Monk Gazing at Moon: Standing Qigong on Nha Trang Beach at Night
A cool spring night practice meets the science of standing meditation.
Nha Trang Vietnam at night. Waves crash on the shore. A bright full moon hangs overhead. The ocean breeze carries the cool spring air, and an island sits visible in the distance.
I stood barefoot in the sand doing “Monk Gazing at Moon”. Feet rooted. Arms raised softly. Hands framing the moon without any strain. I breathed with the rhythm of the tide using the secret combined breathing pattern of the Flying Phoenix Heavenly Healing Meditations. When standing is just standing and gazing is just gazing, clarity arises naturally. Nothing here is in the way.
The old courtyard story came to mind. Stone tiles warm from the day. Moon full and pale above the temple roof. Tonight the courtyard was this beach. Cool sand underfoot. Dark horizon broken by the island. The same bright moon overhead.
As legend goes, this practice came from the Taoist monk Feng Dao De (馮道德). He embodied the Flying Phoenix system of Qigong in the mid-1600s at Emei Mountain during a time of great upheaval. Du Tian Yin (杜天陰), a high-ranking official, gave him refuge. In return, Feng Dao De transmitted the teachings directly. He guided Du Tian Yin through the postures and the secret breathing sequences that ignite healing Qi. Their meeting blended martial insight, medicine, and deep meditation into a living system that still works today.
I took the same posture once given in that lineage. Spine upright. Arms gentle. After twenty-five years with this practice, I no longer wait for the posture to take me somewhere. I simply stood, breathed, and gazed while the waves kept crashing and the breeze moved across my skin.
This is classic standing Qigong. Some people call it Zhan Zhuang (站樁), Chan Chuang, or Wuji standing. In the Flying Phoenix system the “Monk Gazing at Moon” posture pairs with a secret combined breathing pattern. I used that esoteric breath sequence to ignite the healing Qi inside my body. The energy arose naturally and began to self-organize, just as the teachings describe.
Weight balanced on the sand. Breath settling into the tide. Eyes steady toward the moon and the distant island. My mind grew quieter on its own. Attention gathered without force. The body settled. The breath deepened. And the healing Qi gently awakened and moved through me.
This is the heart of the teaching. The posture does not point somewhere else. It already holds what it reveals. Nothing stands in the way.
The Science of Standing Practices
Research now echoes what practitioners have felt for centuries. In a randomized controlled trial by Lyu et al. published in Medicine in 2021, three-circle post standing Qigong showed effects on anxiety in college students. The team tracked the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale plus heart rate variability and EEG patterns. (Link)
A 2017 study in Frontiers in Psychology by Henz and colleagues found increased alpha activity during Qigong standing practices. This points to a relaxed yet aware state that appears without forced effort. (Link)
In 2023 Qi et al. used fNIRS in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience and saw better prefrontal cortex activity and connectivity during standing meditation. These shifts support clearer emotional regulation and attention. (Link)
The benefits — better nervous system balance, less anxiety, and steadier brain patterns — appear through simple upright alignment and calm presence. Specific breath patterns like those in Flying Phoenix seem to strengthen the body’s natural response.
From Temple to Beach
Du Tian Yin never told his student to drop the posture once something clicked. There was nothing to throw away. The same is true on cool Nha Trang sand with the ocean breeze.
Standing Qigong, especially with the precise breathing of Flying Phoenix, lets structure and breath do the work. Bones stack. Tension releases. The nervous system settles into its own quiet coherence. It feels ancient and deeply practical at the same time.
Try it yourself. Start with five or ten minutes. Feet about shoulder width. Knees soft. Spine tall. Arms relaxed or in the Monk Gazing at Moon shape. Breathe naturally at first. Let the mind rest on the sensations around you. When standing is just standing, the healing Qi and the benefits show up by themselves.
I’d love to hear from you. Where do you practice standing Qigong? On the beach at night, in a park, or somewhere else? Have you felt shifts in your body or the quiet arising of healing energy? Leave a comment below.
If this speaks to you, there is more on classical Qigong and research here on Jade Dragon. Subscribe so you catch the next one.
Yours,
David
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