By Dai Shihan Mark Roemke
One meaning for chi in Japanese is “Earth.” There are a lot of ways to examine the meaning of this word, be it for martial arts, meditation, or just looking at the Earth beneath your feet. One of the ways for martial artist to examine chi is to focus on grounding. When people start martial arts, people are usually in their heads thinking about everything. They need to sink down with their physical body, bending their knees, and “dropping in” as we say. But they also often need to ground in their mental, energetic and spiritual body.
How does this relate to Chi? It is important to learn how to become centered. If you are affected by someone yelling at you, calling you names, or pushing you off balance, then you are not centered. It is important to learn how to center yourself through training. One of the ways you can learn how to do this is to think of yourself as grounded to the Earth. Bending your knees and dropping your energy into your center will help to ground you. Then you will be part of the Earth element, the chi element.
As students progress over the years through the martial arts, you can see them drop from being in their head, down into their shoulders, their waist, their knees, and eventually the ankles and feet. When this happens, you have a complete being who is very solid in their own stature, feeling, and energy. We call this person a grounded martial artist.
In meditation, there is another way that you can view chi or the Earth element. If I am sitting in a meditation retreat and I want to be grounded to the Earth, I might think about tree roots growing out of the bottom of my feet, dropping down into the Earth. However, if I did this as a martial artist, I wouldn’t be able to move very fast because I would be so grounded that my feet would feel like they were locked in place. I might get hit by something swinging at me. But in meditation, you aren’t worried about this. You are in a safe space and you have time to shift your awareness internally to “drop in.” If you drop your energetic tree roots into the ground, you can feel your connection to the ground that we stand on every day.
The physical part of grounding leads to the mind, which leads to the spirit. The way to tap into this is called “Earthing.” This involves taking off your shoes and sinking your feet into the ground beneath you. I recommend hiking in nature without your shoes on. This can be a little challenging at first if your feet are tender, but you can find a grassy field to try to experience this feeling.
Over the years in my travels, I have loved to take my shoes off and feel what the place feels like with my bare feet, dropping my energy down through my feet into the Earth. Connecting to the Earth through your feet in nature is an amazing feeling.
For me, places like Hawaii feel very empty and light because the islands were just made recently. If I go to an older part of the world that has been around for a long time, you can feel the density beneath you. If you stand on concrete or metal and put your awareness beneath you, it has a whole different feeling.
These are a few ways that I like to think of Chi and relating to the Earth.
One of my favorite ways to tap into the energy of the Earth and to become grounded is to practice the 1 thru 10 meditation. Check out the video below where I lead you through this meditation that will connect you deeply to your personal source of chi.
FAQs
One meaning for chi in Japanese is “Earth.” There are a lot of ways to examine the meaning of this word, be it for martial arts, meditation, or just looking at the Earth beneath your feet. One of the ways for martial artist to examine chi is to focus on grounding.
What is a Chinese ninja called? ›
But in fact, China has no ninjas. Similarly, there were indeed assassins in Chinese history. The most famous assassin was Jing Ke 荆轲, who tried to assassinate Qin Shihuang before Qin became the first Emperor of China, but failed.
What is a male ninja called? ›
A male ninja is called a Shinobi (忍び), while a female ninja is called a Kunoichi (くノ一).
What is the true meaning of ninja? ›
In Japanese, the word ninja means "spy." Definitions of ninja. a member of the ninja who were trained in martial arts and hired for espionage or sabotage or assassinations; a person skilled in ninjutsu.
What does Chi Chi girl mean? ›
chichi in American English
1. showily or affectedly elegant or trendy; pretentious. noun. 2. a chichi person or thing.
Is chi Japanese? ›
ち, in hiragana, or チ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora.
What is a master ninja called? ›
The Jōnin (上忍 Master Ninja) is the highest rank of ninja, serving under the Chief Ninja. Those given this rank are the ones who represent the clan by often providing assistance to the leaders, instructing the lower ranks, and carrying out missions. The second rank is the Chūnin (中忍 Sub-commanders).
What were female ninjas called? ›
Kunoichi (Japanese: くノ一, also くのいち or クノイチ) is a Japanese cant term for "woman" (女, onna). In popular culture, it is often used for female shinobi or practitioner of ninjutsu (ninpo).
What is the old name for a ninja? ›
Early history
It was around this time that the word shinobi appeared to define and clearly identify ninja as a secretive group of agents. Evidence for this can be seen in historical documents, which began to refer to stealthy soldiers as shinobi during the Sengoku period.
What did ninjas eat? ›
Foods eaten by the ninja
For health, ninja avoided meat, fish, dairy foods, and sugars in favor of a diet centered on whole-grain rice and vegetables. Also, to avoid being detected when sneaking or hiding, they avoided foods that might lead to body odor.
But it would be incorrect to assume that the role of black-clad assassin was reserved solely for men. Women could be moulded into the ultimate expression of death as well and they were known as Kunoichi, a term that's evolved to mean 'female ninja' in the modern day.
Does ninja mean assassin? ›
Ninja (aka Shinobi) were the specialised assassins, saboteurs, and secret agents of medieval Japanese warfare who were highly-trained proponents of the martial arts, especially what later became known as ninjutsu or 'the art of the ninja'.
What is ninja C++? ›
Ninja is a small build system with a focus on speed. It differs from other build systems in two major respects: it is designed to have its input files generated by a higher-level build system, and it is designed to run builds as fast as possible.
Does ninja mean spy? ›
Nin initially meant "persevere," but over time it developed the extended meanings "conceal" and "move stealthily." In Japanese, ja is the combining form of sha, meaning "person." Ninjas originated in the mountains of ancient Japan as practitioners of ninjutsu, a martial art sometimes called "the art of stealth" or "the ...
What is ninjutsu in real life? ›
Ninjutsu was developed as a collection of fundamental survivalist techniques in the warring state of feudal Japan. The ninja used their art to ensure their survival in a time of violent political turmoil. Ninjutsu included methods of gathering information and techniques of non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection.
What is the chi symbol in Japanese? ›
ち, in hiragana, or チ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both are phonemically /ti/, although, for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is [t͡ɕi].
What is the Japanese version of chi? ›
The Japanese concept of Ki (気) can be traced back to the Chinese concept of Qi/Chi (气/氣). It is believed that practicing Qi can have positive effects on your health, such as disease prevention and increased longevity.
What does chi mean in Chinese? ›
Chi is your life force, the energy that flows through you and through everything. It is that which gives you life. The concept of chi (also spelt Qi) has its roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Martial Arts. But the idea of a vital life force energy and its role in our health can be found in many cultures.
What is the Japanese equivalent of chi? ›
A Japanese word Ki (equivalent to Qi or Chi in Chinese) is the fundamental concept in both Eastern medicine and martial arts (1–3).
By Dai Shihan Mark Roemke
As students progress over the years through the martial arts, you can see them drop from being in their head, down into their shoulders, their waist, their knees, and eventually the ankles and feet. When this happens, you have a complete being who is very solid in their own stature, feeling, and energy. We call this person a grounded martial artist.
The physical part of grounding leads to the mind, which leads to the spirit. The way to tap into this is called “Earthing.” This involves taking off your shoes and sinking your feet into the ground beneath you. I recommend hiking in nature without your shoes on. This can be a little challenging at first if your feet are tender, but you can find a grassy field to try to experience this feeling.