09/08/2026
Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) is extremely important. It is what we call internal training, or neigong.
When you stand like this, you remain still—completely still. Some schools incorporate a little movement, but that doesn’t really matter; the principle is the same.
What you are training is your internal intention, or yi. You train this intention together with your breathing and with your awareness of the directions in which your hands and feet want to move.
Zhan Zhuang is not really a physical movement. What you are activating is the intention.
For someone practicing martial arts, this is a very important form of training. As I mentioned earlier, in many martial arts schools, practitioners begin their training by standing in Zhan Zhuang.
Of course, some people use Zhan Zhuang as a way of closing or completing a practice session, doing it at the end of their martial arts training. That works as well. It can also be practiced entirely on its own.
Whether it is Zhan Zhuang or seated meditation, these are very important forms of training.
