This exercise produces an almost-immediate increase in the feeling of being connected to the ground, like a tree with strong roots extending deep into the earth. You do not have to practice for many years to get this effect. Try it right now, and see.

From a normal standing position, shift all the weight to one leg, and move the unweighted foot back 2-6 inches.

• Lift the heel of that foot off the ground, keeping contact through the ball and toes.
• Slowly sink your weight—by bending both at the hip joint and the knee—several inches, as if you were beginning to crouch under a tree limb just below head height.

NOTE: Please do not lower your body by just bending the knee, as this puts excessive strain on the knee joint and makes your much more susceptible to mis-alignments of the leg that can be both painful and damaging.

• Stop and hold the lowered position, leaving your arms loose and trying to relax your back and neck as much as possible. Breathe. You will feel your leg and hip muscles working, this is good! (But you should not feel pain in your knee or any other joint. If you do, try going down less--perhaps an inch or so from the starting position.)
• Maintain this position, initially for just 30 seconds or so; then slowly stand up, without taking the weight off the foot. Pause for a few moments, feeling the muscular/energetic changes in an upright position.
• Now, bring the rear foot up and return to a parallel stance. Slowly shift your weight to the other foot a few inches back, sink down on that side (again, only a few inches or whatever is comfortable), and hold the posture again.
• When the second leg is "cooked", slowly stand and bring feet to parallel. And stand.

How do you feel standing now, as opposed to before the exercise? If you are like most people, you will feel quite different—legs perhaps heavy, stance more stable, as if you were connected into the earth, upper body free-er and more relaxed. Welcome to Tai Chi rooting!

As you progress, you can do 2, 3, or more "rounds" of the Ape Contemplates the Void exercise (equal time on both legs, please); and you can extend the length of time you spend in the stance each round. If you can do 3 rounds of 1 minute on each side, or a single round of 2-3 minutes (each side), comfortably, you will have made a significant beginning in developing root, strengthening your legs, and improving your stability.

Coming up: your next lesson will focus on Zhong Ding, or Central Equilibrium, which is an internal sense of alignment and balance emanating from the core of the body.

Did you stumble on to this page while browsing DanKleiman.com? It's part of a free, week-long Tai Chi Balance course. Learn all about it here.