STEP I
Relaxation while standing – Zhan Zhuang

Relaxation is the prerequisite for every movement. And since all movement begins in the mind, we must first relax the mind in order to achieve relaxation in the body.

Zhan Zhuang is the basic exercise for this. Zhan Zhuang means “standing like a pole” and comes from the internal martial arts, but in this form especially from „Yiquan“. A certain position is assumed and is kept as relaxed as possible for a period of time. As a result, the body learns to maintain this position with as little effort as possible and the movements become more efficient and economical.

At the same time one works with inner images and the imagination, whereby the central nervous system is trained, which controls all our movements. In addition, the strength can be increased a lot with a clear imagination, as the intermuscular coordination is improved and even the muscle strength is increased.

The Zhan Zhuang thus is a basic exercise and is practiced continuously.

STEP II
Relaxation in Movement

The next step is to transfer the relaxation developed while standing and the strength found in it into movement.

As soon as we start moving our body, we tend to use way too much muscle power than necessary.

With slow and gentle movements you can practice to move in a relaxed and economical way. It is important to maintain the imagination and the inner strength as well as possible so that they can then flow into other forms of movement.

The slower the movement, the more details emerge.

Increase speed through slowness.

Perfect movement through immobility.

STEP III
Basic Steps

The first more complex movement sequences that a child learns are walking, running, climbing and balancing.

These are the basic movements for locomotion. That is why they are essential for us.

We use them in our everyday life, but mostly we do it very unconsciously. In this step you make yourself aware of these movement patterns again and observe your body. In this way one understands these movement sequences better and can optimize them and correct any wrong patterns and bad postures. In addition, the movement sequence will be optimized a lot through the previous relaxation training and the training of effective movement.

STEP IV
Strenghten the Center

A strong center is essential for any movement. This affects the physical center as well as the mental, emotional and spirtual center.

If our center is weak, we can very quickly be thrown out of our inner and outer balance.

Furthermore, many motion sequences start from the core. If you have a strong, powerful core, the impulse that comes from it is many times stronger and the whole movement gets more power. The stronger your core, the better all your movements will be.

Therefore it is important to strengthen the center and to let the movement impulses arise from the center, the core.

STEP V
Principles of Power Transmission

It is important to understand how the force can be transmitted in the body. The body is made up of different segments / bones that are smoothly connected at the joints by muscles and ligaments. The force is thus transferred from one segment to the next.

The force can be transmitted in a straight line, as well as in a rotation or wave motion. The more efficient and fluid this transfer is, the more efficient the movement.

STEP VI
Ground Moves


In the sixth step, the range of motion is expanded further.

You go one level deeper and move closer to the ground. This creates completely new movement patterns and the body and muscles are stressed in a completely different way. This trains the whole body in a natural and healthy way.

STEP VII
Air Moves


In the seventh step, another element is added - Air.

This means that you deal with various jumps and, if you are interested, with light acrobatic elements. In this way, the movement repertoire is expanded and body awareness and coordination are trained.

STEP VIII
Combinations | Flow

Once you have acquired a basic repertoire of movements, you can combine them as you like and play with them.

The movements suggested here are intended as suggestions only, and not as rigid guidelines. Everyone moves in their own way and will also develop their own form of movement. This program is only intended to serve as orientation and assistance on this path and is intended to pave the way for as free, natural and intuitive movement as possible.