Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming is an acclaimed t’ai chi master and author of several important texts on the centuries-old practice of t’ai chi, and the Yang style in particular. He has studied the Yang style for nearly six decades, and in his book T’ai Chi Ch’üan Classical Yang Style, he describes the important central role of the feet.
“The feet are the root of all postures and the source of mobility. The feet must firmly stick to the ground…It takes a great deal of practice to develop a good root, but gradually you will grasp the trick and your root will grow deeper and deeper.”
Dr. Yang then highlights another important component to the practice:
“The first step in learning taijiquan, other than learning to do the movements…is the emphasis on physical relaxation.”
Contemplate these two things together: the whole foot on the surface beneath you, and the foot and body being in a relaxed state. That helps to open and strengthen the many neurological pathways between the foot and the brain. This is a physiological process called proprioception, an important component of balance. It can be described as awareness of where we are in space. A simple example is the act of stepping off a curb. The foot lands on the pavement, and the nerves send that message to the brain: you are here. The brain instructs the act of shifting weight, bending knees and ankles, etc. That’s proprioception: a feedback loop between the body’s sensory receptors and the nervous system.
Peter L. Wayne, a t’ai chi practitioner, instructor and researcher at Harvard Medical School, has conducted extensive research on the physiological benefits of t’ai chi. In The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, he cites his research on proprioception, particularly the way t’ai chi helps people to compensate when this sense is impaired — in patients with balance problems and peripheral neuropathy.
In my personal experience with t’ai chi, the more each foot is on the ground, the safer, more solid and more stable I feel. In another tai chi classic, Master Cheng’s Thirteen Chapters on T’ai Chi Ch’üan, author Cheng Man-ch’ing points out the importance of groundedness through the feet. “When pushed one does not topple, like the punching bag doll. The whole body is light and sensitive; the root is in the feet…The punching bag doll’s center of gravity is located at the very bottom.”
If we were to think of the foot as the body’s center of gravity, how would that look and feel? Think of that gravitational force and how it acts to ground us. As Dr. Yang states, the feet must firmly stick to the ground. That idea supports the goal: the more my foot is on the ground, the better. Heel-ball-toe, toe-ball-heel. The video shows each sequence. While practicing this, note that while setting the foot down in this manner, one travels through the Bubbling Well, a physical and energetic connection to the aspect of rootedness. This spot is located approximately in the forward part of the foot’s arch. By placing the weight in that spot, practitioners can become familiar with what it means to weight the whole foot, while utilizing the energy transfer of the muscles, bones and connective tissue to the best advantage.
Think of all your steps in this manner, as a relaxed progression from the front of the foot to the back, or from the back of the foot to the front, and with maximum real estate resting on the surface. Even when the foot doesn’t leave the floor, there is still that sense of progression. For example, in the second movement of part I, for example, one shifts one’s weight four times and the feet stay firmly stuck down. Notice how this movement changes to become much more grounded and balanced when the entire surfaces of both feet stay rooted and grounded. Take this feeling with you throughout the form, and relaxation will go along for the ride.
