# Pain in knees from Qigong stance of power



## NattyT (Sep 26, 2010)

Hi guys

I've only just started practicing Qigong from a DVD. It is healing Qigong - but think i will change the style after reading around the forum, maybe that is too advanced for a beginner

Anyway, im unused to standing in the stance of power, my feet naturally turn outwards and im unused to standing with bent knees for any length of time. They start to ache and the muscles in my legs shake a bit after around 10 mins of practice

What should i do?

Thanks for you replies


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## NattyT (Sep 26, 2010)

one more thing...

I try and practice first thing in the morning but i always have a coffee before doing so - any thoughts on this? would it be better not to have caffeine?

The thing is, i always start with a sitting meditation and without caffeine i often start falling asleep during

cheers


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## oaktree (Sep 26, 2010)

Dear Natty,
I will try to answer your questions.



> I've only just started practicing Qigong from a DVD. It is healing Qigong - but think i will change the style after reading around the forum, maybe that is too advanced for a beginner


 
Is the name of the DVD _*Healing Qigong*_? 
I am unsure what this DVD teaches or is about so I have no idea if you are doing it incorrectly because you are unsure or if the DVD is teaching you incorrectly or both. If possible look for a teacher to help with correcting things. I am sure there is one in your area.

I am unsure what you are trying to accomplish in Qigong so changing styles may or may not suit you or your goals.

I am unsure if what is being taught is advanced for a beginner or not because again, have no idea what they are teaching and if it is actually Qigong.



> Anyway, im unused to standing in the stance of power, my feet naturally turn outwards and im unused to standing with bent knees for any length of time.


 
It is common to not be use the standing practices. 
The feet could be turning outwards for many different reasons:

1.the area is slippery

2. the shoes have bad grip 

3.could be the standing is done in a deeper stance causing the feet to be out more.

4. It could be that you naturally walk with your feet outwards rather in proper body alignment. Making it more natural and comfortable to stand with the feet outward.

5.It could also be that your balance is not good resulting the feet outwards to make up for the balance. It could be your leaning to much foward on the soles of the feet and to make up for the imbalance the heels are turning out.

6. Could be your putting to much weight with force rather than relaxing which is causing pressure on the knees. This may be why your body or mind is shifting the weight outward to not put so much on the knees.

As you can see many possible reasons.

You should not feel pain in the knees. Muscle pain is normal because of the tension it eventually goes away. 

You may experience other sensations 
I will not tell you what sensations you may feel because trying to make this happen will hinder your progress.
But *you should never feel pain in the knees.*



> They start to ache and the muscles in my legs shake a bit after around 10 mins of practice


10 minutes is to much for a beginner. I think 5 minutes is good.

Your legs may be shakey because of the duration of practice or how deep the stance is. It is common for someone who is practicing a stance for a long time who is using their muscles to be shakey because of the contraction of muscle tension.



> I try and practice first thing in the morning but i always have a coffee before doing so - any thoughts on this? would it be better not to have caffeine?


 
The mind needs to be relaxed. If the mind is anxious then it will be difficult to relax the body. If the body is not relaxed then you will not be able to sink correctly. If you can not sink correctly the tension could be on the knees or other problems.

If you must have coffee. You can either 1.Do you practice before the coffee or 2. practice at another time.

It is errorous to think you must practice in the morning. It is better to practice with the correct mind then the right time(meaning morning,night,afternoon) 



> The thing is, i always start with a sitting meditation and without caffeine i often start falling asleep during


 
It is possible to adjust things. You can do standing first then go to a sitting. You can do standing morning sitting at night. 

You can have an alarm. There are many possible paths. I think you should avoid the caffeine during practice. And explore other methods.


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## Xue Sheng (Sep 27, 2010)

NattyT said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I've only just started practicing Qigong from a DVD. It is healing Qigong - but think i will change the style after reading around the forum, maybe that is too advanced for a beginner
> 
> ...


 
Listen to what oaktree is saying because he knws what he is talking about. As for seated meditation, I recommend the book "Finding the Still Point: A Beginner's Guide to Zen Meditation" by John Daido Loori

Now the title "Healing Qigong" concerns me; Who is the teacher on the DVD? If you do not want to post it feel free to PM me.


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