Creating Inner Stillness Through Isometric Training
Updated: Sep 15
Kellie and Kelly founded the Academy of Embodiment Arts and host the Soul Discovery podcast. They combine Qigong with meditation and energy mastery to guide people to embody a new frequency through transmutation and transformation for lasting change.
Stillness of the mind can be difficult to achieve without training stillness with the body. The dynamic repetition of conventional training does not reach the same level as training stillness through isometrics. The Greeks called it Stasis, the unbroken stance. The Vedic Sages called it Stirha, steadiness from which all higher states emerge. The Chinese called it Zhan Zhuang.
People find it difficult to hold static postures because so much exercise information focuses on dynamic repetition. Walking, running, weight-lifting, and resistance training are all dynamic exercises. However, static posture training has health benefits that dynamic exercises do not. You can find this information in research articles published on PubMed, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and The Mayo Clinic Health System.
Stillness builds muscle. This may seem contrary to what people have learned previously. The mechanism involves a class of molecules called myokines, which your body releases during sustained contraction. Here’s how it works:
Myokines are chemical messengers produced by muscle tissue under tension during isometric contraction. They travel through the bloodstream, cross into the brain, and rewire cellular function from the inside out. While these compounds can be released with movement, they are also activated with prolonged static overload. Modern fitness protocols often overlook isometrics, but you can build strength with these methods while rewiring the nervous system.
Irisin, IL-6 (Interleukin-6), and BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) are three important myokines.
Irisin is a hormone muscles release during exercise. It instructs white fat to convert into metabolically active brown fat. Brown fat, or brown adipose tissue, burns calories to generate heat and regulate your body temperature.
IL-6 is a multifunctional protein that acts as both a pro-inflammatory cytokine and an anti-inflammatory signal. It instructs the liver to release stored energy and lower systemic inflammation. This protein simulates a fever and supports the growth of T-cells and B-cells. It signals the liver to produce C-reactive protein, an acute-phase protein, it spikes to fight infection and tissue injury, then declines once the issue is resolved.
BDNF protects aging neurons from slow erosion of cognitive decline. It acts like fertilizer for the brain, supporting growth, survival, and neuron maintenance by protecting telomeres. It supports neuroplasticity, key to learning and memory, and helps regulate mood.
This means you can train the body and trigger these myokines without stressing it with extensive cardiovascular exercise or joint impact. While these have their place, static postures benefit the body on many levels. Holding static postures requires stillness of mind and body, making you aware of the mind-body connection. When standing still, you are forced to hear how busy your mind is. The willingness to remain motionless when every fibre of your being screams for you to move is as much a physical challenge as a mental one. In our busy society, it is hard for people to be alone with their thoughts. Practices such as Zhan Zhuang level the playing field. If you’re strong in body, try standing still for two minutes and see what your mind does.
The myokine cascade activates not at the comfortable threshold, but past it. The threshold is key. When you think you cannot hold it a second longer, see if you can.
Zhan Zhuang is a set we practice. It means Standing Still Like a Tree until the body remembers what the bones forgot. It challenges you physically and mentally by holding 8 postures as long as you can.
The foundation for this set is the horse stance. A proper horse stance matters because it opens the fascia in the hips and legs. Pictures can't do the posture justice, so we recommend watching this YouTube video on how to perform a proper horse stance. Begin with that before adding arm postures.
The first arm posture we recommend while in a horse stance is Big Wuji. Hold your arms in a rounded position like you have grapefruits under your armpits. Your fingertips should lightly touch your outer thighs. This posture opens up the fascia in the abdomen, chest, and neck. Start by holding it for one minute and build up to several minutes over time.
We teach the other postures in our private and group classes. Please contact us here to learn more! Our website is under construction, so if you visit here and the link doesn’t work, please be patient.
Read more from Kellie Winzinowich and Kelly Whelan-Enns
Kellie Winzinowich and Kelly Whelan-Enns, Active Embodiment Coaches
Kelly Whelan-Enns is a master of Shaolin Qi Healing, Qigong, and the internal art of Baguazhang. Plagued by asthma and hypoglycemia in his youth, Kelly's journey of healing and self-mastery has spanned over 35 years, training with master teachers and studying Taoist, Zen Buddhist, and Tibetan meditation, teaching many along the way. Kellie Winzinowich is a former elite gymnast whose journey brought her to Qigong and the study of internal alchemy. Now a Certified Hypnotherapist, she helps others navigate personal transformation. Together, Kellie and Kelly guide others to embody lasting change through physical, emotional, and spiritual self-mastery.
