Chi Gong standing tree meditation restores the posture balance through body awareness. Practice it daily for 5-45 minutes.
- Stand with feet hip width apart
- Feet grounded
- Knees slightly bent
- Spine long
- Shoulders relaxed
- Crown of the head floating freely upwards with the back of the neck long
- Hands placed just a few inches in front of the lower abdomen (one inch bellow the navel)
- Alert yet calm gaze
- Easy, effortless breathing through the nose
In times past, when there were no pavements and sidewalks, people climbed rocks, crossed river beds and walked across uneven terrains. With time our connection to the ground through our feet has been replace by highly engineered footwear. Even though todays modern conveniences help us from stepping on the sharp objects and keep our feet warm, still the importance of moving barefoot and walking on uneven terrains often might be part of the solution in keeping your joints healthy.
Our body has been superbly engineered with its own shock absorbing system. By allowing the knees to be slightly bent in standing and moving, it is like having a cushioning system for the joints, including the spine. Try this experiment! Stand with our feet hip distance apart and slightly bend your knees. Now move your hips and spine in different ways. Notice how it feels. Now try the same experiment but this time keep your knees straight. Have you noticed the difference? Yes, of course, when your knees are slightly bent your spine and hips have more mobility and freedom to move with grace and fluid movements without unnecessary tension and effort.
Happy walking!
