Looking for grounding exercises

[markern]

I have suffered from Qi deviation issues for years because of being severely ungrounded. I had to stop all practice for several years. The last year or so I have been able to restart a bit by doing 15 min of qigong a day. Either the 8 brocades or the six healing sounds and a session of TRE in the evening. 

I want to investigate more grounding exercises to try to find something that can help me further along. In general a lot of qigong and energetic exercises make me worse. Even those that are supposedly grounding. Though some work in a balanced way in moderate dosages. If you know any, please suggest whatever grounding exercises you know. Both energetic ones, such as a qigong movement, or more pure physical ones that aren't really designed to work with energy but still l has the effect of grounding energy. 

[markern]

One exercise that does work really well for grounding me is deep earth pulsing. Unfortunately I get pains in my knees and calfs when I do it. I have Bectherews disease, which makes me easily get pains in joints. But something kinda like deep earth pulsing but a little bit different might not damage my knees. 

[steve]

For me there is nothing better than standing directly on the Earth with bare feet. I particularly like to be near large trees or rocks. I don’t imagine or think about anything at all related to energy, grounding, channels, or anything else. No music or podcasts. I just open all of my senses and remain present, perhaps offer my gratitude to the Earth, birds, trees, and so on, for sharing the moment with me. Whenever I find the mind off on a trip or disconnected, I just guide it back to the experience of this very moment. The feel of the ground, the feel of gravity, the openness of the sky, allowing the fullness and completeness of the experience of this very moment.  If the legs or feet get sore or tired, sit or lie flat on your back. I also love walking, same approach and similar benefits, although I don’t recommend walking barefoot unless you’re used to it.

[Mark Foote]

6 hours ago, markern said:

One exercise that does work really well for grounding me is deep earth pulsing. Unfortunately I get pains in my knees and calfs when I do it. I have Bectherews disease, which makes me easily get pains in joints. But something kinda like deep earth pulsing but a little bit different might not damage my knees. 
 

What about sitting?  You can sit on a chair, you don't have to sit cross-legged.

When you get out of the chair, you could try Moshe Feldenkrais's advice:

 

…good upright posture is that from which a minimum muscular effort will move the body with equal ease in any desired direction. This means that in the upright position there must be no muscular effort deriving from voluntary control, regardless of whether this effort is known and deliberate or concealed from the consciousness by habit.
 

…When the center of gravity has really moved forward over the feet a reflex movement will originate in the old nervous system and straighten the legs; this automatic movement will not be felt as an effort at all.

("Awareness Through Movement”, Moshe Feldenkrais, p 76, 78.)

 

 

[Lala Nila]

4 hours ago, steve said:

For me there is nothing better than standing directly on the Earth with bare feet. I particularly like to be near large trees or rocks. I don’t imagine or think about anything at all related to energy, grounding, channels, or anything else. No music or podcasts. I just open all of my senses and remain present, perhaps offer my gratitude to the Earth, birds, trees, and so on, for sharing the moment with me. Whenever I find the mind off on a trip or disconnected, I just guide it back to the experience of this very moment. The feel of the ground, the feel of gravity, the openness of the sky, allowing the fullness and completeness of the experience of this very moment.  If the legs or feet get sore or tired, sit or lie flat on your back. I also love walking, same approach and similar benefits, although I don’t recommend walking barefoot unless you’re used to it.

 

I do this all the time and find it extremely beneficial. The big trees are especially wonderful, I find pine trees most helpful in that regard. I always ask them first if they will help me discharge some of the energies and always profess my gratitude to the Mother Earth and whatever beautiful tree I was with that particular day after I wrap up my session. I agree with everything you said here!

 

I always find that more mundane activities help as well such as squats for grounding, but seeing as OP has this disease, maybe a modified format, or light stretching (confirm what is safe with your physiotherapist) such as neck stretches, hip and pelvis rotations, modified bridges (back connect to the ground will help with energetic grounding), swimming, anything low impact as not to upset your knees-but also maintain and build muscle plasticity and strength, furthering mind-muscle connection. Just laying in Savasana and breathing, quieting the mind is a restorative activity as well. A big one which is often over looked is limiting screen time, spending time in nature and just being grateful for the natural beauty of the world is also helpful as well!

 

 

 

[forestofclarity]

I agree with the nature, especially spending time around large, old trees. 

 

Shamatha or calm abiding meditation is the most grounding thing I can think of. Metta or lovingkindness practices are also useful. 

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

What is your diet like? If you want to ground your energy, eat beef and drink bone broth. 
 

Also stand on grass barefoot like others said.

[Gerard]

20 hours ago, markern said:

 I have Bectherews disease

Is this something you were born with?

 

Q:

 

1. Where do you live exactly? Eg. Ontario, Canada.

2. What is your background? Eg.work in an office.

Then I can give you some recommendations. 
 

Btw, "static" grounding depending on what you answer above would make things worse rather than fixing the problem, especially if it's chronic like in your case. 

[Kati]

  I can relate very strongly to this post.
I’ve been practicing Qigong for about two years now, more or less regularly. From the beginning, I’ve always done the grounding exercise that was recommended to me, and I’ve done it for the length of time that was suggested. And yes — I have noticed that I’ve developed more grounding through this practice.

At the same time, I’ve realized that I probably need more time than others to truly ground. I’ve struggled with depression for many years — actually for decades —a and looking back, I can imagine that this means my nervous system and energetic system simply need more patience and consistency to build stability.

Qigong has definitely helped me. And yet, I still feel that something is missing.

 

Some time ago, I came across the concept of “Qi scattering”, and it immediately resonated with me. It felt like it described exactly what I experience:
a sense of not really being connected to my feet, not fully landing in my body, even though I’m practicing regularly.

I can identify with this very deeply.

This led me to look more closely at the concept of the Three Treasures :

• Jing

• Qi

• Shen

Many Taoist schools emphasize very clearly that without a solid Jing foundation, Qi work can easily become unstable.

Jing — often associated with the kidneys — is the basis for:

• physical vitality

• inner calm

• nervous system stability

Only when Jing is sufficiently developed does the body have the capacity to contain, integrate, and remain grounded in energetic experiences, instead of becoming overwhelmed or scattered.

This feels like a key insight for me.

 

I just started today to make grounding my main practice, because i want to protect Jing.
I will take a break from qigong untill i feel some progress with being grounded.

I collected some informations i want to use for my practice which you can read below. Please double check and ask people who have more experience with grounding if needed. I can not promise that everything i wrote is 100 percent correct

 

so here it goes: 

1. Grounding & Body Sense — Or like i would frame it " the "A" as the first letter of the Qi-Gong-“Alphabet”

I like to think of grounding as the first letter of the Qigong “alphabet.”
Just as children don’t start reading with complex words, Qigong practice doesn’t start with advanced energy work.

The “A” means:

• learning posture

• learning relaxed, abdominal breathing

• learning how it feels to stand, move, and breathe calmly

• learning to sense the lower dantian

• simple standing practices or very slow movement (e.g. basic Eight Brocades)

This basic “alphabet” allows the body and nervous system to feel safe enough for Qi to move without scattering.

For me, grounding feels like learning the basic language of the body.
Without this foundation, more advanced practices can feel confusing, shaky, or destabilizing.

In practical terms, this includes:

 

Even classical Chinese internal texts repeatedly emphasize:
 First ground and collect the body, then cultivate energy.

Core Grounding Practices

•  Zhan Zhuang (Standing Qigong)
  Frequently described as one of the most effective grounding practices. Standing still trains the connection between feet, legs, posture, breath, and mind, while building Jing and overall structural integrity
   
• Lower Dantian / Belly-Centered Breathing
  Almost all grounding discussions point back to this. Awareness sinks from the head into the belly, calming the mind and stabilizing the body.
   
• Foot Rooting & Earth Visualization
  Imagining roots growing from the feet into the earth. Simple, but very powerful for many practitioners.
   
•  Slow, Relaxed Movement
  Forms like Ba Duan Jin or Five Animals Frolics gently integrate body, breath, and grounding.
   
• Whole-Body Awareness
  Systematically sensing the body from within — part by part — as a way of anchoring the mind in physical sensation.

 

Jing cultivation is slow — but it doesn’t have to be boring. THIS WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME.  therfore i add tai chi. But there are some key principles i would follow

Tai Chi (simplified forms)

Key safety principles:

1. Move slowly — never rush

2. Focus on the lower dantian, not hand sensations

3. Let weight settle into legs and feet

4. Breathe naturally and abdominally

5. Optional: visualize energy sinking into the earth while moving

Suitable Styles

🔹 Yang Style (Simplified 24 Form)

• slow, smooth, continuous

• strong emphasis on weight shifting and rooting

🔹 Chen Style Silk Reeling (slow versions only)

• spiral movement

• strengthens Jing in legs, waist, and torso

• avoid explosive fajin practices

🔹 Wu Style (short forms)

• very compact, small, and slow

• excellent for stability and foot rooting

🔹 Tai Chi–based Qigong Sets

• specifically designed for grounding and safe energy work

here are some Signs of True Grounding

• emotional stability in daily life

• natural posture and balance

• Qi flows calmly, without jumping or scattering

• everyday life becomes the real test of practice

• the pushing test

“When the earth beneath you is stable, the gate to heaven may open.”
 

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:28 PM by Kati

[SodaChanh]

Have you tried Flying Phoenix Qigong?

 

It has helped me with qi deviation. Not specifically with grounding but healing. 

 

The following meditation can be done from 5 minutes and up.