 'eak the mind 'ill suffer. he condition of the essence gives an indication of the hereditary Qi and the inherited constitution 'hile the condition of the Qi gives an indication of the ac+uired Qi. he t'o together determine the state of mind. /hinese medicine holds that the heart is the seat of the mind 9Shen;. Shen can have many different meanings, in the context of /hinese medicine there are t'o. #irst, Shen relates to the com"lex of mental faculties 'hich are said to reside in the heart. ,n this sense Shen corres"onds to the mind and is related to the heart. Second, Shen is used to em!race the 'hole of emotional, mental and s"iritual as"ects. ,n this sense it is related not only to the heart !ut also covers the emotional, mental and s"iritual as"ects of our nature. $ccording to /hinese medicine mental activity and the emotional state, in "articular, five functions are affected !y the state of the heart>

-ental activity and emotional states. /onsciousness, memory. hinking, slee". ,f the heart is strong there 'ill !e normal mental activity, a !alanced emotional life, clear consciousness, a good memory, keen thinking and good slee" "atterns. his !rief excursion into the three treasures is sim"ly to give a clue to the aims of Zhan Zhuang training. he same of course a""lies to all genuine forms of Qigong and ai%i+uan. Please !ear in mind that 'e should al'ays look for guidance from a teacher. 3ith regard to /hinese medicine , have !arely skimmed the surface and 'ould recommend further study from a relia!le source or a good !ook on the su!%ect. ,n the "revious article 'e looked at the meditation and health as"ects of Zhan Zhuang. ,n this issue , 'ould like to look at strength !uilding and the martial exercises that , learned in the , //$ 'ith -aster /hu 2ing 8ung.

#igure 0. his is a very common "osture 'idely "ractised among ai%i "ractitoners. $ll the instructions that a""lied to figures $, : and / in the first article can !e ado"ted again. he only o!vious change is the raising of the arms. o raise the arms in this 'ay "uts a greater strain on the shoulders, !ut note that the shoulders are not raised and the el!o's remain sunken. 2ee" in mind "revious instructions for the lo'er lim!s, u""er lim!s, the torso, head, !reathing and general

guides to good "ractice. 8olding the arms a!ove the head for any length of time can !ecome a little like an endurance test. 8o'ever, remaining relaxed 'ill hel" to reduce discomfort. he main difference in martial "ostures is in feeling. 5isualisation is em"loyed to imagine holding a large !all. he !all 'ill inflate and deflate a little, causing the arms to o"en and close. his feeling can !e enhanced 'ith the hel" of a "artner - your "artner can "lace a light "ressure on the outside of the arms.

#igure A. #or those familiar 'ith the term "Peng", in the a""lication of "*ras" S"arro'7s ail", should understand the re+uired feeling of "Peng <in". ,n figures 0 and A the feeling of ex"ansion should come to the !ack of the 'rist and the lo'er forearm. .ote that 'hile there is little noticea!le movement of the arms, the feeling includes a rotation of the forearm. his can !e ex"erienced !y t'isting the little finger to'ard the a!domen. $t the !eginning of the training the arms can move a little so the ex"ansion can !e seen !y an o!server. &ater the ex"ansion can !e felt !y the "ractitioner !ut remain uno!served. :reathing can !e coordinated 'ith the unseen movement !ut should remain normal and not forced. he ex"ansion should move 'ith the inhalation. $t a later stage the legs can move from the !ent "osture and straighten a little, 'ith a slight o"ening of the knees. his should coordinate 'ith the arm movement and the !reathing. Eventually the 'hole exercise should !e ex"erienced from the ground u" 'ith the feeling of the !ody o"ening and closing. Cemem!er to remain loose and relaxed !ut not colla"sed.

#igure G. :efore moving on to this "osture one should !e comforta!le and accom"lished 'ith the "revious "ostures. herefore all visi!le movement 'ill !e minimal. $ll the "rinci"le ingredients remain essential. ,n "osture G, !oth hands are a!ove the head in the manner of the right hand "erforming the "osture. "3hite /rane S"reads 3ings" from the traditional )ang Style ai%i+uan. .ote the roundness of the arms, no right angles at the el!o's. 3hile the arms exert only sufficient energy to maintain the lift of the shoulder, el!o' and 'rist %oints should !e o"en, loose and relaxed. he attention should !e directed to the heels of the 'rists and focus on the o"ening of the %oints and again the t'isting of the forearms. ,n this exercise the little fingers incline to the rear. his "osture has o!vious use in the "rotection of the head and u""er !ody, also from "unches and kicks to the head.

#igure H. he Hth "osture re"resents the resting 9)in as"ect; of "osture G. $ll the !asic "rinci"les a""ly. 4nce again note the roundness of the arms, the slo"ing, relaxed shoulders. he turning in of the fingers and 'rists effectively give the re+uired t'ist to the forearms. ,n "osture H the em"hasis is on the heel of the hand as if !locking do'n'ard, not on the fingers. ,t is o!vious in !oth G and H that the hands are not to the centre, ho'ever the slightest turn to left or right of the u""er !ody and this 'ould !e so. :ut "lease remem!er 'e are looking for a feeling of strength that manifests in the training. ,f you are follo'ing this training in the a""ro"riate manner, at this stage you should ex"erience some realisation. ,t 'ill not ha""en 'ithout the correct amount of in"ut.

#igure 6. Posture 6 is the com!ination of the t'o "revious "ositions. ,f the lo'er hand 'as more to the side the hand "ositions 'ould re"resent the "3hite /rane S"reads 3ings" in mirror image. he right hand is also in the transition mode of ":rush 2nee". ,n a training "rogramme the mirror image should !e develo"ed e+ually and the s"lit "ractise can !ring some relief to discomfort in the shoulders. #ollo' the focus instructions for the 'rists as "osture G and H. he u""er hand used for !locking a!ove the head 'ould follo' an u"'ard curve from the right hand. ,f it 'ere !locking to the side of the head the curve 'ould s"iral u"'ard and out'ard.

#igure F. Posture F can !e seen as a variation of 6. ,n 6 the "alms 'ere )ang and the !acks of the hands 'ere )in, in "osture F they reverse. he u""er hand can !e vie'ed as "Peng" 9'arding off; very similar to the "3hite /rane". 3hen the hands change "osition the lo'er hand follo's a curve similar to the movement that follo's the "3hite /rane" and "reci"itates the movement of ":rush 2nee". he s"iral in the arms can !e felt !y the t'isting out of the thum!s? !ring the little fingers to'ards the !ody. he em"hasis changes to the !ack of the 'rists. ,t is necessary to a""ly the 'hole of the text to every exercise, es"ecially in the areas of relaxation, o"enness curves, !reathing etc. 4ne should remain mindful and meditative and sink the energy to "(antian". he o!%ect of health and strength should !e !orne in mind as should the nurturing of the " hree reasures." ,n the next issue , 'ill conclude the exercises 'ith a cou"le that concentrate on leg strength and !alance.