Think about a river. The flowing water is the river. The river bank? It's an important part of the river. It defines it. It contains it. It guides it. But the flowing water IS the river. Now think about Tai Chi...as a river. The flowing water is the flowing internal energy. The form we practice, the movement you see, is the river bank. It's an important part of Tai Chi. It defines it. It contains it. It guides it. But the internal flowing energy IS Tai Chi. I suppose another way of saying it...

I promised a student I'd post a link to a good video on the why and how to improve your kicks by maintaining better balance. Here you go, Lee, I mean, one of my students. :) https://youtu.be/lYHNbaf-Nq4?si=17Awppb4KlPBaycV The video is by Sifu Shirley Ha (Chock) of Tai Chi United . I watch dozens and dozens of videos each week on some aspect of Tai Chi and she is very knowledgeable.

In Tai Chi, rooting is the foundational skill of establishing a deep, stable connection with the ground. It allows a practitioner to remain balanced while moving and to redirect external forces—such as a push from an opponent—directly into the earth rather than being toppled. It’s more than sending energy down into the earth through your feet. It’s about proper alignment, proper foot connection with the ground, Songing the joints, and achieving Ying, or mental quietness, so Qi can sink or...