“Walk as if your feet are kissing the earth”
~ Thich nhat hanh
Proper structure in tai chi and qigong will free the body to move with ease and flow.
In the practices of tai chi and qigong, our feet are our foundation. They are the only part of our body connected to the ground, allowing us to root, push off, shift and move.
It can be easy to concentrate on the choreography of forms and forget about our feet.
We can Song (relax and lengthen) in our feet as well as other parts of the body. Feel the different areas of the feet and allow for articulation. Our feet have 26 bones, around 300 joints and more than 100 muscles.
Do you feel your whole foot and play through it? Grounded connection includes awareness of the toes, ball of the foot (Kidney 1 shown above) the arch (kidney 2) the lateral/outside of the foot and the heel. Do you stand more in one area than others? As the foot is placed, move through it, caressing the ground. And as we bring it up, we lift or peel it up in sections.
Here’s an exercise to bring awareness to your feet and grounding.
Stand in Wuji with knees soft, pelvis and shoulders relaxed and the crown of your head rising. Bring your awareness to your feet. Feel all parts of your feet – the toes, the ball of the foot, the arch, the side of the foot, and the heel. While keeping your feet on the ground, gently shift your weight forward to the ball of the foot and back to the heel. Gradually make this shift less and less until you feel aligned and balanced. Stand and breathe in this position, mindfully aware of your alignment and how it rises from the feet. Invite your body to relax.