Mark Cohen - Inside Zhan Zhuang

The concept of this work is a little different than the typical manual or how-to book. Instead Ive approached the presentation of material as if the reader were participating or observing a number of private lessons. Therefore, dont be surprised by interesting digressions from time to time where I point out various relevant elements that perhaps others may not have thought of or equated with the subject under discussion.

The material presented here is a product of many years of personal experience and my own individual journey on the road of achievement. Your experiences may be different. But there are certain commonalities encountered by nearly all at various stages of development.

One thing is sure; achievement requires both dedication as well as experimentation and trial-and-error. Wang Xiang Zhai exhorted his students to do just that. Part of this process is the ability to let go of preconceived notions and embrace the possibilities of the unknown. This letting go is one of the keys at every level of advancement.

All methods presented herein have been tested and verified on myself. However they do require enough proper attention and focus along with plenty of Kung Fu - perseverance, time and effort, in order to succeed.

In many of the photographic sequences I have included examples of both myself and Cynthia, a first year student to show that when one begins training, it is often necessary to modify the postures due to injury or other bodily limitations. This means essentially reducing the amount of stretch or dynamic tension to preserve a unified integrity. The idea here is to accept yourself exactly how you are at the present moment and go from there. This way, as the body opens up over time, the postures will naturally assemble and inflate of themselves, until they reach their optimum balance and efficiency.

RESOURCES

In this day and age, the easiest way to access the additional resource material needed for an in depth understanding of this work, is to do so online . For acupuncture points and channel diagrams, you can bookmark Yin Yang House, http://www.yinyanghouse.com/acupuncturepoints/locations_theory_and_clinical_applicationsalthough there are also a number of others. For diagrams and locations of the various muscles, I recommend Wikipedia . Wikipedias drawings come from the famous Grays Anatomy Textbook.

LIST OF CHANNEL ABBREVIATIONS

LU	Lung
LI	Large Intestine
ST	Stomach
SP	Spleen
HT	Heart
SI	Small Intestine
BL	Bladder
K	Kidneys
P	Pericardium
TB	Triple Burner
GB	Gall Bladder
LIV	Liver
GV	Governing Vessel
CV	Conception Vessel

UNDERSTANDING
THE BASICS

The Three Chi Kung Channels and the Three Dan Tiens

THE THREE CHI KUNG CHANNELS

The human body has many energetic overlays, structures or matrixes embedded within it and around it. According to Taoist theory the three deep Chi Kung Channels were created first and are the progenitors of the Acupuncture Channels. All three major Chi Kung Channels begin above Baihui GV-20 and tangibly separate at the Upper Dan Tien.

The Central Channel descends through core of the body to Huiyin CV-1 at the Perineum and on down to the Earth Point. It also passes through the marrow of the bones of the upper and lower extremities and rejoins the etheric energy-body at the feet and hands. The Left and Right Channels descend through the center of both sides of the head, through the center of Shoulders Nests, midriff and Kua on down to below the feet and out the hands. Whereas the Central Channel passed through center of the bones of the upper and lower extremities, the Left and Right Channels follow the outsides of the bones along the same route.

THE THREE DAN TIENS

The three Dan Tiens are energetic locations within the body which are the seats of various transformations. These should not be confused with the Sanjiao , or Triple Burner of Chinese medicine. The confusion often stems from the fact the lower Jiao (burning space) is in the same location as the low Dan Tien and the upper Jiao is in the same region as the middle Dan Tien. Whereas the three Dan Tiens are regions of Jing , Chi and Shen transformations respectively, the three Jiao share responsibility for reproduction and elimination, (lower) digestion and absorption (middle) and circulation and respiration. (upper) For the purposes of this work we will primarily concern ourselves with the low Dan Tien.

THE THREE CATEGORIES OF DEVELOPMENT

When one begins Zhan Zhuang training their goals generally fall into one of three categories: health and longevity, internal martial power and mental and spiritual development.

Since most all achievement in these three areas is based on greater and greater relaxation and integration, standing meditation naturally becomes an excellent method for rapid accomplishment.

So, we find a suitable location, get ourselves into position, correct our alignments, center our feeling-awareness in the low (or upper) Dan Tien and then what?

It is obvious that over time much happens to the individual during Zhan Zhuang practice, such as the transformation of the nerves, healing of various injuries, the acquisition of genuine internal power and even energizing the brain and expanding consciousness.

It is fair to say that nearly all great internal martial artists of the previous centuries acquired their achievement to a large extent by first passing through the gate of Zhan Zhuang. This includes Yang Cheng Fu who trained Zhan Zhuang but only taught it to a handful of people.

So the question becomes, how did the famous practitioners of old achieve such great accomplishments? What occurred inside their bodies that allowed them to reach such high levels?