The ability of people to use the internet to expand their knowledge of the world around them is simply astounding. YouTube is a literal library of video tutorials, buried among the blooper and cat videos. These videos are one of the main reasons for the increasing number of people in the west moving into practicing many eastern exercise and health programs. One set of excellent, and free, Qigong videos was produced by Master Lam Kam Chuen especially for YouTube viewers.

Master Lam has put together a set of 10 videos in his "Stand Still, Be Fit" series, all professionally produced and offering valuable instruction in zhan zhuang, or Qigong Standing Meditation and Eight Brocades Qigong. The series is presented in segments of 10 daily lessons and, according to Master Lam they cannot be just watched: They have to be practiced. Qigong is, in its essence, a movement exercise, not a watching exercise. Learning comes from watching, listening and doing at the same time.

But what exactly does standing Qigong do for its practitioners? It has been said many times that before we can run we must first learn to crawl and walk. Before moving into more complex movements and sets in Qigong new students must first build a foundation and to, in many cases for the first time in their lives, become acquainted with their bodies. Beginning your practice with standing Qigong imparts a number of immediate benefits:

• Clears the mind of stray thoughts and internal chatter
• Stabilizes the stance and posture, improving balance
• Encourages focused inspection of the body, breath and attention
• Lays the groundwork for advancement into the movement arts

We must remember that Qigong is not simply a movement art it is the art of harmonious movement. This means that the body is moving in harmony with your breathing and your attention. If any one of the three legs that this exercise routine stands on the full benefit of the exercise is lost.
Standing Qigong, if practiced regularly and with intention, not only gives us the experience needed to bring our different systems into harmony but also passes along immediate benefits by correcting bad habits that we have developed over our lives and that have caused deteriorating health. Western medicine has been using Qigong Standing Meditation on a regular basis for more than two decades in the treatment and therapy sessions for people with serious medical conditions like Parkinson´s Disease and even depression.