At the bottom of the foot, to the inside of the ball of the foot and inline between the second and third toes, there’s an acupuncture point called kidney 1 or more poetically “the bubbling spring” point. In Chinese this point is called yongquan.
                           
 

The yongquan is important for many reasons not the least of which is, that it is here that we establish our root by connecting with earth energy. We should use the visualization of roots growing out of the yongquan and tunnelling deep into the ground to establish our root.

The connection to earth through the yongquan is utilized in all tai chi and qigong forms and also allows you to channel your opponent’s energy into the earth when playing push hands or taijiquan.

When performing any qigong or tai chi set, whenever you place your foot down you should splay (widen, expand) your foot and then gently grip the ground with your toes. This will help with your root and balance while at the same time massage the bubbling spring point.

This massaging of kidney 1 (K1) is called strumming the yongquan. What you are doing here is activating the K1 point, which is the first of the nine pearls. The nine pearls are specific points along an internal path that energy travels in the manifestation of fajin. If the yongquan is not activated then your power will be shallow.

So next time you practice your taiji stepping or the forms or qigong, try strumming the yongquan.

Peace

Rod