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I posted this comment in the Month 3 discussion, but I thought I’d give it its own post, so that people who have moved on from Month 3 (most of you, I gather) might see it and (hopefully) reply.
I have a problem with the notion of grounding. What is it to “sink down” into the LDT, or the feet, or whatever? I’m already sitting down, focusing on those areas.
In a practice from another tradition, one grounds by getting a good sense of the whole lower “warmer” (basically the whole lower body from just below the umbilicus to the hip bones in back and down to the perineum and out to the sides of the belly) and then (by visualizing/imagining) project the energy through a column as wide as the hips down to the center of the earth. That’s “grounding” according to that practice. But what do we do to ground in this practice?
Hi, John. I’m not an expert, but as I understand the directions in meditation as well as tai chi, ba gua, and chi gung, the concept of sinking the chi into the dantien is a distinctly felt sensation of allowing the awareness to move from the head and brain down into the lower dantien. It’s not just focusing attention there but actually moving the center of your awareness-that place you operate from, so to speak-to the LDT. It’s easier to do standing or moving, as in tai chi or Bahia, but you can get the same sensation sitting with a little work. I hope others will chime in. Best of luck with your sitting practice
This is my third time trying to post – I keep getting an error. Anyway, thanks for the info Matthew – it’s helpful, but at the same time I think there is another part of this that John is asking about, and I would be interested in hearing what’s been going on with others regarding this as well.
I think there’s a question about the LDT down to the feet, and connecting to the ground. Bruce explains that the hips/pelvis should drop through the legs, connecting with the earth, but that’s a lot easier to do standing than sitting in a chair, or in the lotus position. How does everyone go about connecting to the earth when not in a standing position?
I already put in my two cents in the Month 3 thread, so I’m interested in hearing how others handled this. Thanks!
Yes, Catherine, you’re right: there is another aspect to this. To me, dropping the hips and pelvis is very much the same sitting and standing. The feet are another matter. I meditate in a chair and so they are aligned to sink into the earth. I find that the feeling of the earth is present in my feet, but feels different than sinking into it when standing. It’s more an extension of what I feel doing the bagua meditation of sensing the earth: a very subtle current of energy that moves up from below the feet.
……..I’ve already mentioned in another post that I struggle to sense a clear discrete ‘entity’ for the LDT – there is just a notional awareness of my anatomy in the area, coupled with a vague feeling of ‘heavy comfort’. That said, ‘grounding’ and ‘sinking’ seem more obvious – whether seated or standing with sound alignments, and my intent focused, I get a strong sense of my weight and ‘more’ falling through the physical interface between my body and the Earth – whether it’s the soles of my feet when standing, or my backside and the soles of my feet when sat in a chair. Indeed, I use this ‘feedback to confirm my alignments. The LDT connection is less clear, although I do settle my intent between my LDT and my ‘Earth connections’. Incidentally, I also get a much better feel for what’s going on energetically during qigong than I do when meditating – presumably because over the decades I’ve clocked up many many more hours doing qigong compared to meditation.
I have a more general question regarding grounding. I remember Bruce once saying that one should not do tai chi on a cement surface. My apartment has no basement – it’s built on a cement slab – and I usually meditate sitting on the floor. Does anyone know if I should avoid doing this on the ground floor?
I’m struck by the profound differences between sitting and standing. I’ve never really given this much consideration before but my body sense is dramatically different in each. Right now I feel more control sitting rather than standing but I hope to balance both.
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