I have studied many aspects of training and one concept I
have found very useful is the power of Qi Gong, not by moving but holding
certain postures like in Yoga and building the body from the inside, creating that
electric feel and Isometric Strength. Many people believe that to be really
strong, you need to physically do something; lift weights, do tons of push-ups
or squats or whatever which is all great but there is a whole other world, the
world of being still. Jackie Chan once said in The Karate Kid “Being still and
doing nothing are two very different things.”
The key to
understanding how to be still is not just holding but by your focus and your
breathing; if you can’t focus, you won’t hold the posture very long. Your
breathing is another factor, if you are a shallow breather, you won’t hold the
posture very long. These 2 things cannot work without the other otherwise
you’re not getting the full benefit of that powerful internal work of art that
resides inside you.
If you took
a simple exercise and turned into a posture, it’s a whole different exercise.
Let’s take the push-up for example; you can crank out a good 10-20 reps no
problem, now hold it like the plank for 10-20 seconds; see how different it is
and the way your muscles work differently? How about a weighted implement like
simply holding a barbell overhead for time, pretty simple right? Wrong, there
are many things going on in your body that you don’t realize, every single inch
of your body comes into play and that’s where the real power comes in. My
favorite posture is the Wrestler’s Bridge, being able to hold a position with
my nose touching the mat, feet flat, hips and butt high and just letting the
world pass by for a few minutes; after those few minutes, I come out of it and
everything feels like the world was at peace where nothing is wrong, my body
feels incredible and just smiling for no reason.
That’s the
embodiment of a power posture having that feeling from the endorphins and while
you feel like a billion bucks, your body becomes stronger from within and your
tendons just have this power of superb strength. With Power Postures, you open
your body from the inside, building who you are and what strengthens you. The
power of your mind has more to do with than just physically holding an
isometric position. You can do this with just about any exercise, you can do it
anywhere, anytime, sitting, standing or laying down. Learn some basic postures
and you’ll see how powerful they are.
