Natural Stance

Natural Stance, as the name implies, is the simplest way to standrnnaturally. A naturally balanced human body responds to the challenge ofrngravity by bringing itself to a stable position using its bone structure tornsupport its weight and prevent falling. The vertical alignment of the spinernallows the body to spend the least amount of energy to maintain a stable,
upright stance.

If you are one of the many people leading a sedentary lifestyle you mayrnnot know how to keep your body naturally balanced and aligned. If yourndeviate from your natural alignments, the weight of your body will not bernsupported by its bone structure, and you will have to engage your musclesrnto keep yourself from falling. Although muscular tension may prevent yournfrom falling, muscles are never as strong as bones; muscles spendrnenergy while the bones do their work effortlessly. Not only will this makernyou tired but it will also restrict your mobility and cause discomfort.
Eventually, chronically tense muscles will begin to ache from the effortrnrequired to keep the misaligned body from falling.

If the body is misaligned, it may try various compensation strategiesrn(e.g., shift the weight between the hips, tilt the pelvis, bend the spine, raisernone shoulder or the other, etc.) all of which will eventually contribute to thernmuscular tension and pain. Learning Natural Stance and addressing thernissue of balance between the feet can often help resolve such commonrnconditions as headache, backache, shoulder pain, sciatica, and evenrnscoliosis.

In Natural Stance, the weight of the body is distributed evenly betweenrnboth legs while the torso and head are resting on the bone structure of thernspine. The natural curve of the spine is neither exaggerated norrndiminished. This allows the free flow of energy throughout the organism. Ifrnyou could visualize the energy field of such an aligned person, their energyrnfield would appear symmetrical and centered.

You can experience Natural Stance by jumping up in the air and landingrnon both feet as softly as possible with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Notice that the easiest way to do this is to land with you knees bent, lettingrnyour quadriceps (thigh muscles) absorb the shock of landing. They are,
after all, the largest muscles in the human body, which are most suitablernfor being shock absorbers. Natural Stance allows you to maintainrnnatural body alignment, distributing most of your weight on the bonernstructure of your body, rather than the muscles.

Notice how bent your knees are. Naturally, the deeper you squat, thernfurther the toes tend to turn outwards away from the centerline with thernknees following suit. Experiment with bending your knees enough to coverrnyour feet when you look at them. You may ask your practice partner to testrnhow stable you are in this stance. Compare this to other positions wherernyour knees are locked or do not sufficiently cover your feet from sight.
Taking a Natural Stance is an exercise in awareness in its own right. Itrnis an excellent way to begin exploring the practice of Qi Dao - Tibetan Shamanic Qigong.