ZHAN ZHUANG - The Art of Natural Energy

• YOUR NATURAL ENERGY

§YOUR NATURAL ENERGY

The human body is a reservoir of living energy, although this energy is frequently dammed up within. We are born with exuberant vitality, which, as we age, progressively diminishes.

Zhan Zhuang is a unique practice precisely because it reverses this process of decline. With roots in ancient China, this exercise awakens and amplifies an extraordinary flow of dormant vital energy, elevating the body and mind to higher levels of functioning.

The energy that animates our organism is so natural and spontaneous that we rarely stop to reflect on it. It manifests in the continuous rhythm of breathing, in the incessant circulation of blood, in the thousands of chemical reactions that occur at every instant, and in the numerous electrical impulses that traverse the entire system. Furthermore, we are an integral part of the global energy flow that surrounds us. The complex energy networks of our body participate in the energy of the natural world. Each human being is, in miniature, a field of the universe’s electromagnetic energy.

§THE ORIGINS OF ENERGY

Our existence begins with the fusion of the vital energies of our parents. From the moment of conception, a new vital structure is born and grows. Suspended without effort in amniotic fluid, we absorb nutrition, protection, and immunity, moving to the rhythm of the maternal body. Sustenance flows through the umbilical cord to the center of the being in formation. With birth, everything changes radically. What once arrived naturally must now be sought by one’s own means—through the lungs, the mouth, the senses, and the muscles.

Over time, even the way we breathe changes. In childhood, we breathe from the abdomen, as if we were still centered on the umbilical cord. As we grow, the center of respiration gradually shifts to the thorax, so that, by late childhood, most people believe they control their breathing with their chest muscles. Slowly, the simple fact of being alive accumulates tension in the chest, shoulders, neck, and mind.

Since we opened our eyes to the world as newborns, our life has been filled with constant movement. The body is permanently subjected to nervous and muscular tension of various kinds. Attention is incessantly demanded by varied stimuli. Scientific studies have shown that even during sleep, mental activity persists. If we ask someone to stop thinking for a few moments and simply forget everything, they will most likely discover that they cannot—thought continues to jump from topic to topic, restless as a monkey.

The mental tensions of modern life exert a direct and harmful effect on the entire organism. A considerable proportion of common illnesses is associated with stress—both directly, as in headaches, myocardial infarctions, and nervous system disorders, and indirectly, through the weakening of the immune system and internal organs caused by tension accumulated in the muscles, organs, and nerves.

Deep relaxation is something we rarely achieve. We have lost the innate ability to grow in serenity. We move through the air, but we can no longer float in it as we once floated in the waters of the womb. People resort to the most diverse forms of relaxation: television, music, walking, meals, and, naturally, sleep. Some find benefit in yoga and meditation. However, very rarely does any of these approaches manage to relax the nervous system and the muscular system simultaneously. In the practice of Zhan Zhuang, it becomes possible to achieve this simultaneous relaxation, recovering the circulation of original natural energy in both the body and the mind. This is the secret of the modus operandi of energy.

§CULTIVATING INNER STRENGTH

Working with inner energy does not mean entering a state of weakness or passivity. Relaxing is not the same as giving in. The secret of inner strength lies in rediscovering and releasing the powerful latent energy that is blocked within you.

Deep relaxation is only one component of the process; the other is the development of physical and mental capacities that have never been fully channeled. It is known that we use only a small fraction of our brain cells. The same applies to physical capacity: we know and train only a small portion of our potential. Most forms of exercise—running, swimming, weightlifting, team sports, and aerobics—are oriented toward the development of physical endurance, working specific muscle groups with an evident impact on the lungs, the heart, and the cardiovascular system. However, there is a limit to the benefits of these practices: long before all available muscular capacity is explored, the overload on the heart and, especially, on the lungs becomes so intense that fatigue sets in and it is necessary to stop. The result is not only temporary tiredness but also inevitably limited muscular development.

The Zhan Zhuang exercises presented here allow one to work muscle groups in their fullness and for prolonged periods without overloading the lungs. Indeed, breathing becomes progressively slower and deeper, generating an abundant supply of oxygen to the heart. Simultaneously, the heart rate increases, allowing the heart to transport these large volumes of oxygen to the muscles and internal organs. Even when exercising in an intense and unprecedented way, there will be no panting or shortness of breath. It will be possible to practice without fighting against one’s own body. Few other forms of exercise stimulate, purify, and massage all internal systems of the organism in the same way.

§EFFORT AND RELAXATION

Achieving this inner strengthening and purity, while simultaneously reducing levels of muscular and nervous tension, requires a radically different approach from conventional forms of exercise. A method is needed that combines effort and relaxation simultaneously—something very distinct from performing intense exercise followed by a period of rest. The modus operandi of energy is based precisely on the dynamic and simultaneous fusion of these two apparently contradictory activities.

For those unfamiliar with the fundamentals of traditional Chinese medicine, the results of this practice may seem almost miraculous and, to the more skeptical, even exaggerated. However, as interest in complementary medicine grows and people begin to question and explore new perspectives on health and well-being, the desire to deepen the wisdom and experience accumulated over centuries from other cultures becomes increasingly evident.