Sitting & Standing Mindfulness
How can Sitting Mindfulness help me?
Sitting Mindfulness is a form of mindfulness. Resting in a comfortable and alert posture allows us to non-judgementally observe the comings and going of our mind, heart and body. In times when any one of these seems to be in a state of confusion sitting meditation can be a sanctuary of peace and calm. Over time we can learn not to be rocked quite so hard by our internal struggles and respond rather than react to situations in which we may have felt hopeless or out of control.
What does Sitting Mindfulness practice do?
In adults, mindfulness training has been shown to improve health and wellbeing. People of all ages report after taking a
mindfulness course that they have found that they can learn more effectively, think more clearly, perform better and
feel calmer, less anxious and less depressed. Mindfulness is now recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and GPs are
referring adults on 8 week courses to reduce stress and help prevent recurrent depression. It is increasingly being used in business to improve staff wellbeing and satisfaction, in sports training to improve performance, and with children and young people and in schools to
enhance wellbeing and learning.
For a nice article on the science of Sitting Meditation have a look at this Esquire article.
What can Standing Mindfulness (Zhan Zhuang) practice do for me?
Standing in Zhan Zhuang improves posture, balance and strength. It calms the mind and harmonises the breath with the body. As we learn to standing in a restful posture we can let go of long standing habitual tensions even from childhood and teenage years.
What is Standing Mindfulness (Zhan Zhuang)?
Zhan Zhuang is an ancient practice found at the centre of the Qi Gung canon. Literally meaning pile standing also translated as embrace tree it is a neutral posture with hips and shoulders directly above the feet and arms raised in different postures depending on the stage of difficulty we practice and the intention we are cultivating.
