STANDING FOUNDATION
Standing Foundation is the most fundamental exercise in all of our energy development work. If you do no other exercise, you should practice this one! People often report that after having been taught Standing Foundation, they continue to practice for many years as they notice the incredible results.

Standing Foundation is often referred to as 'Chi Kung', but that term covers a broad range of practices. Standing Foundation consists of a few, simple standing postures. You take a posture and stand in it, consciously, effortlessly, gathering back your whole being and reconnecting with the energies of the Universe. It might sound like a simple thing to just stand still for a few minutes, but, if you haven't tried it, you'll see that it can be quite challenging at times!

Standing Foundation is one of the most simple, yet powerful exercises of all. Some form of standing can be found in most systems of martial art. It may seem mysterious, but what happens is that you align your body to stand with perfect balance. In this position you are also aligned with the Earth's magnetic and gravitational fields, and your energetic system starts to gather and collect energy, like an electric generator.

When practiced over many years, your body slowly re-aligns itself, and the energy starts to flow more easily. This is as effective a method of energy cultivation as most of the more well known meditation practices, and even more effective than many of the esoteric ones!

Standing Foundation cultivates your grounding by melting away tensions in your legs, allowing the connection to the Earth to return. It is therfore an essential practice for any serious Tai Chi student, and cannot be recommended too highly. Also if you are simply interested in cultivating your Chi, this is a fundamental practice. It can also be used by bodyworkers to help understand grounding and to develop the power to heal (see the Chi Healing section for more about this).

ENERGY DIRECTION (PO CHI)
Energy Direction exercises are not traditional Tai Chi exercises. They help to calm the mind, open up higher centres, and to guide the energy around the body. They are a perfect inclusion in the Golden Flower Style as they help to promote the goal of general stress relief and harmony which is much needed in today's society.

These exercises also have a deeper basis which is revealed as the students are ready to move further with these exercises.

One particular benefit of practicing Energy Direction, or 'Po Chi' exercises is to train Tai Chi Vision. This is the ability to place the gaze into the far distance and let the eyes relax, unfocus, and let all of reality enter into the mind. This is the kind of vision to use while practicing the Tai Chi form.

MERGING HEAVEN AND EARTH
This is a Chi Kung exercise which we use for 'Closing', ie to end a session of practice. It should not be used at any other time. This is another slow moving sequence which helps you to reconnect to the Earth, then to Heaven, and finally to gather and mix all of those energies back in the Lower Dan Tien (the centre in the lower belly area).

SITTING MEDITATION
Within the Golden Flower Style, we also practice sitting meditation. This helps to calm the mind and gather all of your essence. We simply sit upright in a chair and be still and quiet for a few minutes. You can try it now as you read this.