Have you ever seen a bear stomping its feet getting ready to charge?
Each foot in turn comes crashing down into the ground. This kind of movement can help you to achieve a deeper root.
Before you do this exercise, make sure you have a good structure. You should already have good Wu Chi posture and be able to root before you begin practicing with this kind of exercise. This exercise won’t help you much unless you have the basics in place.
How To Do It
Lift up one leg and then let your body drop as you stomp your foot. Don’t stomp using your muscles so much as let your entire body weight crush down into your foot. The purpose of this motion is to get absolutely all the tension out of your body so that you are completely relaxed.
Make sure your knees stay bent during this entire exercise. DO NOT straighten your leg. If you have pre-existing knee issue then use a gentler exercise.
Go back and forth between your feet. Think of the lumbering, stomping motion of a bear or an elephant and this will help you to understand the kind of movement you should be doing.
As you come down, exhale, and drop your weight into the floor. You should feel a crushing motion down in to your feet.
As with the waterfall rooting technique, when you are done with the bear method of rooting, you will want to do Carry the Cauldron and Grand Tai Chi and walk it off without trying to root to restore your body to a normal state.
Photo by: Eric Kilby
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