DIFFERENT WAYS OF DEVELOPING ROOT By Margaret Olmsted ~ (Feb 2021)

When I was first studying tai chi we didn’t talk about root.  But over time that has changed.  We have discussed it in qigong and in all of our classes, both online and in person.  There are different approaches and different experiences:

One approach is to send your attention down into the ground.  We say the qi follows the mind. So we use the image of pouring the weight. For example, when we do Constant Bear we don’t just shift across from leg to leg.  We imagine our weight pouring down into the ground. Pouring the weight connects us to the ground and deeper into the center of the earth.

Another approach was suggested by Paul.  He used the image of a pool of water under the feet that empties out and draws our attention down.  This is more of a letting go.  More passive.

There’s the image of the 1000 lb. weight that hangs from the coccyx deep into the earth and moves under our feet as we move.  This was supposedly Professor Cheng’s favorite image.

Paul said that the Professor speaks of two ways of having root: through the bubbling spring point in the sole of the foot, and through the feet relaxing and adhering to the ground, giving us better contact with and sensitivity to the earth

In order to have root, we have to relax our legs and soften the soles of our feet.  We need to let the bones hold us up.  Gerrie talks about how relaxing the legs in sword changes the timing as it deepens the root.

Our challenge in developing root is not to get too compressed.  We can avoid this by connecting to the heavens.  Sherry has referred to this as “levity”.  Too much levity and we feel ungrounded.  Too little and we feel heavy.  We need to find the point of balance. 

Matsu has described feeling rooted as like a channel she steps into and feels connected to heaven and earth.  For some being aware of the connection to the heavens deepens their root. By developing awareness of the vertical channel that extends above and below us, we become more grounded and more uplifted.  This takes internal focus and quiet along with deep relaxation. 

What works for you?