Zhanzhuang for the Elderly, the Weak, and
People with Limited Mobility
Gentle, Progressive Practice for Rebuilding Strength and Mobility
This course is designed for older adults, people who are physically weak, and those living with disabilities or limited mobility.
This course may also be suitable for people recovering from an injury or major surgery, as well as those experiencing reduced strength or mobility after illness or an extended period of inactivity.
It is offered for just $10 because I understand that older adults and people facing physical challenges may already carry significant burdens. I want to make this training as accessible as possible to those who may benefit the most from it.
Course Contents
It introduces three accessible forms of practice:
Together, these three forms provide a gradual path for people who may not yet be able to practice conventional Standing Zhanzhuang. Each method can be adapted to your present abilities, allowing you to begin from where you are today.
A Tradition of Accessible Zhanzhuang Practice
Since Yiquan began to take shape in the 1920s, generations of practitioners have explored the use of Zhanzhuang not only as a martial art, but also as a method of improving physical condition and general well-being.
One of the most important figures in this development was Dr. Yu Yongnian. Beginning in the 1980s, Dr. Yu explored the use of Zhanzhuang alongside conventional care at the hospital where he worked. Over the following decades, he observed and documented many individual cases and developed different postures for people with different physical conditions.
The practices taught in this course are based on the methods and principles developed by Dr. Yu.
A Gradual Path of Practice
The course follows a progressive training structure:
Lying-down Zhanzhuang
For people who cannot stand, or who have difficulty sitting safely for extended periods, practice can begin while lying down. This allows the practitioner to develop awareness, coordination, and gentle muscular engagement without supporting the full weight of the body.
Seated Zhanzhuang
Those who are able to sit can continue with Seated Zhanzhuang. The seated postures gradually place greater demands on the legs, hips, torso, and overall coordination of the body.
Standing Zhanzhuang with Support
When standing becomes appropriate and safe, the practitioner may progress to Standing Zhanzhuang with Support. A chair, wall, railing, or another stable object can be used to provide assistance and confidence.
The purpose of this progression is to help the body become more connected, stable, and capable over time. Depending on the individual, it may support improvements in strength, balance, postural control, and everyday mobility.
Progress is different for everyone. Some people may move from lying down to sitting, from sitting to supported standing, or eventually toward more independent movement. For others, the benefit may simply be greater comfort, awareness, stability, or confidence within their existing range of movement. Every meaningful improvement deserves to be recognized.
Experience from My Teaching
This approach is supported by a long history of practical teaching and individual experience. In my own classes, I have also worked with students who began in a physically weak condition. Through patient, consistent, and appropriately adapted practice, some gradually became stronger and more independent.
This is an encouraging example, but it should not be understood as a promise that everyone will achieve the same result. Each person’s condition, abilities, and rate of progress are different.
Practice at Your Own Pace
You do not need to force your body or imitate another person’s posture. Begin with the practice that is appropriate for you, keep the effort manageable, and allow your ability to develop gradually.
Even a short and gentle practice can be worthwhile when it is performed regularly. Consistency is more important than intensity.
Important Safety Information
I am a Zhanzhuang and Yiquan teacher, not a medical doctor. This course is intended for education and general physical practice. It is not medical treatment and should not replace medical diagnosis, rehabilitation, physical therapy, medication, or advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
The exercises in this course are designed to be gentle, low-impact, and adaptable to each person’s physical condition. They are not intended to involve strenuous movement or cause significant discomfort. However, every form of physical activity carries some risk, and individual responses may vary.
Because I cannot fully assess your medical condition through an online course, I cannot guarantee that these practices will improve or resolve any particular illness, injury, or disability. If you are recovering from an injury or surgery, or have a serious medical condition, please consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning.
Practice only within a comfortable range and progress gradually. Use stable support and ask a caregiver or another responsible person to assist you when necessary. Never attempt to sit or stand without assistance if doing so could place you at risk of falling.
Stop practicing if you experience pain, dizziness, unusual shortness of breath, chest discomfort, or any other concerning symptoms.
Approach the practice with patience and curiosity. Begin with what you can safely do today, observe how your body responds, and progress one small step at a time.
I sincerely hope this course supports you on your journey toward greater strength, stability, and independence.
Briefly on Yiquan & Zhanzhuang
The ancient Chinese came to believe that not moving may be the key to health and longevity, they gradually created a health-maintenance methodology by mimicking a tree and named it Zhanzhuang, which is also known as “Post Standing”, “Pile Standing”, “Standing Pole”, “Standing Practice”, “Standing Meditation”, “Standing like a tree”, etc..
Yiquan(意拳), a Chinese traditional martial art, has preserved the origin of Zhanzhuang and developed it as the fundamental part of its training system. Derived from Yiquan, Zhanzhuang may also be adapted as a gentle practice to support physical well-being, including for some people living with chronic conditions. Individual responses vary, and the practice should complement—not replace—appropriate medical care.
Course Curriculum
Lying-down Zhanzhuang
- Lying-down Stances
- Attachment 1
Seated Zhanzhuang
- Sitting Stances
Muscles as One
- Muscles as One
- Attachment 1
- Attachment 2
Standing Zhanzhuang with Support
- Standing Stances with Support
About the instructor
I am Song GAO, Yiquan inheritor& instructor, Zhanzhuang expert in health & wellness.
I was born in 1987 and grew up in a village in China. I began professional Yiquan and Zhanzhuang training with Master Zhang Yongmou, a fourth-generation Yiquan inheritor, in 2016.
After four years of training at Master Zhang’s Yiquan school, including three years as an assistant instructor, I became qualified to teach. I began teaching online in early 2020.
I traveled to the United States to teach Zhanzhuang and Yiquan in both 2024 and 2025.
I accepted my first two disciples in 2024: Hosh from Bisbee, Arizona, and Lyle from New York City. In 2026, Greg from Slovenia became my third disciple.
In 2026, I largely achieved my goal of becoming a full-time Yiquan teacher.
Characteristics of
is a special exercise. It’s aerobic, very gentle, and doesn’t require much movement. No warm-ups before the exercise or ending routines are required. What you need is just a place (either indoor or outdoor) with good air circulation. has a large number of postures (stances are the technical term), but there is only one basic posture which can be transformed into all other postures. So, when you master the one posture, it’s only a matter of time to master all of them. From this perspective, is not a complex skill to learn.
The training time of can be adjusted by oneself. In general, practitioners start from 5 minutes and increase progressively up to one hour. However, a 5-min has health benefits, too. So is quite accessible since no minimum “dose” of time is required. In fact, men, women, seniors, juniors, the weak or strong, all can practice according to their own situation at their preferred time and place.
There are usually four stages of the learning process and there are various reactions during beginning stages of .
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Healing aspect of
In general, can correct and build a stronger body. With postures, young men with hunchbacks can be corrected. Dysfunctional feet, knees, or legs can be fixed to a great extent. The middle-aged suffering from back/shoulder/neck/muscle pain, hemorrhoids, insomnia, bad digestion, etc., can expect to get rid of those with consistent practice of over time.
is the best option for the weak or elderly as can gradually and constantly enhance their immune system – the human body’s own defense mechanisms. According to Dr. Yu’s clinical experimentation and tests, many kinds of chronic diseases such as chronic tracheitis, chronic gastroenteritis, chronic hepatitis, cardiopathy, high blood pressure(hypertension), neurasthenic, chronic rheumatoid arthritis and similar rheumatoid arthritis, adipoma, goiter, etc., may obtain unbelievable beneficial effects after practice.
We only listed some of the health applications of . There are more. Every day practitioners are discovering new benefits of this amazing exercise.
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Why can cure diseases?
is not only standing still. It is not only meditation, either. The system of training is a combination of physical and mental aspects. The physical and mental activities are not separate from each other in this exercise. Hence, both the physiological and psychological functions of the body are cumulatively strengthened. Why heals is a huge topic. Dr. Yu had written many books about it. In this article, we are going to focus on how is able to nourish the blood. We will talk more in our blog posts.
During , the body is held relatively unchanged in correct structures and there is constant contraction and loosening between muscles and bones. This will mobilize blood vessels, which promotes blood circulation. Dr. Yu listed the following figures in the book of “ and Search of Wu” (Yu Yongnian, 2005, Shanxi Science and Technology Press).
After one hour of the composition of the blood may sensibly change:
- up to 1520 000 additional erythrocytes (red blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
- up to 3650 additional hem leukocytes (white blood cells) per cm3 of blood,
- up to 3.2 gram of additional hemoglobin per cm3 of blood.
Red blood cells are able to carry oxygen so efficiently because of the hemoglobin they contain. Increase of hemoglobin can directly impact the quantity of oxygen. With this additional amount of oxygen brought to the organ systems, one will be in a special state of relaxation and wellbeing. This is why has particularly good results in treating neurasthenia, arthritis, angina, cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
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Recommended for special people
The most important characteristic of as a healing method is that there is no side-effect. From the medicine point of view, there are not so many optional exercises for people who are too weak to sit or stand and people with special diseases i.e., cardiovascular diseases. is the best option for those people. There are lying-down postures, supported postures, sitting postures, standing postures, practitioners can choose appropriate postures and control the physical effort precisely by the time of practicing.
To conclude, with thousands of years of development and the support of Yiquan martial artists and medical professionals in the last 100 years, has brought together the essence of Chinese well-being philosophies and western sciences as a mature, thorough and complete method of health maintenance and improvement. If you want to know more about as a healing method, reading Dr. Yu’s books is a good start. Here are three recommendations:
< Zhan Zhuang and The Search of Wu > (Chinese, English versions)
<Zhan Zhuang: The Art of Nourishing Life> (Chinese, English, French versions)
< Zhan Zhuang and Dao De Jing> (Chinese version)