Stick Action Meditation Manual
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page 1
STICK ACTION
MEDITATION
MANUAL
2nd edition
Faster than Yoga, stronger than Tai Chi,
Stick Action Meditation is flexibility, fitness,
& mindfulness meditation all in one program.
written by
Erik D. Wiegardt, MFA
Copyright © 2012 by Erik D. Wiegardt. All rights reserved.
wordsmith press · san diego · california
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Stick Action Meditation
Mindfulness, Regeneration, Serenity
Introduction
Faster than Yoga, stronger than Tai Chi, Stick Action Meditation is stretching, strengthening, and meditation
all in one. You may have tried Yoga, but became discouraged when you realized it would take years of
effort and discomfort to be any good at it. You may have tried Tai Chi, but found that this esoteric
dance form was just too strange. Now there's a third and better way, Stick Action Meditation (SAM).
SAM was not written by an exercise or fitness guru. You do not have to be a talented athlete to do it.
I'm not. I'm the Headmaster of the College of Stoic Philosophers, an Internet school of ancient
philosophy, and I'm more cerebral than athletic. That's probably why it took me twenty-two (22) years
to find the perfection of this program and bother with bringing it into the world.
What does Stick Action Meditation mean? You will use a 4-foot stick, 1 3/8 inch, to perform a mindfulness
action program in a way that emphasizes both stretching and strengthening in a way that becomes a new
form of meditation. When you put it together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If you want
to improve your health, your flexibility, your strength, and your serenity all at the same time, Stick
Action Meditation (SAM) is what you're looking for.
There are four parts to Stick Action Meditation:
SAM I emphasizes stretching, toning, and mindfulness. It only takes about 8 minutes, but has
nearly all the basic positions and movements of action meditation.
SAM II emphasized stretching, some strengthening, and mindfulness. It only takes about 15
minutes and has All of the basic positions and movements. This is the standard.
SAM III is called Traveling SAM, because this is the adaptation of SAM II to
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taking care of
your stretching, strengthening, and mindfulness even while you are away from home and don't
have your Stick.
SAM IV is called the Ultimate SAM, because here is the whole package, and then some. This
takes about 60 minutes, during which time you will acquire stretching, strengthening, lowimpact aerobics, and mindfulness to the point of true meditation.
As long as there is time, there will be the distractions of past and future, and there will be a need for
mindfulness. As long as there is the 2 nd Law of Thermodynamics, there will be decay, and there will be
a need for regeneration. As long as there is the Dynamic Continuum, there will be strife, and there will
be a need for serenity. Stick Action Meditation: Mindfulness, Regeneration, Serenity.
*
INTRODUCTION TO THE 2ND EDITION. The changes you will find in this second edition to the Stick
Action Meditation Manual are mostly confined to SAM III. There are a few more words in the
introduction, and there are a few improved instructions here and there, but there are no changes in
the basic positions and movements - except in SAM III. That has been completely changed to
accommodate those who are traveling or unable to have a Stick on hand. It's very different from the
other forms of SAM, but provides essentially the same benefit. Some may actually prefer Traveling
SAM to all others.
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The Origins: 1989
I had chronic lower back pain and had already gone through three episodes of disability: flat on my
back, knees up, for days or weeks at a time. I also had a tendency to get inguinal hernias which
started with lifting weights when I was thirteen then came back to trouble me time and again. I’d
already had five surgical repairs. I was also just plain weak. A fifteen-pound weight felt heavy to me. I
had stiff and painful joints – shoulders, elbows, hips, knees. I was fifty pounds overweight, and I felt
old. I was 44.
I tried various exercises. I worked out with the weight lifters at a local athletic club. My aching joints
got worse, my hernia repairs felt like they were tearing loose, and my lower back threatened to knock
me flat. I thought about taking up aerobic dance (it was fashionable back then), but I wasn’t the type
to flit about in brightly colored body stockings. I wanted to get in shape, but I didn’t even know how
to get started. I tried Yoga, but it took up too much of my time. Someone suggested Tai Chi, but I
couldn't do it because those movements, those images of old people in the park, always looked really
weird and depressing to me.
I fiddled around for months, trying one thing then another. Nothing stuck. Nothing worked. Finally, my
frustration inspired some mad impulse, and I grabbed a 4-foot wooden, clothes hanger rod collecting
dust in a back bedroom closet. All that day and most of the next, I struggled to combine everything I
knew about flexibility and fitness, which wasn't much. I took notes as I went and called the clothes
hanger rod I was using, “Stick.” That was just the beginning.
Today
When I look back at 1989, I'm surprised at how badly I had neglected my physical strength and
health. Today, I'm considerably stronger and
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don't have to worry about my back, joints, or hernias.
It's been more than 25 years since my last episode of paralyzing back pain, the kind that throws you
to the floor and pins you there for hours at a time. I know that SAM made the difference. Even if I lost
all interest in the meditation aspect of this program, I would continue to do SAM - and will continue
SAM for the rest of my life.
Stick Action Meditation evolved through many revisions until it became as close to perfect as I believe
it can be. It took twenty-two years. That’s why only now after so many years, I’m ready to share it
with you. And, the good news is this program can be done in an hour, or a half hour, or 15 minutes, or
even less! SAM is an outstanding flexibility and strengthening program, an excellent regeneration
program when you’re in really bad shape - the way I was. Or, for you athletes, you may want to
include it as a vital complement to a more physical routine, the kind I couldn’t even begin to think
about in 1989. No matter what condition you’re in today, whether you are a power lifter or a never
lifter of anything heavier than a computer mouse, you can and always should do Stick Action
Meditation.
Stretching and Isometrics. Each position is identified by its primary action on the body. Some
emphasize stretching (s), some emphasize isometrics (i), and some do both (is). Stretching need very
little discussion because you already know the body needs regular stretching and stressing of the
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muscles, ligaments, and joints or they become weak and more susceptible to injury from lack of use.
Isometrics may be less familiar to you, and I'll save you a trip to the dictionary by giving you what my
largest dictionary says about this kind of exercise:
Isometric exercises strengthen specific muscles or shape the figure by pitting one muscle or part of
the body against another or against an immovable object in a strong but motionless action, as by
pressing the fist of one hand against the palm of another or against a desk.
As you will see, it's also possible to do both stretching and isometrics at the same time, and a number
of exercises combine these two types and are identified accordingly.
* * *
Getting Started
The Stick I use is common dowel that you can buy at most hardware, home improvement, or building
supply stores. I prefer the heft of red oak, but fir dowel is also good. It only costs a few bucks. Get a
straight one, 48 inches in length and 1-3/8" actual diameter. Lightly sand it with fine grit paper and
write your name on it somewhere to identify who it belongs to. You can finish or not finish your stick,
but if you do I recommend screwing a fish-eye screw in one end so you can suspend it with string
while putting on the finish. I prefer two coats of a water-based flat or satin, clear acrylic finish. Waterbased acrylic is easier to use and clean up. With a little preparation your stick will look good for many
years. Make sure the finish is completely dry before using. Two or three days drying time is about
right.
What to Wear. Loosely fitting clothes. Sweats are ideal in cold weather; swim wear or light gym
wear is ideal when it’s hot. You can wear any comfortable, flat-soled shoes, or no shoes at all.
Personally, I prefer none on a carpet or sandals
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on a hardwood floor or out doors. Tennis shoes are
good, too.
When & How Often. Every day, or every other day, or at least two or three times a week. Once a
week is the bare minimum. If you get sick or injured and can’t do SAM for more than a week, don’t
worry about it. You can come back. I once injured myself on a remodeling project around the house
and was unable to do two positions comfortably for nearly a year. Eventually, I modified those
positions so that I could do them without injuring myself, and I began again. It was great to come
back.
I prefer doing SAM first thing in the morning, because that’s when I’m most disciplined for such things
and because I have an empty stomach. Doing it on a full stomach is not comfortable, especially in the
Diogenes' Chair position. Regardless of our level of self discipline or length of our waistline, however,
we are the stiffest and least flexible in the morning, and if you are already under attack by
decrepitude, you may want to start in late afternoon or evening when you’re more limber. Then you
can switch to the morning if it’s more convenient.
Always listen to your body and never force it to continue when injured or in pain. Don’t forget this.
Ease into each position gradually and hold it for as long as is comfortable. You should not expect to
do SAM completely and correctly the very first time you try it unless you happen to be very limber and
athletically precocious. If these positions are easy, good. Get started on SAM before the stiffness of
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decrepitude comes to you. If these positions are difficult, that’s OK too. Get started on SAM now. Do
what you can while you still can.
The Standing Position. You begin and end SAM in the Standing Position, which is simply standing
erect with feet planted shoulder width apart and the Stick positioned vertically in front of you. The
end of Stick on the ground or floor should be centered and equidistant between your feet so that the
end of the stick and the end of each big toe makes an equilateral triangle.
Counting Breaths and Movements. You are going to be counting breaths as you move and
assume various positions. It will be easier to keep track of most of these positions if you breathe this
way: and 1, and 2, and 3, and 4. Inhale on the 'and' and exhale on the number 1,2,3, or 4. Except for
the transition movements virtually all of the positions of SAM will be done in groups of four (4).
* * * *
A Little Philosophy
MARCUS AURELIUS (121-180) Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher wrote:
Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant: all the rest of his life is either
past and gone, or not yet revealed....To see the thing of the present moment is to see all that is now,
all that has been since time began, and all that shall be into the world's end; for all things are of one
kind and one form.
(Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Bk 3,10, Bk 6, 37).
PIERRE HADOT (1922-2010) academic philosopher and historian of ancient philosophy wrote:
Attention (prosochē) is the fundamental Stoic spiritual attitude. It is a continuous vigilance and
presence of mind....Thanks to this attitude the philosopher is fully aware of what he does at each
instant, and he wills his actions fully....Whoever concretely practices this exercise [the attention of
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mindfulness]...sees the universe with new eyes, as if he were seeing it for the first time. In the
enjoyment of the pure present, he discovers the mystery and splendor of existence.
(Philosophy as a Way of Life, Pierre Hadot, trans. Michael Chase, Blackwell, 1995, pp. 84, 212).
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SAM I CONTENTS
Breathing Gyration
Bow
1. Rolling Head
2. Rolling Pelvis
Sockets
Kayak
1.
2.
3.
4.
Stretch
Row
Infinity
Stretch 2
Sockets 2
Diogenes' Chair
1.
2.
3.
4.
Wrist Bend
Underhand Press
Curl & Roll
Overhand Press
Modesty Maneuver
Bridge
1. Moving Qi/Balance
2. Span (the full extent)
Bow
Standing Position
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SAM I
SAM I is the short version of Stick Action Meditation. It takes about 8 minutes and can be done
when you are in a hurry, when you combine it with Pneuma Will Power Meditation, or when you
do SAM twice a day, morning and evening. It's a good way to learn this program because all of
the essential elements are here. If you don't have time for any other form of meditation I'm
sure you can at least find time to do SAM I. If you don't have time to meditate after, then I
recommend following this with being mindful while drinking your morning coffee or tea.
Remember, SAM requires that you pay attention to the detail of every motion and every
breath you take. Breathing and action are coordinated and synchronized together. That's why
this first exercise is called, “Breathing Gyration,” to remind you that the number of breaths are
as important as the positions themselves. Each movement and each position throughout SAM I
and SAM II has a specific number of breathes associated with it. Yes, that makes it more
difficult. And, yes, that requires you to pay closer attention to each moment as it unfolds. That's
what it's all about.
Breathing Gyration (s)
(20½ breaths)
Bowing at the beginning and end of Stick Action Meditation is done because
it focuses the mind, it shows respect to yourself and what you are doing, and because every
activity should have a beginning and an end.
Bow and breathe (1½ breaths). In the Standing Position, exhale as you bow, then inhale as
you return upright. As you stand there, expand your abdomen and fill the bottom of your lungs
with air. Next, fill your chest to maximum capacity. Then, top it off by lifting your shoulders
gradually until they are as high as they will go – right under your ears. This breath should be
taken all in one fluid motion.
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Your arms should be straight. With your lungs completely full of
fresh air, hold your breath a second, then exhale slowly, letting out all of the “used” air as you
lower your head until your chin rests on your chest.
Rolling Head (8 breaths). Throughout exercise your
head should feel as if it is a ball attached by a string to
your shoulders, a ball that is s l o w l y, gently
rotating around your upper torso. Do not strain. Your
face, jaw, and neck muscles should be relaxed at all
times. You may hear a lot of clicking or popping noise
as the top of your spine is in motion. The sound you
hear is the protest of decrepitude as it is being found
out and invited to step aside.
Rolling Head
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