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Rooting Exercises

http://www.clearstaichi.com/internal-power/push-hands/root-like-a-bear-an-exercise-for-deepening-your-root-
3862.html

Root Like A Bear: An Exercise for Deepening Your Root

Have you ever seen a bear stomping its feet getting ready to charge?

Each foot in turn comes crashing down into the ground. This kind of movement can help you to achieve a deeper
root.

Before you do this exercise, make sure you have a good structure. You should already have good Wu Chi posture
and be able to root before you begin practicing with this kind of exercise. This exercise wont help you much
unless you have the basics in place.

How To Do It

Lift up one leg and then let your body drop as you stomp your foot. Dont stomp using your muscles so much as
let your entire body weight crush down into your foot. The purpose of this motion is to get absolutely all the
tension out of your body so that you are completely relaxed.

Make sure your knees stay bent during this entire exercise. DO NOT straighten your leg. If you have pre-existing
knee issue then use a gentler exercise.

Go back and forth between your feet. Think of the lumbering, stomping motion of a bear or an elephant and this
will help you to understand the kind of movement you should be doing.

As you come down, exhale, and drop your weight into the floor. You should feel a crushing motion down in to
your feet.

As with the waterfall rooting technique, when you are done with the bear method of rooting, you will want to do
Carry the Cauldron and Grand Tai Chi and walk it off without trying to root to restore your body to a normal state.


http://aumlovetantra.com/root-training-kegel-exercises/

Root Training / Kegel Exercises

Training the Root area helps us in grounding the force of Shakti into our bodies, in becoming extra sensitive to her
vibrations of sensual ecstasy, and in directing and guiding her flow. These are simple awareness and technique
guidelines for strengthening the root and understanding its pranic connections. This training is necessary for
developing effective life-force ejaculation control/ Heart Blossom, and for Root Awakening. It also strengthens the
entire systems response to climax.

At the base of the spine is the perineum bone. In the Light Body, the perineum represents the root chakra, which
grounds us into material reality. Meditation on the root chakra frees up the flow of Kundalini that is otherwise
inhibited by material fear or dependency, inspiring a peaceful and grounded connection to our physical existence.
Exercising the muscles associated with our root chakra, while meditating on Kundalini flow in the Light Body,
allows us to consciously develop a life-force energy pump through which we can influence life-force to flow
evenly, and to be cycled throughout the system to repair cells, release negative energy, and immerse us in the
ecstatic ocean of tantric union.

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Muscles in the perineum area that are useful to distinguish are the anal sphincter muscles, the BC/PC muscles,
and the lower abdominal muscles. Each muscle group comes into play through the development of the life-force
pump system within the lower chakras, though isolating the bc/pc muscles are essential for practice.

To locate each muscle group simply contract and release the entire area many times over and tune in to the
subtle differences.

-Lower abdominal muscles help to move energy up from the lower centers into the Heart and higher chakras.

-Anal sphincter muscles also help in the movement of life-force energy and help to reinforce the flow of Shakti
upwards.

-The BC muscle is located at the base of the Lingam at the perineum for men, and surrounds the Yoni in women.
For both sexes, is it the muscle associated with stopping the flow of urine, so locate it in this way. To locate it
physically, women can insert a finger into the Yoni and tighten the muscles, feeling the walls pull up and in, and
men can insert a finger into the root opening and contract muscles until the anal muscles tighten; one contraction
and relaxation would constitute one kegel, or root pump.

Strengthening of this muscle is essential in developing the upward movement of life-force energy in spiritual
awakening and Kundalini activation. It is directly associated with pumping creative life-force fluid throughout the
sexual area, and so it has a strong influence on Shakti Devis movements. For men, it is the main practice for
developing ejaculation control, which is recommended in most intimate exchange. For women, it will help to
guide Kundalini, and absorb it as well, though ejaculation control is not as much of an issue, as a womans
ejaculate is more etheric in substance, and not as vital for functioning.

Practicing the root pump is as simple as contracting and releasing the muscles in a set pattern.

It is good to begin with:

10 sets; contracting the root for three seconds and relaxing it for three seconds.

This can be gradually built to:

20 sets; contracting the root for five seconds and relaxing it for five seconds.

Very quick contractions also assist to strengthen the muscles and lift energy:

Try 20, 50, or 100 fast
while maintaining steady breathing
and concentration on peace
and the flow of life-force.

Another practice:

Hold one contraction
for 20, 30, or 60 seconds
while practicing Ujjayi breath
up and down the spine,
relaxing for a few counts
in between sets.

These exercises can be done anytime and anywhere when the focus is on strengthening the muscles, though
quiet meditative settings are preferred when deeper communion with the spiritual process is desired.
Concentration is best maintained at the Heart and Crown.

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Training the root is a powerful tool in stimulating Kundalini, and is especially applicable in intimate settings, as a
very strong root lock will be required when drawing in sensual energy, as in the Heart Blossom Updraw, and
during the general flow of love-play in order to ground and build upon orgasmic energy.

Practicing Khechari Mudra during this technique is also conducive to raising Kundalini Shakti into the higher
centers of consciousness.

Throughout practice focus is to be kept on the link between the physical body, the Light Body, and Divine
Consciousness. With proper concentration, muscle groups that are contracting and releasing have the same effect
on their associated chakras. It is helpful to cultivate awareness of the connection between the sweet and
pleasurable life-force flowing in the Light Body, and the movement of ecstatic nerve energy in the physical body.
With every contraction and every release remember the natural feelings of Peace, Ecstasy, and pure Love. With
repetitive access to these feelings of Love and Ecstasy, we create a center of gravity around those feelings, which
then guide our entire existence. May this practice strengthen our Root, allowing for the powerful energies of
Spirit to be grounded within.

*One great way to practice is along with the beat of your favorite music!

- See more at: http://aumlovetantra.com/root-training-kegel-exercises/#sthash.pYmfexry.dpuf



http://darkworkers.com/2008/11/rooting-exercise-basic/

Rooting Exercise (Basic)

Have you ever wished you had more personal drive? Perhaps youve thought that if you just had more of that
inner juice, that moxy, that mojo, whatever you want to call it, if you had it, you could get where you want to go.
Maybe its possible that, in your heart of hearts, you know youre not aggressive enough, or that you should stand
up for yourself more often?

Well here we go, future Spartan.

With a little time and mental sweat, we is gonna set that ass on fire.

First, we gotta go on a little digression about the Force and other such crap.

The theory is, energy flows through your body, and moves along points called chakras. Now, the energy has two
poles, a positive pole at the top of your head, called your crown chakra, and a negative one at what is known as
your root chakra. You can draw energy in from the top of your head, or from the root, which is what were
interested in.

For women, the root chakra is the vagina (god bless you ladies for letting us put it directly in your root chakra, its
so warm, and); for men, its not your dick its actually your prostate, located dead center between your legs,
midway between your asshole and your ballsack.

Now, the more empirical among you might reject the idea of chi (and youre sorta being a dumbass, since there is
documented evidence to suggest something is at play with all that eastern crap, even though we dont know
precisely what it is), but I have the little mental gymnastics you need to make this work. Ready? All this energy
stuff is crap. What the old Asian bastards found was a process that allows us to have a direct, conscious effect on
the subconscious mind. Bam. You like that? Moving right alongoh, and of course, if you dont believe in the
subconscious, then get off my website, and come back when youre not riding the short-bus, bagtaster.

The root chakra is the first chakra that forms as we manifest ourselves in the world.

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Sorry, had to take a moment.

Its a kinda romantic when youre in love with yourself.

Anyway, it literally represents our desire to be, also the survival instinct. Energy-wise, it is responsible for
procreation, although better understood in a broader sense. It is our vitality, our energy, our will to be. It is our
sex drive and sexual magnetism. And, for Darkworkers, it is the point that is used to draw up energies for different
exercises and techniques. It represents the dominative aspect of personal charisma. It is the raw will.

Strengthen it, and were gonna be naughty. Were gonna be naughty Darkworker gods.

Now, Ive done a lot of different exercises to Root (strengthen that chakra), but the best I have found by far is
Kuji-in. It is an old art, but the greatest strength it has is that it is designed to be pragmatic, or philosophy neutral.
In other words, it is solely concerned with beefing up the chakras, with no concern as to perspective, path, or
paradigm. Now for the other chakras, I havent had spectacular results, but for the root chakra, the results have
been impressive to say the least!

The great thing is, the wonderful folks at a Kuji-in website have made a free video just for the root chakra that I
have experimented with and had great results with Apprentices.

You can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKAYvtoWxGs

To do some solid rooting, I suggest you simply breathe in a chair and watch the video once a day for a few weeks.
This will allow you to get the images and sounds properly formulated in your mind.

Then, enter seated meditation (you can also use horse stance if you want to really ramp it up) as you begin to do
this visualization without the video. When you visualize, be sure to switch perspectives, from being the seated
figure, to watching the seated figure. I recommend you switch the symbol of the character to something that has
a powerful, primal, empowering meaning for you but keep the symbol red. Also, when you visualize the
lightning, feel that root chakra opening and charging up. Over time of doing this, with very slow breathing, you
will eventually feel an energy buildup and a flush or warmth in the body (hence the flames in the video). Its a
good thing, you want that.

You should see some small results in a few weeks. I do this visualization at three times a week (prior to working
out), and had phenomenal results. Here are some:

Got farther with the ladies

Increased confidence

Needed less sleep

Slightly higher gains with weight training

Alpha tactics came much easier

Willpower dramatically strengthened

So there you go there is a hand formation you are supposed to do, you can find it here: http://www.kujiin.com/.
Click on basics to see it. Personally, I found that it had no impact on my results.

As a final note, the mantra means, Oh Divine Thunderbolt, Awake! In our case here, it reminds us of our infinite
nature (divine), our primordial power (thunderbolt), and to wake up to that reality (awake).

Try it out, fellow Titans. Let me know how it goes.
Posted Friday, 28 November, 2008 by Asmoday
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http://www.chikung-unlimited.com/Posture.html
Posture, Rooting & Stances Vital to Chi
Posture, stances and rooting are all essential for balanced chi circulation. Without them, the chi flow
becomes inhibited.
How many times have I seen practitioners of tai chi calisthenics not just the students, but also the
instructors themselves assume even slight misalignments and incorrect stances that indicate they are
not rooted and therefore, their chi is inhibited from circulating freely!
When one reaches the highest level of mental discipline, where only yi mind power is used to guide and
channel the chi, these things no longer matter, but beginning and intermediate students must first
establish a solid foundation in postural alignment and correct stances.
Precision is key: until the the yi consciousness is sufficiently developed to control and guide the chi, the
vital energy must be given free access throughout the body, within and without.
Maintaining the Correct Posture
A correct posture in tai chi qigong means the chest must be relaxed and caved in, the vertebrae hanging loosely
down, the tailbone tucked inward, the kua indented (i.e. part of the groin that forms the crease connecting hip
and legs), and all joints hanging loosely and relaxed.
Chi is responsible for attack and repulse chi in martial arts, tonifying and detoxifying chi in healing,
rooting chi in both, and spiritual chi to transcend the physical plane of consciousness. But how to
cultivate the myriad kinds of chi?
To promote circulation of the chi and further its refinement, a properly aligned posture and rooting are
key components of traditional training. Joints are areas that we call "gates" and when locked, inhibits
the flow of chi. That is why when we practice tai chi qigong, our stances are low and knees and elbows
are always bent loosely to keep the gates open.
When my master was very young and still in training, one of his masters used to insist that he assume
such a low stance with a straight posture, that his knees were bent at almost a 90 degree angle, his
vertebrae hanging loosely.
An incense stick was lighted, and until the incense burned down, he was to maintain this low stance to
increase his rooting and chi circulation. Usually, this meant maintaining a low stance anywhere from half
an hour to 90 minutes per sitting!
Low stances allow for better rooting.
Rooting or Grounding the Chi
What do I mean by the term "rooting"? Rooting refers to grounding the chi. We tap heavenly chi from the top of
our skull and draw earthly energy from the ground beneath our feet.
The following clip illustrates the concept of rooting:
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Rooting Demonstration
Even if you didn't understand the language, the rooting ability of this master is obvious.
Traditional training is NOT mere calisthenics. Mere calisthenics cannot produce the ability that this
master has in maintaining his rooting on one foot, as well as the ability to push other students down,
regardless of their size and strength!
Certainly, if you tried to imitate his stance and posture, you would still be unable to do what he does,
simply because his ability does not rely on physical posture and calisthenics alone. It relies on mastery of
rooting his energy to the ground.
And it is not just martial arts that require good rooting ability, but also in healing and spiritual
development. In healing, we require rooting to draw healing energy from the ground, to detoxify and to
remove pain. In order to balance both heavenly and earthly energies, we must be able to tap from both
the atmosphere and the earth.
Psychic power also requires rooting abilities, as does proper circulation of chi for spiritual advancement.
Rooting of the caliber demonstrated by the master in the video clip takes many years of intensive
training. Most instructors of traditional tai chi qigong will start their beginning students on rooting
exercises (see Qigong Standing Meditation Postures and Qigong Rooting ecourses) even before they
have learned other foundational exercises.
Without rooting, literally, you don't have a leg to stand on!
When standing in one position with both feet planted firmly on the ground, rooting is not so difficult to
do. However, changing from one standing position to another, shifting weight or standing on one leg, is
somewhat trickier for beginning/intermediate students.
The students tend to almost always uproot before they root down again. When that happens, the flow
of chi is disrupted.
Before shifting weight or changing positions, be sure to root down first. Use your yi to send the chi down
through the prominent leg and into the ground three feet or more. Before moving from a two legged to
one legged stance, first uproot the one leg and transfer the rooting to the other leg, or your balance will
be affected.
If you have not sufficiently developed the yi mind to root your chi, then you should not be changing
positions, such as in regular practice of tai chi chuan. Instead concentrate on practicing rooting exercises
to build a solid foundation, otherwise, you build poor postural habits in your tai chi practice that
become difficult to change later on.
If the yi consciousness is not sufficient to root the chi, is it still possible to learn dynamic positions such
as the Taiji Bufa or Tai Chi Walk?
Yes, the Walk teaches correct postural alignment during movement. You can learn both the Walk and
rooting at the same time, but rooting exercises should be mastered before you attempt to manipulate
the chi any further than that.
No tai chi form can ever be truly mastered without taking consideration proper postural alignment,
proper rooting of the chi and correct stances.
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Assuming the Correct Stance
Two basic stances with which beginning tai chi qigong students should become very familiar are the Qigong Horse
Stance and the Qigong Bow Stance. These are not to be confused with horse and bow stances of other martial
arts.
Besides postural alignment, correct stances also promote good rooting. If a stance is too wide, changing
stances becomes awkward and unbalanced. If the stance is too narrow, again, the postural alignment
and balance are affected and rooting becomes difficult.
If the toes are pointed outward instead of straight or inward in a horse stance, postural balance is again
affected and the chi becomes scattered.
A good foundation allows you to become firmly rooted in your chi and aware of how the chi is affected
by the positioning of your stance. If you are not sensitive to slight changes, then you have not gained
sufficient awareness of your chi.
In that case, you should continue to build your foundation, practicing rooting meditation and "ting jing"
or chi sensitivity and yi development exercises.
Postures, stances and rooting are a key component for balancing the chi and establishing a solid
foundation from which your chi can develop healthy and strong. This is not mere calisthenics. This is
creating the proper environment for your vital chi to circulate.

http://wisdomwarriortraining.com/articles-dir/DevelopingRoot.pdf

Developing Root In Tai Chi Practice

By Hal Mosher

The strongest trees have the deepest roots. Borrowing their strength from the ground, trees are able to be
upright for hundreds of years. Tai Chi tries to utilize this vast amount of energy in the earth as a means to
strengthen our bodies. Developing Root is so important in Tai Chi because it is root that enables all movement. In
push hands, root is so important that you cant yield or push without it. Therefore, developing root is of utmost
importance in Tai Chi practice, and any other martial art that stands on two feet. Luckily however, a strong root
can be cultivated, and its effects can be felt. A root develops the more one is able to separate ones weight clearly
onto one leg; this is what is called "separating yin and yang." Root is also developed by bending your l egs using
the proper alignments. Lastly, once these two aspects are in place one can to develop both a stable and a mobile
root. There is also a fault of becoming too rooted which then forces you to loose mobility. This overabundance of
root is called double heaviness which has its antidote in lightness mixed with the heaviness. In conclusion, I will
explain how to apply root to push hands practice using simple two-person exercises. Developing Root is at the
core of our Tai chi practice and it effects everything we do in Tai Chi, so it crucial we understand how to apply
rooting to our practice.

Separating Yin and Yang

When thinking of moving in Tai Chi we apply the Yin and Yang symbol to our movements. The yin and yang are
one symbol but separate entities, like two fish swimming next to each other in a circle each chasing the others
tail. When youre shifting from one leg to another you should feel the weight go out of one leg and into the other.
This shifting produces movement in the hands across the body. For Example, if you shift to your right leg, then the
left hand becomes active.
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This shifting is like two fish chasing each other in that they are in constant and connected movement. In rooting
practice, it is this sinking into the leg that must be distinguished clearly.

This must be done by putting the weight squarely on the foot, and in particular on the bubbling well behind the
big toe. The foot should not grip the ground in order to root, instead the foot must adhere to the ground like you
are sinking in the mud. When the weight is squarely on the foot then either side of the foot fails to lift off the
ground. In effect, it should be like you are standing on tofu without squishing the sides. In the beginning, shift the
weight very slowly to the foot in the form of small increments: 10%, then 20%, 30% etc. until you are at 100%. If
you are upright and balanced, this will create a clear distinction in your mind concerning the weight sinking clearly
into the foot. An upright posture is critical for keeping and developing root, otherwise you can easily be toppled in
the direction you are leaning.

Using an Upright Posture to Develop Root

Rooting involves remaining very stable, upright and balanced. Without embodying these qualities, it will be
difficult to practice Tai Chi. The first part of being upright is keeping the back straight. This completely upright
spine is then placed right over your full foot so that the spine rests right over your bubbling well on that foot. As
the spine rests over that foot it enhances your ability to sink onto that foot, and then try to bend your legs deeply
and feel a connection between your bubbling well, and your sacrum. As your sacrum approaches your bubbling
well, your center of gravity lowers, increasing the power in your legs while relaxing your upper body.

Practitioners can hold any one legged posture such as play guitar or step back to ride the tiger in order to help
feel this connection with the ground. The longer you stand in this posture the more important it will be that your
back remain straight, if it doesnt then you will feel the tension made known to you in the form of pain. Being
upright and balanced is to your advantage try to use that upright posture to help you sink onto your root. Try to
keep your shoulders over your hips, while keeping your knees in line with your elbows. This streamlining with
gravity will help you relax and sink onto your root like a tree reaching to the sky with its branches while still
having its roots deeply sunk in the ground.

Two Types of Rooting Practice

There are two types of root: one is static the other mobile. Static root means that you remain still while
developing root. This is done by holding postures for long periods of time with an emphasis on alignment. With
practice, the chi will naturally be cultivated as the legs are strengthened and your body becomes more relaxed.
When your legs start to burn this is the time to focus on your breathing directed by the mind to the Dan Tien.
Then focus on feeling the earths energy come up from your heels. It is important in both types of rooting practice
to watch your alignments carefully so as not to cause any tension or distension of the spine. Make an effort to
have the full leg be vertical and try to have the knee, hip, shoulder and big toe all line up with the navel. During
moving root practice this orientation changes as the weight goes into the next leg. In effect, you are pulling the
root out of one leg and putting it into another, re-establishing the alignments above. When the weight is clearly
on one leg the alignments naturally line up with that leg like a door being slipped onto its hinges. The root then
drops into the bubbling well like the pin being dropped onto its hinges. This type of sinking into the root then
creates the posture in the hands and rest of the body. The sacrum then creates a connection to the root for the
upper part of the body. Eventually, as your sacrum drops throughout the Tai Chi form it connects you to the
ground by dropping in to the hip joints, which in turn lines up with the feet. All the bodies movements then
derive from the sacrum and function through the root. This is how to combine rooting with your movement.

Correcting Double Heaviness or Lightness

The Tai Chi Classics also state that double heaviness and double lightness are both faults in our practice. Double
heaviness makes your form to hard or limp. Double lightness creates floating in your form and it makes you lose
your sense of root. We can't have double heaviness or double lightness in our practice; which means we need a
balance of lightness and heaviness. The easiest way to understand this is to see the lower body as being heavy
and the upper body as being light.
This is done by bending your legs deeply as mentioned above. However, this does not complete this practice
because there still has to be some lightness within your heaviness, and visa versa (the Yin and Yang again).
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The technique of feeling the root move the arms and legs through the sacrum will accomplish this balance of
heaviness and lightness. Every time you shift into the leg there is heaviness going down into the outside of the leg
while at the same time lightness coming up the inside of the leg. This sinking is very active and very subtle at the
same time. It only comes after years of practice, but you can start practicing it mentally and after a while it will
develop. This kind of sinking relies heavily on being relaxed while practicing, and going slow in order to feel this
sinking come up through the hands. In fact, this type of sinking comes mainly from push hands practice. It is the
lightness within your heaviness that creates an ability to yield and respond with the proper amount of force.
When this sinking with lightness gets to the arms, it is reversed, where the full arm is heavy on the inside and light
on the outside. Looking at Brush Knee Twist Step for example, the ability to lift the arm is accomplished through
the sinking of the opposite leg. In this way, every part of the body has its full and empty aspect, depending on the
individual posture. Sinking into the root by shifting is the first part. This shifting is then felt in the arms, which is
connected to the root of your foot. Later in your practice any movement and any part of the body will have root
as needed. This ability will create an ability to listen and yield to any opponent as needed.

The best way to develop root with another player is to sit on one leg with the other leg extended forward. Have
your friend push on different parts of your body while you absorb their push by sinking and turning into your back
leg. Start with one shoulder being pushed and the move to the next, move to the hip joints, and then press one
arm against your body and the other. Pushing on each place should be done five or six times making sure to
follow the hand back after it pushes you. This will help you to sink down and turn the waist while going into the
root.

In Conclusion, developing root is necessary for movement in Tai Chi. Root is developed in many ways: by lining up
your weight with the foot as you sink onto it, learning to relax by using your alignments, and learning the two
types of root; mobile and static. All of these types of learning root are then applied to two ways of turning the
waist: one from left to right, and the other from up to down. The combination of these two turns creates all the
various motions of the waist in Tai Chi. Sinking into the root then creates these turns which then creates the
movement in the hands. Developing root is the beginning of Tai Chi practice and determines how the rest of the
body will move.


http://taiji-europa.eu/tai-chi-taiji/basics/5-most-important-beginner-s-skills-part-3/

The Five Most Important Taijiquan Skills for Beginners

Part 3 of a 3 part article by Wang Hai Jun

Translated by Nick Gudge

- Chen and Chan Si Jin -

In the first and second parts of this article, published in the Summer and Autumn 2010 editions of this magazine, I
discussed what I consider to be the first three of the five most important taijiquan skills for beginners, namely
fang song, peng jin and ding jin. In this article I discuss the fourth and fifth most important skills for beginners,
Chen and Chan Si Jin.

Chen - Rooted

Chen has two meaning in Taijiquan. The first meaning relates to how the body must sink to connect to the
ground. The second meaning relates to how the qi must be trained to always be sunk down. These two meanings
refer to two separate but closely related skills.

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The skill of sinking the body is dependent on the skill of fang song. The joints must remain loose but still
coordinated together. The body is allowed to compress, either using the force of gravity or a force applied from
another person. This compression must be directed by the body down the leg without causing stiffness.

Training the qi to remain sunk is more difficult to describe. The reference to qi is difficult for many people to
understand and a direction to do something with qi brings even more difficulties. The dantian (or sea of qi) must
move freely first. The qi moves naturally initially. Then, as the qi increases, it must be kept sunk and not allowed
to rise out of control, e.g. getting excited or emotional. It must be sunk down to flood the legs and reach the
ground. These actions can be felt clearly and unambiguously, in the body and legs, when the body and legs have
been trained sufficiently and properly.

The combination of these two skills produces a skill that may appear unbelievable, where a significantly bigger
and stronger person is unable to push over a smaller, weaker person; where someone on their back leg can
simply push backwards someone opposing them on their front leg. However it is a basic skill which can be
understood and developed with the correct teaching and considerable practice.

Through the skill of chen, incoming forces are directed down the legs to the ground and conversely outgoing
forces are generally pushed from the ground. It requires a mobility in the hips and waist that is difficult to
describe and comes from long and hard training in the correct manner. A student must be led to it by a teacher
who not only understands the skill of it but also the skill of how to teach the skill. For strength to be connected to
the ground it must first sink to the ground. In this respect chen is closely related to peng. Without a well
developed peng jin, including a mobility of the dan tian a well developed chen or root will not be possible.

The outgoing force which pushes from the ground is not something mystical but the result of careful training, a
coordination of peng jin, a certain type of leg and body strength and control. The body acts like a highly
specialised and controlled spring. When it is compressed, the pressure goes to the ground and when it is released
it pushes from the ground. A good root is essential to neutralize and release strength effectively using the internal
method of Chen style taijiquan.

Understanding and developing a root is initially developed in standing (zhan zhuang) practice. Through correct
standing practice peng jin and ding jin are developed along with balance and an understanding of qi. Training the
body and qi to sink and remain sunk under pressure is a major focus of taiji forms. In the beginning moderated
and slow movement allows the quickest route to understanding and increased skill. Closing the body during
practice, the elbows to the knees and the shoulders to hips, helps develop the understanding of chen. Sinking at
the start and end of each movement is part of the process of developing chen.

Practicing with longer and lower postures and relaxing the upper body and hips develops the leg strength that is
fundamental to developing a strong root. More importantly, loosing the body (fang song), particularly the hips, so
your qi naturally sinks to the legs and feet, helps develop a root. The intensity of practice and the strength
required increases significantly as the qi sinks more to legs and a persons root develops. After the skills of fang
song, peng and ding are understood in the body and the mind, specific rooting exercises can be used to aid the
development of chen.

When rooted under pressure, the feeling is that the joints redirect in a downward direction and the joint itself
may move down slightly. It should not be mistaken for crouching down or simply bending the joints. To crouch
down low usually provides improved mechanical leverage and requires greater leg strength. The mistake of
lowering the body is frequently mistaken for sinking. A lower stance will strengthen the legs but not necessarily
develop the root. Initially the skill of chen is trained in a more upright position as it takes more skill to be lower
and be rooted than to be more upright and rooted.

Chan Si Jin - Silk Reeling Skill

The type of motion required in taijiquan is called silk reeling or chan si. Although I list it as the fifth most
important skill for beginners to pay close attention to, without chan si jin there can be no taijiquan. Chan si
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describes how the body must move to move the qi, to maintain peng jin and to co-ordinate the constant opening
(kai) and closing (he) of the outside and inside of the body that taiji is composed of.

Again it is not easy to describe or to understand in its entirety because it needs to be understood more by the
body than by the mind. For the body to understand, it needs to be able to approximate chan si motion
repetitively until its entirety is grasped. This is done through the continuous and repetitive practice initially of
reeling silk exercises (chan si gong) and then, more importantly, forms (tao lu.)

For the beginner chan si gong can be considered the early training of taiji shen fa (body mechanics) in movement.
By following the relatively simple choreography, in a progression from simple to more difficult, (first with one
hand and then with both hands, first stationary then with steps,) the beginner will find how the body moves in
circles and spirals. For the beginner the internal movement is not important. Paying attention to winding in (shun
chan) and winding out (ni chan,) front circle (zheng mian) and side circle (ce mian), and normal direction (zheng)
and reverse direction (fan) is sufficient. Try to move smoothly and without stiffness. Gain the skill of fang song by
removing the blockages caused by stiffness in the joints. Aim to get all parts of the body to move in a circle and
spiral.

This form of spiral movement not only appears on the surface of the skin, but also appears inside through the
whole body. It causes every joint and limb to experience motion. Through repeated coiling and stretching in the
training for a prolonged period of time, the body will naturally attain the resilient and elastic strength (peng jin
discussed in part 2) that is loose and yet strong at the same time. Chan si jin is the method that the body uses to
move so as to retain peng jin.

In the mid 1980s teachers from Chen Village, notably Chen Xiao Wang and Chen Zheng Lei, as well as others
created silk reeling exercises (chan si gong.) These exercises were derived from important movements in the
training forms to aid in the development of chan si jin. It became well established quickly as a means of teaching
larger groups the basic grasp of movement in Chen style taijiquan, particularly helpful for those without regular
access to direction and correction from a good teacher and whose practice time is too short to allow progress in
understanding to be made immediately through the traditional forms. Although these sets of exercise may look
different from teacher to teacher, they all train the same set of principles.

(For those interested there is a DVD of the reeling silk exercises I recommend for beginners on my website
(www.wanghaijun.com ) There is also a longer article which provides a beginners commentary on training in
reeling silk exercises with me..)

In summary, over these three articles I have described the five most important skills at the foundation of taijiquan
for beginners. My hope is that those who wish to understand and gain the skills of taiji will be aided by these
descriptions. In Chen Style we say there are three requirements needed to gain gongfu. A good teacher, good
understand and good practice. History has shown that all who have achieved a high level of skill had all three.
These articles aim to help in understanding what taiji is and what its skills are. Gongfu may be translated as skill,
but the idea of time spent is a more useful translation.

In Chen Style Taiji the yilu (first form) is the foundation route taken by all those who have reached the third level.
While the erlu, weapons forms and push hands form an integral part of the training, too often students reach for
these before the basic skills which they utilize are established. Without developing the basic skills of fang song,
peng jin, ding jin, chen, & chan si jin, progress will be limited.

In my own training with my teacher Chen Zheng Lei, these ideas were not explained to me in a theoretical way,
but arrived at after long practice with regular correction and derived from experience. These were not ideas we
first discussed but principles that grew out of my practice and the repeated correction from my teacher. It is
important that the student understand this and not neglect their practice. In the beginning, training taijiquan is
like paddling upstream: as soon as you stop paddling you will move backwards. So train steadily and without a
break with a good teacher and progress will come to you.

Wang Hai Jun is three times All China National Taijiquan Champion in forms, weapons and push hand. He is also
the trainer of five other All China National Taijiquan Champions. His proven skills and understanding of taijiquan
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and his proven expertise as a teacher of the finest skills make his a voice worth listening to closely. He lives in
Manchester and teaches in the UK throughout the year in London and Manchester. See his web-site at
www.wanghaijun.com for more information.


http://taijijourney.blogspot.com/2005/08/rooting-secret-of-getting-power-from.html

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Rooting, the Secret of Getting Power from the Earth
by Gaofei Yan and James Cravens

In studying the ideas which lie behind the internal martial arts, we recognize that internal means that there may
be concepts and principles that are underneath the surface or not apparent as they would be in the external
martial arts. While looking at these deep aspects, such as chi and internal power, one of the most intriguing
principles is the study of rooting. Rooting may not sound like an exotic topic, but if one is to develop the energy
skills that we hear the legendary masters attained, rooting must be understood, as well as practiced.

Everyone in the martial arts agrees that one needs good balance and many use the word rooting in speaking of
this balance. Rooting is not just having good balance, it involves much more. Most beginners neglect this aspect
because technique, counter technique, and the various ways to fight seem to be what initially captures their
interest. After a period of time, the serious students, through much practice and thought, discover that they are
losing power when they move and when they try to strike. They may have a strong shoulder or a big punch, but it
is segmented and not part of a unitary body effort. This is because they have no root.

Chen Zhaopi, the 18th generation Chen family master and master of Chen Xiao Wang, Chen Zhenglei, Chen
Shitong, and Wang Xian, said the following: If one cannot come to recognize how the weight moves distinctly
back and forth between the two legs, then the upper and lower body cannot work together and connect. If the
upper and lower body cannot connect, then you cannot absorb the opponents force. If you cannot absorb the
opponents force, you cannot use his force.

After two years of dedicated practice, Mr. Yans teacher, Chen Quan Zhong, told Mr. Yan that he still had no Kung
Fu, but had only begun to have a little root. Therefore, it would serve us well to look closely at how to attain this
principle of rooting, because we can safely say that if there is no rooting, there will be nothing else. The study of
the internal will give us the secret of true rooting and teach us how to get power from the ground.

The great internal arts have various ways to achieve the skill of rooting. In the art of Xing-yi (mind-will boxing)
much time is devoted in particular to developing the San ti Shi or Three Body Posture. In the style of Bagua
Zhang (eight diagram boxing), they use the idea of walking in a circle in order to build up the root. In Tai Ji Quan
one develops the root by studying what the body must do in order to keep the weights center balanced while
moving very slowly. Push hands practice, a two person touching exercise, then uses speed in order to develop this
balance under more difficult circumstances.

Even though each art uses different methods in order to build and develop the root, other factors are important
such as intensity and regular practice. Zhang Ju, who was a master in the art of Xin-Yi, practiced so hard that he
would finally collapse and fall down asleep. Sun Lu Tang, one of the most famous internal boxers in Chinese
history, practiced the plowing step wherever he went during the day. Even while standing around he would be
practicing. Chen Xiao Wang practiced so hard he could barely bend his knees after practice.

Note: A variation of this article was published in Tai Chi magazine last year. Because of the importance of this
topic, we have decided to use this article for the benefit of our readers.

Many people use the term rooting but have varied ideas about what constitutes its meaning. Lets examine the
details so we may understand its substance. First, lets look at what it means to lose root or not to have it at all.
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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.

Photo #1, #2 Photo #1 (correct), #2 (incorrect) When the hand in Brush Knee touches, the body should sink as in
picture #1, not as in #2. In #2 the chi will rise, but in #1, the chi sinks and the power is balanced in the legs and
opponents arm.

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. The hips and shoulders are typical joints that students will lock which breaks the
root.

Photo #3,#4, In #3 the right shoulder is locked and left shoulder is too loose or limp. The left hip is locked and the
left knee is limp. #4 photo is correct.

Photo #8,#9 In #8 the chi stops in back because the back is bent and the chest is forward. #9 is the correct way.

At the other extreme, the body can be too loose or limp which will also cause the root to be broken.

Photo One Photo Two Photo Three

Other causes that disrupt a continuous root include psychological reasons. Being frightened suddenly is a
common example of how ones energy will rise, taking away the potential power from the ground through
rooting. Other emotions, such as anger, happiness, sadness, and being excited, can all play a role in losing root
since they distract the mind from its focus. Losing root while sparring is an example of how psychological pressure
locks up the body causing the root to be lost.

Finally, the reason for a lost root is often a combination of several postural problems. When one loses root, his
movement or force cannot change directions and his body is segmented and not unitary. Internal power should
be round and unitary, not linear and segmented. Roundness has the quality of continuation and flow, while linear
does not contain this quality and will cause the body to stop and start, producing a segmented non-unitary action.

We see from the discussion so far that when one loses root, several factors are involved: the amount of tension in
the muscles, the way in which the body connects and works together, and the ability to produce a powerful
product in terms of projection.

There are many misconceptions about what root actually is. Some believe that it means having strong legs or
having a low stance. Some believe that it is developed only by practicing static postures. People who train only in
this way usually cannot fight.

If root is so desirable, how then does one build the root? Many people may agree on a quality or principle being
useful, but how is always more important than what. The method that will step by step get you to the point
of rooting is often what is missing. As mentioned earlier, many people and styles have different ways to build the
root. In the style of Xing-Yi the old way is to practice 60% in static postures and 40% in movement. In Tai Ji Quan
the solo form is a major factor in training, while Wuji standing posture with no motion, Tai Chi stillness postures,
and heavy weapons (Long staff (Dagan) and Guan Dao) exercises are also practiced. In the art of Bagua Zhang one
walks a circle to build up the root. In spite of these different methods, the requirement is basically the same.
Certain things must be true about the body, the movement, the Qi (energy), and the mind.

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Body

1. The body should be straight. The body sinks and the head hangs as if suspended or pulled upward lightly from a
string. This opposite stretch creates a straighter spine which then allows muscles to relax, giving more flexibility
and movement to the body.

2. The waist must sink; sometimes one side may sink. This sinking has always been recognized as necessary in
rooting.

3. Muscles on both sides at the inguinal crease should relax. If one does not relax, chi will not go down into the
legs. This also aids in the process of straightening the lumbar curve in the back.

4. Two Huantiao (the points just behind the side hip bones) must be rolled back and out; these are also
acupuncture points.

5. The distance between the upper inner thighs (dang) is the same width at the front of the inner thighs as at the
back of the inner thighs. For example, if one assumes a toe-in hour glass stance, the distance at the rear of the
inner thigh is greater than at the front. If one tucks the hip forward, the distance at the front of the inner thighs is
greater than at the rear of the inner thighs. In Yang style Tai Ji they say they put the whole body on two legs, and
the Chen style of Tai Ji explains this by saying it is like taking a seat or a sitting position while standing. The upper
inner thighs should have a shape like an upside down letter U and not like an upside down letter V.

6. The acupuncture point called the Huiyin or perineum, as well as the anus, is internally pulled upward. This
keeps the small heavenly circulation or the chi unblocked.

7. The Wei Lu refers to keeping the lower back straight during the posture or movement.

8. The entire body through to the legs must screw inward which will open the inner thighs. The knee should not
be inward, but should be lined up straight with the foots direction so that the power from the ground will not be
broken. One will actually feel an outer pressure on the outside knee as the legs screw inward toward the ground.

9. The acupuncture point Wei Zhong, located on the leg behind the center of the knee should always be strong.
The knee will have to be bent and not kinked inward in order for this to be right.

10. Toes should grip the ground and the yong quan points (located just below the ball of the foot but just on the
toe half of the foot) in the bottom of the feet become empty, which contributes to all movement and stability.
The yong quan points are also known as the bubbling well.

Photo #4,#6,#9 Refer to ten points

Photo Five Photo Six Photo Seven

Photo Eight
Photo Nine

Movement

Photo #10 - Chen style Da Lu

In order to have a proper root, movement should never go by arm alone but by the whole body. The weight is
transferred by turning the body.

Each internal art develops the root in various ways. In Xing-Yi, the classics state that the power of the technique is
70% from the lower body and 30% from the arms. Many misunderstand this teaching to be kicking rather than
the lower body. Without this lower body emphasis, there is no rooting.

15
In Tai Ji Quan one moves very slowly, balancing over the yong quan points in the bottom of both feet in order to
find and control the center of the weight. This assures that the force can come from the ground and not be
stopped inside the body.

Furthermore, on a punch, the front leg must also screw and not be loose so that the whole body can contribute
to power going out of the hand. The sensation is that the ground below moves in opposite directions due to this
inward screwing with both legs. During the punch, a loose front leg creates a large energy loss going out the front
knee. In Tai ji we say that the front leg has no Peng Jing.

Photo #5 (wrong way) Photo#6 and Photo #6B - The knee must not go limp but allow power to back up and back
the punch.

Qi (energy)

The Qi in the body will flow properly when the three acupuncture points are lined up properly. These points are:

1. Bai hui - located on the crown point.

2. Hui yin - located between the genitals and the anus; this point should close and lift.

3. The intersection between the two yong quan points The intersection is somewhere between the feet
depending on the posture.

These three points should all be lined up vertically. One cannot overemphasize the need to relax. When the three
points are lined up in a relaxed manner, the Zhong Qi (centered chi) gets larger. Chi is a difficult subject for those
just beginning to study, and the concept of centered chi is difficult as well.

Mind

The mind and spirit must be strong in order to keep chi from rising, which will destroy the effort of rooting. The
mind must be very centered and controlled. Many people practice Chan (Zen) exercises, or something similar, in
order to accomplish this. This, of course, has a parallel in life since the mind must also be kept centered every day
in order to handle all circumstances.

When practicing, one should use imagination so that one can image clouds or a river to create evenly flowing
movement. One can go fast yet stay quiet. When traveling in an airplane, one feels very still even though the
speed may be 500 m.p.h.. Enemies to the mind are anger, fear, and various other emotions and distractions. They
raise the chi high in the body, making the body tight and again destroying the root.

All of these requirements to building root support each other and connect to each other in a complimentary
fashion. After a long time you will understand the beautiful harmony of the requirements. The straight plumb line
requirement causes the thigh to go in, but when one takes the two points in the hip out the knees move out
opening the thighs up properly. Another example of harmony between the requirements is that when the legs are
down and when one sinks, the practitioner can use the whole body as a unit.

What kind of feeling is obtained from rooting? Should we feel something when we root? The feeling that is
derived from rooting is that the upper body is empty and the lower body is full. In push hands or in application
when two people are linked together, if one person is rooting and the other is not, the lever principle comes into
effect. One person has the power of his chest and arms versus the other person which is using the entire body as
a unit. Everything else being equal, the unitary rooted person has three times the leverage. It is like someone who
is standing on ice pushing hands with a person on dry ground.

Photo #14 - Lose right knee-chi stops in back-force only from elbow out-short leverage vs. long leverage-black one
on ice - other on dry ground.

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Another feeling derived from rooting is that of smooth movement. The body turns as a unit; it also gives turning a
greater range of motion. The body can turn in any direction.

Photo #11, #12,#13 - Mr. Yan can change to #12 or #13 from #11 depending on which way the Opponent goes.
This is changeability.

Whether in fighting application or when interacting with an partner in some sort of dueling, one must yield and
follow the opponent or the root can be shattered.

Root also allows the body to calm down and feel centered. In Bagua Zhang one walks a circle to build the root. It
is said that after a long time, the eyes will be able to see very clear. This speaks of awareness and sensitivity. For
example, one can taste the sweetness of bread if his or her taste buds are sensitive. Rooting allows the eyes to
become clearer. In contrast, when one is angry, he does not see clearly.

When one sinks properly and allows the chi to sink, it is very intense. One may not be able to hold the posture for
very long when he truly learns to sink and root purely.

The intensity can be greater with a root. Li Wen Bin, a master of Xing-Yi, taught a member of the Chinese National
Hockey team who was very strong and could lift a two hundred pound weight over his head over one hundred
times or more very easily. When placed in the proper rooted position, he could not hold a Sun ti shi (Xin-yi
posture) for very long when he let the chi sink purely.

Chen Tai Ji sets up the root initially by standing in the posture called Wu Ji. Wu Ji refers to absence of movement.
From the Wu Ji comes the Tai Ji. In the Wu Ji one can feel the three points in one line in order to feel the centered
chi. The weight should be centered over the yong quan points in the bottom of the foot.

Every posture is like Wu Ji. Some people practice for many years and never feel the centered chi or root. In
September of 1992 a Spanish martial art team visited Chen village. A famous teacher in Spain asked Chen Shi Tong
to correct his posture. The posture was called Walk Obliquely. He held the stance and Chen Shi tong corrected
every part of his posture properly. While changing his posture, he began to have an unusual feeling in his body.
His eyes showed a big surprise. He could not hold the posture very long. He grabbed Mr. Yans arm (who was the
interpreter) and began to say the word Big Tree many times. He wanted Mr. Yan to tell Chen Shi Tong what he
was feeling. If the instructor is good, he will put you in the posture and you will feel the centered chi, or the Big
Tree. A good instructor is very important in the development of many steps in internal boxing. You may have the
knowledge, but a good teacher can cause you to get the proper feeling.

In Chen Tai Ji there are many ways to make the opponents chi rise. One way is to use chin na (grabbing,
grappling, etc.) to cause the chi to go up. When one touches the fighter or in push hands, you want to find out the
persons direction of force and center, so you listen to his energy.

Photo #15, - Mr. Dees in rollback and Mr. Yan in Press. Mr. Yan finds tightness in Mr. Dees shoulder.

Photo #16 - Mr. Yan follows the tightness in the shoulder.

We have discussed why root is important, why people lose their root, how to build the root, and the feelings
derived from rooting. The principle of rooting is a product of the principle coming from the Tao Te Chi ng, the
most famous book in China.

The Tao Teh Ching was written by Lao Tzu who described the way of the universe. This book told people how to
control the world. Its conclusion was that you control the world by controlling yourself that you have more
control in this world if you simply learn to control your own self and balance.

As this idea was factored into the internal martial art, it was discovered that when one learns to root, he has
much greater control of his own balance as well as greater potential of power coming from the ground.

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In the book Xing-Yi Quan Xue, The Study of Form-Mind Boxing, written by the famous internal martial artist Sun
Lu Tang, translated by Albert Liu, and compiled and edited by Dan Miller, an interview with Sun Lu Tangs
daughter, Sun Jian Yun states that her father did not think there was any secret way to practice the martial arts.
He emphasized that there were two words which described correct practice, Zhong He, which translates to mean
balanced or neutral. It is always easier to reach a goal if the goal is very clear. Why be rooted in martial
movement? It is because our goal is to be balanced.


http://www.taichichuancenter.org/Newsletter/200103Rooted.html

On Being Rooted
March 1, 2001

There is a great story told of a tai chi master who was attacked from behind while walking down the street in
town. In those days sifus were accustomed to being challenged by accomplished fighters eager to prove their
skills, but in this case the master didn't even both to face the attacker. He just let him attack. People were
astonished to see the master repel the attacker by doing literally nothing. The challenger bounced off the
master's back and left convinced of the master's power.

This tale illustrates the power of the most basic tai chi technique, being rooted. The idea is as simple as it sounds.
Just as a tree is connected to the ground through its roots, rooting in tai chi means that your body, your mass, is
linked to the ground. To see how powerful this connection can be, imagine bumping into a chair. You get hurt but
not that much because the chair moves. But if you bump into a tree, you get hurt because the tree doesn't move.
In fact the harder you bump into the tree, the more you will bounce away, like a tennis ball thrown against a wall.
Just as the tai chi master in the story must have had some kind of ability to attach himself to the ground, even
when walking, the attacker in the story must have been a kung fu master, able to attack real fast and real
powerfully, to be bounced so far away.

Attacking Power

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.

Yielding Power

Rooting is also the basis of defending against an attack, although many people misunderstand the application.
The story I told of the tai chi master can be a little misleading here because the master's feat did not seem to rely
on yielding at all, although yielding is the best use of a good root.

Although they are often confused, being rooted is not being stubborn. The idea is not to prove "no one pushes me
around" or that you can "stand your ground." It's stubborn to rely on force to resist force; a good root is a tool for
flexibility. You should be elastic, absorbing, bouncing. Rooted with the lower body, the tan tien functions as the
handle of the whip, and you yield with the upper body the way the grass bends with the wind. The idea is also to
snap back, like the grass, for extra attacking power. This is why it says in the classics, "Root starts in the feet,
springs from the legs,/ Is executed through the waist and expressed through the fingers."

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Some people who think they understand "four ounces deflect a thousand pounds" don't see that relying on
rooting without yielding is relying on strength. One of the most common mistakes in pushhands is relying on
being rooted too much instead of yielding. The whole idea about tai chi is yin and yang. Tai chi is yin and yang
chuan. Yin and yang means that you are able to move forward, backward, yielding accordingly. If you don't have
that kind of ability, "if you don't know how to yield beautifully, turning on the waist, shifting the weight" you just
freeze. In the tai chi classics this problem is known as "double weighting," or "becoming stagnant," when you
resist a force instead of moving with it. In fighting this makes you extremely vulnerable.

Double-weighting is not yielding enough, but there's also the problem of yielding too much, otherwise known as
running away. It doesn't matter whether you're trying to overwhelm or outrun the opponent, you're still relying
on speed and strength instead of technique. When you run away you give up the root and position you need for
responding, attacking power. You see this in boxing, where they move back and forth by jumping.

Training

If the root is so important and powerful, how does one train for a good root? It can't be separated from tai chi
training. A good root depends on a subtle appreciation of the same tai chi qualities as the rest of the art: tuck-in,
head suspended, loose, round, connected, and relaxed. The horse stance and other exercises in nei kung are the
frame for rooting and flexibility, the tai chi form is the movement, and pushhands is the yielding, responding
power. Our practice in cotton slippers on a smooth wood floor teaches good rooting because there's so little
traction to rely on. Without the traction, you'll slip if you're not rooted, whereas you can cheat if you have better
footing. The only thing better would be practicing on ice.

When you are concentrating on being rooted, you should think of a heavy bag of sand or rice. They are so hard to
lift because they sink down when you try to pick them up. That's why a chain can seem heavier to lift than a stick,
because the center of gravity keeps changing. In the tai chi classics this is called being heavy as Mount Tai.

You can test your root by having someone try to push you head-on while you're standing in a bow and arrow
stance, doing the grab bird's tail or ward off position. If you can conduct the opponent's force into the ground,
then he or she will not be able to move you. Finally, confronting muggers isn't the only way to test your tai chi in
the subway. You can also try out your root by sinking down with the head suspended the next time you're on a
shaky ride.


http://www.taijiworld.com/root-methods.html

The Yang Lu-ch'an Root Methods

Erle Montaigue 2010

Everything we learn in Tai Chi has a double meaning, or even triple. When we first begin, most people want to
know what each movement actually means and why it is there.

The martial application that is inherent in each posture helps the beginning student to learn each movement and
posture. Knowing where to put one's hands and why we are standing in this particular way is important in basic
learning of the Tai Chi form.

To this end, I have always shown at least one basic application of each of the postures from the form. Some of the
movements and postures can seem fairly obtuse and beginners often find it difficult finding a reason for placing
their hands in such positions.

There is another more important reason however, for knowing the basic applications of each posture and it is an
"internal reason".

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In order to do "work", Qi (energy) must move through the body from somewhere to somewhere. If for instance
we open a door, energy is directed to our palm and causes the correct movement to do that work. However, Qi
has to move through meridians or channels throughout the body, like water moves along a stream or blood
through a vessel. There are 12 main meridians or channels in the body and each of these are associated with a
major organ such as heart, lung, liver, kidney etc. As the Qi flow through each meridian to do certain work, the
organ through which it passes is bathed in life giving energy, hence the healing benefits of Tai Chi.

If then we have a way of directing sub-consciously the Qi through EVERY meridian by doing certain movements
that mean some kind of work, we have indeed a potent healing exercise. This is what Tai Chi is!

The old masters made up a set of movements that directed the Qi through each meridian and thus through each
major organ in turn to cause healing and rejuvenation of those organs. The old masters in China all knew martial
arts for self defence, so their way of making a healing set of movements was also based upon their inherited
martial systems.

Being people of great genius and also having great knowledge of the human body and the Qi or energy system,
they invented a set of self defence movements that would not only cause one to be able to defend against
physical external attack, they also invented a set of movements that would send the energy around each meridian
or rather "activate" it in each organ.

So when we perform the Tai Chi form for the first time after having learnt all of the postures, we are told to
imagine that we are actually fighting someone and doing those particular martial movements that we have been
taught. We only ever have to do this once as it then goes into our sub-conscious. Then, every time we perform
the Tai Chi form, we sub-consciously are actually fighting!

Now, here is the science. The human sub-conscious brain doesn't know the difference between what is real and
what is imagined. So we imagine cutting a lemon in half and sucking the juice. What happens? All of the same
things happen like saliva welling up in the mouth etc., that would happen if we were eating a lemon for real.

And it's this principle upon which the old masters based their teachings. So now, when you practice your Tai Chi
form, although you are doing relatively slow movements and very gently, apart from the obvious fa-jing (explosive
energy movement, you are actually fighting someone for 20 or 40 minutes! This is how Tai Chi teaches you how to
fight without teaching you!

Now we come to Yang Lu-ch'an, the man who invented Tai Chi. He saw a need for another set of movements for
when someone had risen to a very high level and had gone past the stage of the sub-conscious fighting
movements. He then set about over many years to invent another shorter set of movements which would be
based upon each of the main postures of the Tai Chi form. These he would call "The Root Methods" or some
translation like that. These Root Methods were short sets of movements that covered many of the more
advanced fighting, self defence applications from the form based upon the art of "Dim-Mak" (Striking the death
points) and also upon fa-jing (explosive energy).

These short sets were based upon Tai Chi at a much higher level called "Small Frame" and were only meant for
the advanced student who had come to this "small frame" level.

These sets or "Root Methods" were inspired and when one learns them, it sort of puts a key into the lock and
opens the final door into the very advanced methods of Tai Chi.

We still have the movement of energy around the body, however, these sets also teach the body how to move
instinctively in a reflexive manner. Although we learn devastating fighting methods with these sets, we also learn
sub-consciously how to deal with any situation at an instant level without thinking.

Some of the Root Methods can be daunting at first as there are many hidden applications to each movement and
some are difficult to even recognise based upon what the student already knows of the basic applications.
However, once a teach who actually knows these tells the student how they work, it is easy to see how they came
from each of the main postures.
20

Some of the Root Methods are longer or shorter depending upon their importance. Some also add the next one
or two postures as, often it is important for the sub-conscious reactions to get a flow from one posture to the
next.

The Root Methods teach you about body movement; how to move the body sub-consciously in any given
situation, where to place your body in order to gain the maximum amount of power for the least expended
energy; how to knock someone out by placing your body into the exact position so that you can shoot off a strike
from any position at any time and from any distance away and do great damage.

Each of the Root Methods also works upon the particular organ or meridian upon which the original posture is
based. So performing the root methods not only gives you a great physical work out as there are MANY of them,
they also work upon your internal energy system thus balancing and boosting to protect you from pathogenic
attack. And this is what a REAL fighting system is all about, protecting oneself and family from external attack as
well as attack from disease.

So we have three areas of excellence in the Root Methods: Protection from external attack: A great physical
exercise workout for the whole body and: Protection from internal Pathogenic attack.

Just Do It!


http://books.google.hr/books?id=pilNvIQXpcAC&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=Rooting+Exercises&source=bl&ots=LD
Bz9nq-rj&sig=0mzwj0g5y9EEdDR2mwiDAq9gNDU&hl=hr&sa=X&ei=9mliU_qAJ-
LjywPihIGIDQ&ved=0CGoQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Rooting%20Exercises&f=false

Hwa Yu Tai Chi Ch'uan - Unlocking the misteries of the
Five-Word Song by Glenn D.

The Structure of Hwa Yu Tai Chi Ch'uan

John Li believed that rooting is the first skill a beginner needed to learn; according to him, students were wasting
their time if they started learning the forms without first mastering the three rooting exercises. These exercises
strengthen the leg muscles, enabling a student to practice for longer periods of time. Increasing leg strength also
helps to alleviate excess muscular tension, thereby expediting the students progress in developing chi. Most tai
chi systems teach that it is vital to practice some sort of strength training - like these rooting exercises - early on
because it will precipitate ones ability to develop the correct body structure, which in turn enables him or her to
better circulate his or her chi.

All new students begin their training with the first two rooting exercises: Rowing and Walking. In ancient times, a
beginner would spend an entire year practicing only these two exercises, but John Li was a bit more lenient he
would only require that a new student spend four to six weeks Rowing and Walking before he allowed them to
move on. After achieving some degree of competency in these first two exercises, students are then ready to
learn the third rooting exercise, Standing, which is by far the most difficult of tile three main rooting exercises.
(see Chapter 5 for detailed explanation of the rooting exercises.)