Rooting, Stabilizing, Grounding, Balancing, and Centering in Qigong (Chi Kung) and T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) by Michael Garofalo Rooting Grounding, Centering, Stabilizing, Sinking, Balancing Central Equilibrium, Zhong Ding, Gravity Powers, Vertical Forces Research by Michael P. Garofalo In Qigong (Chi Kung) and T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) Mind-Body Arts and E xercises For Power, Strength, Balance, Fitness, Vigor, Calmness and Good Health © Valley Spirit Qigong,, Red Bluff, California, 2012-2016 By Michael P. Garofalo, M.S., All Rights Reserved. 禽戲 Animal Frolics Qigong Rooting, Centering, Stabilizing, Grounding, Balanced Most human beings can stand and walk capably on their own by the age of two. The experience of learning to stand and walk, and our lifelong experience with standing and walking is deeply 'rooted' in our consciousness. Many metaphors essential to our thinking about life's experiences are based upon our bodily experience of standing and walking in a balanced, coordinated, efficient, and safe manner. Good health is dependent upon standing and walking.

When in poor physical health we speak of lightheadedness, feeling faint, being dizzy, uneasy, too weak to stand, disorientated, unable to walk, being unbalanced, loosing ground, unstable, shaky, bedfast, disabled, crippled, collapsing, slipping away, etc. Falling down is an unpleasant, painful, and possibly injurious experience at any age. Nobody wants to loose their balance and fall, or trip, stumble, slip, tumble, be clumsy, or bump into things, etc.

Stumbling and falling out of a window, off of a roof, off a bridge or boat, or off a ledge or cliff in the mountains can all mean serious injury or death for the unlucky person. Staying balanced and grounded and not falling are essential to our physical and mental well being. When in good mental health we speak of being grounded, standing on our own two feet, being stable minded, balanced, level headed, being down to earth, earthy, etc. Moral goodness is spoken of as being upright, standing firm, standing one's ground, standing up and being counted, rock solid, true grit, walking tall, etc.

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We speak of our early upbringing as our 'roots.' Strong 'roots in the community' or 'good moral roots' are admired.

Persons in poor mental health are unstable, out of touch, flighty, unbalanced, disorientated, off the edge, off their rocker, uprooted, drifting, fallen away, displaced, slipping, spaced out, on shaky ground, etc. People with unethical behavior are on the wrong path, weak kneed, stumbling along, running away from responsibilities, fallen away, etc. The ' Tao or Dao' means 'The Path' or 'The Way.'

Yes, we must stand and walk along the correct path in our lives, one step at at time, not falling, being upright, walking tall. Beauty is associated with proportion, grace, nimbleness, strength, etc.; whereas ugliness is associated with clumsiness, awkwardness, stumbling, being ungainly, being unbalanced or disproportionate in some way. Trees and shrubs require secure and strong roots for their well being. They draw moisture and nutrients up from the earth through their roots. Without secure and deep or wide roots the plant will fall down or be toppled in strong winds and die.

Being uprooted for a plant is death. Likewise, human beings cannot be 'uprooted' from familiar and safe surroundings without significant stress., similes, and analogies connected with trees and plants are innumerable.

In Chinese, Gen = 根 = root, long slender objects; Shu Gen = 树 根 = tree roots; Zhi Gen = 植 根 = to take root or establish a base; Ben = 本 = roots or stems of plants, source, origin, basis. The word 'root' in English has over a dozen meanings and can be used as a noun and a verb. Without plants all human beings and animals would die. Without food from Mother Earth (Gaia) we die. What Mother Earth gives us to eat we become. Mother Earth is Our Home. We are all married to Mother Earth.

When we lie down and die, Mother Earth swallows us. Our ever-present connection with our Earth because of gravity is fundamental to our consciousness, sensation, and mind-body reality. Our good health is dependent upon the role gravity plays in our lives, and the health of astronauts is adversely affected by living in a zero gravity environment. Gravity 'connects' us to the earth, fixes us in our place, roots us down. Our lower bodies, legs and feet, are like our 'roots' connected with the earth. In Chinese, Di = = earth, ground, field, place, land.

'Roots' are associated with fundamentals, basics, essentials, causes, origins, reasons, etc. In Chinese, Yuan = 源 = root, source, origin; Gen Ben = 根 本 = fundamental, basic, simply; Huo Gen = = root of the trouble, cause of the ruin. One of the traditional Chinese Five Elements, Phases or Forces is the Earth Element (Chinese: 土, pinyin: Tu).

Likewise, in Western cosmology, alchemy, and neopagan metaphysics one of the essential Four Elements is 'Earth.' Generally, Earth energy in the West is with Feminine Powers, mothers, goddesses, nurturing, fertility, eating, birth, stability, grounding, body, sensations, touch, soil, roots, darkness, death, north, dark green or blue, winter, permanence and snakes. In Chinese cosmology, the Earth Element or Phase is with the Supreme Yin, mothers, nurturing, stability, rootedness, inwardness, centering, patience, practicality, late summer, yellow, spleen, stomach, mouth, empathy, and the Yellow Dragon.

One common symbol or image used to represent Taoist philosophy is the T'ai Chi Tun or the Yin/Yang symbol. This image is now recognized worldwide. One of the primary implications of the image is balance, balancing forces, and the interplay and fluctuation of two complimentary forces that ultimately must reach a balanced and harmonious state ( Tao Te Ching, ). Striving to be in harmony and balance with the Tao is an essential goal of a Daoist lifestyle.

The many examples and metaphors mentioned above point to our preference for staying balanced, properly connected with the earth, being upright, centered on the correct path, not falling, being grounded in reality, and not being pushed around. Therefore, it is easy to see our attraction to mind-body arts and practices that speak often of rooting, grounding, balancing, and centering. 'When we are trying to achieve rooting in Taijiquan, we should visualize below the surface of the floor or ground.

Much like the roots of a tree. The 'Bubbling Well' an acupoint called Yong Quan (KI-1) located on the bottom of the foot should be used as the point from which this imaginary root extends into the ground from which to draw strength. Rooting in Taijiquan will transfer from foot to foot, but never stays equally rooted on the right and the left.

The weight should remain on the outer edges of the feet and remain a slight gripping feel with the toes, the ball of the foot, and the heel. Although the Yong Quan never touches the floor, you should still focus on this area as the root of each movement. Techniques to build this skill vary from person to person. I recommend using different visualizations and thoughts to see what works best for each person. Posture to be maintained to achieve proper rooting: The Bai Hui ( GV-20) acupoint, located at the top & slight-rear of the head lines up vertically with the Hui Yin (C0-1), located at the exact center underneath the groin area. This is done by turning the hips upward. Thus opening the Ming Men ( GV-4) located at the small of the back.

And also tucking the chin in slightly but keeping the head upright. Rooting is an essential part of our Taijiquan training and often takes years to develop good consistent skills. So be patient and thankful for making incremental gains.' - David West, 'Rooting is the process of making a good connection to the ground in stances and during transitions. When we refer to rooting we are talking about rooting the legs (and thus the entire body) of the completed postures as well as the legs during the transitions as well. When we are trying to achieve rooting in Taijiquan, we should visualize below the surface of the floor or ground. Much like the roots of a tree.

The 'Bubbling Well' an acupoint called Yong Quan (KI-1) located on the bottom of the foot should be used as the point from which this imaginary root extends into the ground from which to draw strength. Rooting in Taijiquan will transfer from foot to foot, but never stays equally rooted on the right and the left.

The weight should remain on the outer edges of the feet and remain a slight gripping feel with the toes, the ball of the foot, and the heel. Although the Yong Quan never touches the floor, you should still focus on this area as the root of each movement. Techniques to build this skill vary from person to person. I recommend using different visualizations and thoughts to see what works best for each person.' - David West, 'Finding your central equilibrium ( zhongding) is as subtle as it is vital to your gongfu. I consider it the foundation of any higher level martial art and the source of the ‘effortless power’ that is the hallmark of the internal styles. It plugs us into the ‘Big Qi’– the universal energy source of earth and sky that makes it all go.

So, beyond its value to martial artists, it also is a tremendous asset to energy healers and to any human being who wants to feel more vitality and ease of movement. Yet it is very elusive. Hidden in plain sight. It is veiled by our own sense of personal safety.

Most of us learn to stand upright and walk around when we are a year or so old. Our sense of balance is established when our primary concern is to not fall over and hurt ourselves. This was a valid concern then and it is now. But the body of a one or two year old is undeveloped and the way we supported ourselves then is not the best way to do it now. There is a ‘sweet spot’ you find when you allow your body to center over the balls of your feet.

But most of us feel like we’re ‘off-balance’ when at true center because it’s so unfamiliar. We are so used to leaning backward that any adjustment forward seems threatening. That old program kicks in and say’s “Whoa! What’re you crazy?

You’re gonna fall on your face!” But to an observer you would look straight and tall. When I want to build a wall or hang a door I need to establish plumb and square. I use a plumb bob to determine the line that is vertical to earth. It doesn’t matter if the floor is tilted. I want my vertical line to be as plumb as possible. Once I have my absolute reference line, I can use a square to establish lines perpendicular to it.

This way my door can swing freely and my walls don’t require a lot of additional bracing to keep from falling over.' - Rick Barrett, Tai Chi Alchemy, 'This practice is part of an ancient Chinese health system of exercises. One of the first references found about this type of exercise is in the Huang-Ti Nei Ching (Classics of Medicine by the Yellow Emperor, 2690-2590 B.C. E.) which is, by the way, probably one of the oldest books in the medical field.

This posture, practiced and transmitted secretly in martial arts circles, has been openly shown to the public since the last century. Wang Xiang Zhai, a very famous martial arts master of that period in China, made of this technique the base of a new martial art that he called I Chuan (Mind Boxing). He used to say, Boyka Undisputed 4 Film Download. 'The immobility is the mother of any movement or technique.'

- Victoria Windholtz, Standing Like a Tree, T'ai Chi: The International Magazine of T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Volume 19, No. 6, December, 2005, pp. 'Rooting skill keeps you upright and stable, without a penalty of immobility. Instead of intentionally engaging your legs to counteract a push or pull, you adjust your center of gravity to nullify it. Since your joints remain unlocked, you can move your body and limbs at will. To root is to deny your opponent a surface on which they may productively apply their strength. They touch your body, but cannot disturb your center.

How can you develop a strong root? Learning to sink the qi is not enough. Fortunately, there are specific, self-correcting partner drills designed to sharpen this skill.' - 'Being rooted is also the key for the special striking and kicking power we get in tai chi. We call this the attacking power of root. Instead of relying on hand or arm power when you strike, you use the whole body power.

And not just the whole body power; the whole body-rooted-to- the-ground power. This aspect of tai chi power is not at all mysterious if you understand the mechanics involved. The trick is to be stuck to the ground when you strike, which makes your mass very great. Since all the definitions of force and energy in physics rely in part on mass, this makes your attacks very powerful. In each equation (force is mass multiplied by acceleration, F=ma; energy is mass times velocity squared, E=mc2; momentum is mass times velocity, M=mv)speed is important, but you can only be so fast. When you are rooted, though, you draw in on the mass of the whole earth, and your mass approaches infinity.

If your mass approaches infinity, then theoretically your power approaches infinity also. You can see this in a train, which is very powerful even when moving slowly because it has such a big mass.' - The Tai Chi Chuan Center of New York, 'The Taichi Classics say that the proper root is in the foot. A beginner can develop root by simply spending three to five minutes, morning and night, standing fully on a single leg. Alternate legs and gradually increase the time as you sink lower.

This 'bitter work' not only develops a root, it stimulates the cardiovascular system, with benefits the brain. It is essential that your ch'i sinks to the tan-t'ien, both feet adhere to the floor, and you exert absolutely no force. When practicing this Standing Posture, you may assist your balance by lightly touching a chair or table with the middle and index fingers. After a while us only the middle finger.

When you can stand unassisted, you my choose either the Lift Hands Posture or Playing the Guitar Posture to continue your practice. Do not fear bitter work.

If you do you will never progress.' - Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing,, 1965, 1999, p.

11 [Practitioners might also do Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg Posture or White Stork Spreads Its Wings.] Standing on one leg, holding static poses, is also a common practice in, e.g., Tree Pose, Vriksasana. 'People lose root because they use the wrong part of the body to focus their strength. For example, when the shoulder moves first in an action to strike, it is incorrect. One should use the lower body to drive the force.

No matter how hard one attempts to be soft, they will never truly relax and have power until the lower body drives the force. Even when one uses the lower body to drive the force, the root can be lost because the shoulder, as well as any other joint or part of the body may interrupt the transference of power. When there is tightness or loss of coordination between the various joints and parts of the body, root will be lost.

The hip, leg, etc. Must act as one!

Many times things inside the body fight against each other. For example, if the inguinal crease (part where the legs connect to the torso) at the hips is tight, the flow of energy will be broken in the body, breaking the root. When one practices in this way, the tightness or lack of body unity can give one the tendency to get injured. Sometimes one locks a joint. Caxperts 3d Symbol Design Download more. The hips and shoulders are typical joints that students will lock which breaks the root.' - By Gaofei Yan and James Cravens, ' 'Hsing I Chuan is mainly linear, but contains zig-zag footwork and evasive body movements. The system is designed for direct continuous attack until the opponent is overcome.

Blocking and deflective movements are used to attack as they defend. The system works on the centre line principle, attack and defend on the extended centre line, so that the practitioner forms a wedge with his body, sharp end in front. Everything coming into the centre is deflected or neutralized. Steps cover much ground although it may not look like it to the observer, and are single weighted. Much practice must be done to maintain the shape of the movements. The stance is upright and 'suspended', like sitting on a chair.

The elbows never touch the chest and the posture is semi-crouched. There are a few low kicks but the emphasis is on rooting in the ground to deliver powerful blows. In this style the front foot stamps the ground to root and provide fast powerful arm and hand movements.' - 'What is the meaning of Elbowing Energy? The function is in the Five Activities: advancing, withdrawing, looking-left, gazing right, and fixed rooting. The yin and yang are distinguished according to the upper and lower, just like Pulling. The substantial and insubstantial are to be clearly discriminated.

If its motion is connected and unbroken, nothing can oppose its strength. The chopping of the fist is extremely fierce. After thoroughly understanding the Six Energies (adhering, sticking, neutralizing, seizing, enticing, and issuing), the functional use is unlimited.' - Stuart Alve Olson,, 2001, p.

74 'Stability By Sinking ( Wen, Chen) Stability is a result of coordinated body structure in relation to the downward pull of gravity resulting in a net force against the earth from both body weight and downward projection of mass through a singular point identified as the root. Lowering the centre of gravity is essential to stability, we should lower it to the centre of the sphere of influence of our physical body. Agility ( Ling) Agility is a result of non-double weighting and non-dead rooting. By only maintaining one point of substantial contact with the ground you gain the ability to move quickly, much like a ball which moves easily across the ground because it only has one point of contact with it. The key is the word 'centre'. We should avoid 'dead rooting'. The idea is to lower your centre of gravity to your proper centre which is at the Tan Tien, there it should have a net downward force but is 'hung' from the torso in the correct location.

This would give you a centred but light feeling. If you are trying to get your centre to the oot of your feet, that is not centredness. Ask yourself where the centre of your body should be and there is where the mass of the centre should be. Some information on the external and internal methodologies adopted to train this.

The external way of training is to force the centre down as far as it can go and then slowly the reaction force from the ground would build up the musculature to support the downward force back up to where it should be centred. The internal method would be to centre the centre of gravity first, get a proper structure to support it and when that is done then slowly lower the stance through time to foster proper development without sacrificing efficient structure and alignment.' - Peter Lim Tain Tek, 'One ability that Tai Chi uses to develop serious power through internal ability is called root. The skill of rooting involves the ability to use mind intent to drop your center of gravity down below the ground. Although rooting involves mind intent, it is more than just visualization.

If you practice rooting, you will be able to actually feel the weight of your body dropping down below the surface of the ground. When you practice drills with partners they should be able to feel it too. This way, if you use root in a combat situation, an attacker will be able to feel your root as well so that you will feel to them like a concrete slab stuck deep into the ground. In other words, you will be very hard to push over.

When you first learn root, you begin by practicing standing in one place. However, you can learn to keep your root in the ground while you are walking or in a combat situation. It is possible to learn to drop your root deeper and deeper even as you are fighting. Over time, you can develop your root so that it is deeper in the ground and contains more and more of your compressed body weight. Some Tai Chi masters can have a root that is 50 feet or more below the ground.

To an attacker, being hit by someone with a really deep and strong root can feel like being hit by a 300 pound gorilla.' - Richard Clear. 'And all the times I was picking up potatoes, I did have conversations with them. Too, I did have thinks of all their growing days there in the ground, and all the things they did hear. Earth-voices are glad voices, and earth-songs come up from the ground through the plants; and in their flowering, and in the days before these days are come, they do tell the earth-songs to the wind. I have thinks these potatoes growing here did have knowings of star-songs.' - Opel Whiteley, 8 years of age, The Singing Creek where the Willows Grow - The Mystical Nature Diary of Opal Whiteley 'Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.'

- Henry David Thoreau 'Touch the earth, love the earth, honor the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places.' - Henry Beston 'I thought how utterly we have forsaken the Earth, in the sense of excluding it from our thoughts. There are but few who consider its physical hugeness, its rough enormity. It is still a disparate monstrosity, full of solitudes, barrens, wilds. It still dwarfs, terrifies, crushes. The rivers still roar, the mountains still crash, the winds still shatter.

Man is an affair of cities. His gardens, orchards and fields are mere scrapings. Somehow, however, he has managed to shut out the face of the giant from his windows. But the giant is there, nevertheless. - Wallace Stevens, Letters, p. 'In all qigong practice it is very important to be rooted.

Being rooted means to be stable and in firm contact with the ground. If you want to push a car you have to be rooted; the force you exert into the car needs to be balanced by the force into the ground. If you are not rooted, when you push the car you will only push yourself away and not move the car.

Your root is made up of your body's sinking, centering, and balance. Before you can develop your root, you must first relax and let your body 'settle.' As you relax, the tension in the various parts of your body will dissolve, and you will find a comfortable way to stand. You will stop fighting the ground to keep your body up and will learn to rely on your body's structure to support itself. This lets the muscles relax even more. Since your body isn't struggling to stand up, your yi won't be pushing upward, and your body, mind, and qi will all be able to sink.

If you let dirty water sit quietly, the impurities will gradually settle to the bottom, leaving the water above it clear. In the same way, if you relax your body enough to let it settle, your qi will sink to your dan tian and the bubbling wells ( yongquan, K-1, 湧泉) in your feet and your mind will become clear. Then you can begin to develop your root. To root your body you must imitate a tree and grow an invisible root under your feet. This will give you a firm root to keep you stable in your training.

Your root must be wide as well as deep. Naturally, your yi must grow first because it is the yi that leads the qi. Your yi must be able to lead the qi to your feet and be able to communicate with the ground. Only when your yi can communicate with the ground will your qi be able to grow beyond your feet and enter the ground to build the root.

The bubbling well cavity is the gate that enables your qi to communicate with the ground. After you have gained your root, you must learn how to keep your center. A stable center will make your qi develop evenly and uniformly. If you lose this center, your qi will not be led evenly.

In order to keep your body centered, you must first center your yi and then match your body to it. Only under these conditions will the qigong forms you practice have their root. Your mental and physical centers are the keys that enable you to lead your qi beyond your body.

Balance is the product of rooting and centering. Balance includes balancing the qi and the physical body. It does not matter which aspect of balance you are dealing with; first, you must balance your yi, and only then can you balance your qi and your physical body.' - 'Yang style Taijiquan, as a internal martial art ( Nei Jia Quan), is grounded in a group of core practice principles: (S ong),, martial applications, rooting (G en), moving from the waist (Y ao), and springy (J in) energies, softness ( Rou), fluidity and expansiveness, vital energy on the move, good timing and coordination, fullness and emptiness, deep and coordinated breathing, becoming calm and quiet ( Jing), mind/intent ( Yi) leading bodily movements, and other principles found in the ' - 'Develop your foothold so that five or six strong men together cannot push you.

Also, develop your ability at neutralizing and softness so that you need never use that root. In this way, while having substantial root, you will always feel light and supple.'