TCA

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  1. This is an old thread but I'd be interested in the experiences anyone practising Zhan Zhuang with a history of back or neck pain. Last year I started t'ai chi following a fibromyalgia diagnosis and it has undoubtedly helped, in tandem with an exercise regime from the book below, which promotes self-care activities for postural syndrome using trunk stabilization via contraction of the torso muscles. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Neck-Pain-Vincent-Fortanasce/dp/0736095284 Anyway, fast forward six months and having let the back and neck exercises slip, I've started Zhan Zhuang having bought a copy of Lam Kam Chuen's "Way of Energy". I'm 3 weeks into standing practice and now up to 10 minutes for each of wu chi position and holding the balloon position. I'm experiencing most of the effects described in Lam's book (tingling, numbness, warmth, etc), but in the last week I'm starting to get neck and back pain again. Plus headaches presumably from the neck pain. I'm pretty sure my posture is ok (although I'll see if my t'ai chi instructor agrees), so wondering: 1) Am I experiencing what Professor Yu Yong Nian described in Lam's book as "pain in old injuries" or "increased pain in current ailments"? These apparently surface around week 4, so the timeline fits, and I should therefore soldier on with practice as this is only my nervous system rebalancing itself as part of the healing/regenerative process? 2) Do I stop Zhan Zhuang as it might be exacerbating pain issues that I'd almost overcome? 3) Do I restart the back and neck exercises and continue Zhan Zhuang to see where that takes me? Or is that asking for more trouble? Interested to hear from anyone with similar experience.
  2. Thanks gatito. I'll see what my t'ai chi instructor has to say on the matter. Reading Lam's book some more and looking at the chart by Professor Yu Yong Nian, I may be in the category of "increased pain in current ailments". The timeline certainly fits. Part of the natural healing and regenerative process apparently..... Out of interest, when you're standing in both of the aforementioned positions, can you see your toes if you were to look downwards? Trying to get an idea of the alignment of feet to knees to head.
  3. I'm now into week 4 and up to 10 mins of standing time for each of the wu chi and holding the balloon positions. Wu chi is fine for this length of time but it's a real fight to hold the balloon for 10 mins, as muscle fatigue really kicks into my upper arms and shoulders at around the 6 minute mark. Hopefully this will ease off as I persevere. Also getting numbness and tingling in the hands, which seems par for the course, and a weird numbness across the bridge of my nose, which is peculiar. Not worried by any of that during practice, but my back and neck seem more sore generally outwith practice, so although I'm prone to this normally (half the reason I started t'ai chi), I'm concerned that my stance or posture might be wrong, so wonder if anyone can offer some pointers? I tuck my hips under with pelvis pushed forward so that my back is straight all the way to my tailbone, but I think in wu chi I maybe overdo this action, as I always seem to end up physically lower with my knees too bent, probably how I should be for holding the balloon. I'm also conscious of perhaps leaning slightly backwards with my top half as a result of pushing the hips forward. Same ever so slight leaning back sensation as I drop the weight to the tailbone. I don't feel that much back pain during standing, more of a deep spine stretch, so wondering if the aches when I'm not standing are just reactions to my realigning during practice. Or are a result of continued bad posture throughout the rest of the day. I also can't work out how my neck should be. Lam's book just says relax and hold your head straight, looking down slightly, but to me this produces no alignment with the spine (if that's what's required?). I checked my Frantzis book and he talks about lifting the skill gently off the neck bone to reduce compression on the neck vertebrae (by retracting the jaw) but I'm not sure if I'm accomplishing this or it's my attempts at this that are giving me neck pain. Or perhaps I should just concentrate more on relaxing? Any tips would be appreciated.
  4. Thanks again for the detailed reply gatito. I'll have a go with your closing and warm-down techniques. I'm basically following Lam's guidance of a few minutes stillness, twenty arm circles, shakeout of arms and legs, walk around a bit and face massage. Also adding in a few bits of closing exercises from my t'ai chi class, just as final relaxation. Feels like this'll be a work in progress as I get my standing time up. Will also try out the 8-Brocades.
  5. Hi gatito. Thanks for posting. I've watched the first few days of the YouTube Stand Still Be Fit videos and as you mentioned, I'd noticed Lam's warm-ups contradict the instruction from his book. Probably another reason why I was looking for a bit of guidance. Interesting that warm-ups in his actual classes were taught along the lines of the book and that he didn't have a satisfactory answer for you in person for not using the 8-Brocades as he did in the videos. I agree with your point about not mixing different schools of training and I think the Frantzis book will be bedtime reading material only for now. Thanks also for posting your exercise routine. That looks like something I could aim for, although I'll be patient and follow Lam's timelines for increasing standing time every few weeks. My quandary was whether I could safely do a little more of something different in the evening, but maybe I just use more t'ai chi to fill the gap for now. Can I ask if you do anything specific as part of your "closing" movements and whether the whole routine is a once-a-day practice regime?
  6. I'm in my first week of practising Zhan Zhuang, following The Way of Energy book by Lam Kam Chuen, so only at the stage of warm-up plus standing in the two postures (Wu Chi, then Holding the Balloon) for 5 minutes each. I'm doing this in the morning and happy to build up the standing time as Master Lam advises, but similar to the OP, I'm wondering what exercises I can add in the evening. If I'm reading his book correctly, Master Lam suggests several months of standing practice before starting Ba Duan Jin, so maybe that's for later? I should say that my motives for commencing study of the internal arts are from a pure health and well-being perspective. I started Li Style T'ai Chi classes last year but currently only attending 1 hour per week, although I may increase this depending on finances. The class encompasses a wide range of stuff including the Li t'ai chi form, t'ai chi dance, t'ai chi stick, sensitivity training with partners etc.. and I enjoy all the training. But at home, other than practice the form or breathing exercises, I feel I want to do more, hence the increasing interest in Zhan Zhuang/Qigong type stuff. The local library has a copy of Qigong For Health & Vitality by Michael Tse (interested to hear any views on that) and I had started working my way through his exercises which are split into balancing gong and t'ai chi gong. I don't know why but I'm not altogether convinced by the book, which has led me to Lam Kam Chuen's Way of Energy and also Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body by Bruce Frantzis. The Frantzis book looked a bit daunting on first scan, especially all the diagrams of energy gates, so I've started with the easier read from Master Lam. I also have a pdf copy of Lam's "Way of Power" which I haven't looked at much, but it seems to be a more advanced than "Way of Power"? So that's where I'm at - looking to add a bit more but wary of adding in the wrong thing or doing something that would best be left until later. Anybody care to direct this novice in mixing and matching his exercise program? All comments appreciated and please feel free to state the obvious as I'm very much at the start of a long learning process. Thanks.
  7. Hi All

    Just signed up today and looking forward to much reading and posting. I started practising (Lishi) Tai Chi about 9 months ago - Lee style as taught in the UK by the late Chee Soo. And just about to add some daily Qigong exercises to the mix, having bought copies of The Way of Energy by Lam Kam Chuen and Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body by Bruce Frantzis. It's fascinating stuff, as is the Tao Te Ching, which I'm also ploughing through - the Wayne Dyer interpretation. Looks like plenty great info on here too, so hi to all you Dao Bums out there.