Grounding

An expression used in martial arts to denote firm contact with the earth and a strong sense of the physical body. Both physically and spiritually, strength is said to arise from the solid ground under one's feet - a comparison is drawn with the tree whose roots planted in the ground provide stability and nourishment. Attention is centred at the centre of the body, where the legs meet the spine, an inner awareness of this part of the body favouring the establishment of physical and spiritual integration.