Last week we talked about Brush Knee. This past week, I noticed how often new and even “experienced” students seem unsteady and unbalanced. At times, it is very obvious why a student will “wobble” but at other times, a bit perplexing. Let’s look at some of the reasons why balance (which Tai Chi is known for improving) is often absent during certain parts of the “form”.
If you are a student, I hope this blog gives you some insight as to why you may be having trouble balancing in certain movements. As instructors, we always benefit from sharing new tips and/or strategies to help our students and also improve our teaching.
This is not a definitive list. Nor does it provide the absolute answers. If you ask every Tai Chi and/or Qigong practitioner their opinion and/or advice on rooting, balance, shifting, or “sinking your Qi”, their answers may or may not be similar. At times, they may even be contradictory. It depends on their own interpretation.
Let’s look at some potential causes of balance problems!
Shifting: All Tai Chi forms/families/styles include both shifting and sinking. Weight is commonly shifted from one leg to the other. We shift forward, backwards, or from side to side. Hips should especially sink when shifting weight forward or backward. Before you step out and touch your foot on the ground, make sure you can take it back without moving your body. This is a difficult concept for new students to understand and negotiate.
Posture: Tension and poor posture is usually easy to recognize. Good structural alignment will increase your sensitivity and improve proprioception which, unfortunately, decreases with age. Be sure to correctly align your spine, head, neck, and shoulders without tension. Our gaze and heads should be straight ahead - not down! Lowering your elbows will relax the shoulders. Many students have their shoulders up around their ears. Avoid overextending your arms and keep them slightly curved. Holding your arms directly next to your ribs, limits your motion and raises your shoulders.
Correct alignment is what allows Qi to flow from the upper to the lower Dantian, where your mind should be focused, especially when you exhale. It may help to imagine gravity pulling you downward in order to connect (ground) with the energy from the earth. When your Qi is not “grounded”, its flow is inhibited. Visualize your spine elongating and imagine your energy flowing down through your leg, into the ground or floor. This will improve your balance and allow your moves to feel (and look) effortless. You will also feel light and open.
Knees: If your knees are “locked” when you shift from side to side, or worse, backward and forward, it is impossible to balance properly. Knees should be naturally “slightly” bent and should not extend beyond your front toe. Deep knee bending is not appropriate unless one has acquired a certain higher level of proficiency.
Keeping the knee of the “empty” leg bent when you shift your weight forward, will keep it rooted. If you straighten the empty back leg, the hips are no longer sinking and your balance and alignment will be off!
Sinking and Rooting: Tai Chi is about sinking and rooting, which go hand in hand. When we think of sinking, let’s not imagine collapsing nor moving like a sinking boat. Sinking consists of releasing your muscles, relaxing your shoulders, and allowing your skeleton to hold your body weight.
When you transfer your weight from one leg to the other, either to the front or the back, relax your body weight down into the weight-bearing leg. Do allow your body to sink effortlessly and settle using focus instead of force. You may feel a heaviness move through you without weighing you down. Be sure to relax your Dantian as you lower your abdomen, pelvis, and hips.This fundamental principle, in both Tai Chi and Qigong, is known as “sinking your Qi” and appears in many of the Tai Chi Classics, although a clear definition is not supplied.
Quoting from my July 29, 2019 blog: “When you sink, you integrate the external and the internal body, enhancing your stability and improving balance. Focusing on your Dantian strengthens your internal structures and spine, and improves your coordination.”
Direct and ground your “internal energy” down through your body to connect with Earth’s energy. This provides a solid foundation for your deep, rooted stance. Sinking your Qi improves the flow of both energy (Qi) and blood through your relaxed body and mind.
Visualize an opponent pulling you forward in order to un-root you. Do you shift weight to the back foot? That would definitely put you at a disadvantage and you probably would end up on your butt or worse. What if you sink your back (empty) leg down to root you? Bottom line: both feet need to root! The full foot physically and the empty foot “mentally or energetically” whichever you want to call it.
Rooting is essential and both legs must root into the ground. We balance both the physical and energy (mind) weight. In order to understand and experience the sinking of the “empty” leg, do a Brush Knee. Roughly 65-75% of our physical weight is shifted to the front leg. How do we get an equal amount into our back (empty) leg in order to “balance it out”? Through our mind! The same is true whether you are shifting backwards or forwards.
Students ask how they can sink their empty leg using their mind! To sink your “mind into your leg”, the hip and tailbone physically sink towards the floor. And, yes, one side of the hip does sink towards the empty leg/foot when you sink your leg with your mind. Flexibility of your hips (which is improved with regular Tai Chi practice) also improves your balance.
In a martial situation, sinking your Qi will make it harder for an opponent to unbalance you. In your everyday life, sinking your Qi will improve your posture and decrease your risk of falling.
Breathing: When we get stressed, anxious, or emotional, our rate of breathing increases. Breathing (and Qi) raises up in the body to the chest. When we use diaphragmatic breathing, our abdomen expands and contracts. We breathe in and out slowly and gently with each Tai Chi movement. Our breathing is deep, not shallow. As you exhale, allow your body to sink down effortlessly. Your breath lowers (with little to no expansion of the chest) as it sinks to the Dantian. Using diaphragmatic breathing and sinking our breath to the Dantian releases the stress. We become calm and settled.
Moving: Are we moving forward and back from the Dantian (some say waist or pelvis area)? Or are we tipping our body from the waist? For more stability, especially between moves, bring the shoulders (figuratively) down towards the feet every time you close a move.
Stepping: Are we standing and stepping out with our feet shoulder width apart? The majority of students move using very narrow steps. Some start out shoulder width apart, but during the next couple of movements, they look like they are walking on a runway or tightrope. Stepping backwards is worse. The heels almost touch each other, even in classes where there are mirrors!
To maintain balance, sink slightly when you step out. Remember to step out with the heel - not the toes! Step slowly and lightly, while maintaining your center of gravity below your hips. Stepping this way works the muscles in the legs and improves bone density.
According to Tai Chi Susan, many Tai Chi practitioners use only one side of their body when they step. Stepping forward, they focus on the front leg and when stepping backward, their attention is on the back leg. This creates an imbalance where one side of our body is “loaded” up and the other side is empty. Both sides need to be equal. See Sinking and Rooting above.
Bottom line (s): Using your mind to sink the “empty” foot (like many Tai Chi principles) takes a lot of practice. Practicing will improve your balance and power in both feet. It builds strength, stability, and gently stretches your muscles. Tai Chi practice also opens your joints which improves your range of motion.
Last “plug” for regular practice: It strengthens your “feet, ankles and legs”, as well as your neuromuscular proprioception (nerve and muscle communication).
There is no downside and your body, mind, and spirit will benefit!
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