Standing In The Wuji
Meditation is also one of the most important aspects of doing Taijiquan. Taijiquan has an attitude of uncovering the "stillness within motion", and it is only through meditation that we can realize this. It grounds us, teaches us to center ourselves both emotionally and physically, shows us how to be in the moment, and builds up tremendous leg strenght filled with relaxation and that flowing, beautiful grace that it is known for. The beginning student should learn not to fear any sensations, thoughts, or feeling experience in meditation. The idea is to be able to ground and center yourself, and from this position just allow and observe the experience. By doing this there is no limit to what we can learn about ourselves, why we think or act certain ways, the depth to which our body, mind and spirit is connected, and our relationship to life. Standing meditation is the mostbasic posture in Qi Gung and Taijiquan is a form of Qi Gung. Simple standing is usually done first to ground and center ourselves, and begin to open and fill our energy centers.
Standing is then followed by some warm-up Qi Gung exercises. These exercises build up our qu and harmonize the meridians. Finally we do moving Taijiquan to flow the abundance of qi throughout our bodies like the wind and water. The Taoist definition of health is "the smooth, harmonious, abundant, and appropriate flow of qi".
The following are step by step instruction for Standing Meditation. Ideally this should be practiced 1 to 3 times daily. Start out by doing 5 minutes at a time, building up to 20 minutes, and not doing more than 45 minutes at one time. At any time that you notice your mind wandering, take it back to simply following the breath. You will soon find why it is that advance students and the Masters do so much standing meditation.
Standing In The Wuji Posture
01...Stand comfortably with your feet shoulder width apart.
02...Make sure your toes are pointed straight ahead
03...There is a gentle, relaxed bend to the knees and they tend to push lightly outward as opposed to collapsing inward.
04...The pelvis is tucked slightly forward so the lower spine is straight.
05...The shoulders are loose & relaxed, not raised up, hands hang loosely at the sides.
06...The head is held up as if suspended by a string.
07...Breathing is done through the nose and is slow, soft, and deep.
08...Eyes are closed, or are slightly parted but not focused on anything.
09...Keep the tongue touching the roof or palate of the mouth.
10...Exhale and release any feeling of (doubt, confusion, fear, stress, worrying, thinking to much, holding grudges, procrastination, etc.)