Is your stance practice like a dead post?

What is your zhan zhuang practice becoming? The number one problem people have practicing zhan zhuang is dead-post standing. This means being rigid and non-living, doing the practice as if one has a stick stuck you know where.

The second big mistake in dead post standing is when the mind over thinks and over controls instead of simply guiding growth, development, and understanding as one practices.

The post turtle could be a symbol for both of these problems. Just look at the picture above. A stiff rigid pole with all the life stuck on top, over thinking and trying to figure it out. As we say in Wujifa, "the method is not the truth."

Like the punch line to the joke about the post turtle:

The old man says, "When you're driving down a country road and you see a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle. You know he didn't get up there by himself. He doesn't belong there; he can't get anything done while he's up there; and you just want to help the poor, dumb thing down."

The post-turtle is further explained: He did not get there by himself. He cannot get down. And he can only see in the direction he has been turned.

Visit and Read: Zhan Zhuang Alignment
Visit and Read: Wujifa Triangles
Visit and Read: More on Zhan Zhuang and Movement

Posted via email from Wujifa at Posterous

Video of Master Chen Xiao Xing

Here is some video of Master Chen Xiao Xing taken back in 2007. I thought it would be nice to start off this New Year with some Chen Style Taijiquan. In the following video of Master Chen Xiao Xing 陳小星 are from the "Cannon Fist" or "Er Lu" Chen Style Taiji form and were recorded in Chicago at a wonderful seminar. There are some nice fajin clips in this short video and some clips shown in slow and extra slow motion as well. Chen Xiao Xing was born in 1952, 3rd son of Chen Zhao Xu and brother of Chen Xiao Wang.



Here is the YouTube link for those of you that enjoy watching videos there.

I really enjoyed shooting this back then and now putting this video together this week. I hope that showng Master Chen Xiao Xing doing some of the fajin (to issue or discharge power explosively) of "Cannon fist" in this video at various speeds of slow motion and at normal speed is helpful and enjoyable for you as well. It's pretty rare to be able to shoot video while a seminar is "in progress" and I'm happy to be able to share these clips here with all of you.

Let me know what you think of this video of Master Chen Xiao Xing in the comment area. There are more internal martial arts videos in the works as I am always weeding back through footage I have taken over the years. Also more articles and videos on Wujifa in the works as well.

Happy New Year everyone!