Editor's note: The following article appears due to the interest in meditation and other Eastern philosophies that many ninpo practitioners share. While it may at first seem out of place in a ninjutsu newsletter, focusing on the chakras as a way of developing power and awareness is common to many martial arts.

This chakra, representing the Earth element of form and solidity, is the lowest point of the chakra spectrum. It can be seen as a deep red, which corresponds to the slowest vibration in the visible spectrum. The seed sound for Earth is "ram" and its vowel sound is "Ohhh". These sounds assist us in accessing the elemental and mental state associated with this chakra. The Sanskrit name for the Earth chakra is Muladhara, which means "root".

This chakra is located midway between the anus and the genitals, or the perineum. On the spinal column, it is connected to the section called the coccyx and to the coccygeal spinal ganglion. Connecting this to our bodies, this chakra corresponds to the solid parts of the body, namely the bones, the large intestine, and our bodies taken as a whole. Through the minor chakras in our knees and feet, we respond to the basic underlying force of the Earth, gravity. This force, that constantly pulls us downward, keeps us connected to our planet and to our material existence.

Our consciousness in this chakra is concerned with survival, with our fight or flight response, with our instincts. If we are to ignore this chakra, and concern ourselves with the higher levels, we will be growing without roots, we will be unstable, unable to withstand the trials that will come our way.

Grounding
When people often think of the chakras and the concepts that are related to them in various religions, they often think about moving energy up. They think about raising themselves up toward God. There is a prejudice in such practices as Kundalini yoga towards raising energy, while very little is said about sending energy down the system. Such a process is called grounding, and it is every bit as powerful.

Through relaxing into a meditative state and harnessing our energies, we can condense it and solidify it to become more in the here and now. While we can mechanically be in touch with the earth, we need to ground ourselves, to merge our lower chakras with gravity, and thus become integrated with the earth's flow of energy.

Without this grounding, we are unstable people. We are subject to our emotions. We lose our centeredness, flying off the handle at small things, or becoming empty-headed on the major goals of our lives. When we lose this centeredness, this grounding, our attention wanders from the present moment, and we can feel powerless. Our grounding occurs through our roots, where we gain stability, nourishment, and power. Without it, we are separated from nature, our source of nourishment. In essence, we are easily manipulated.

Being grounded implies limitations. Each move down the chakras means becoming simpler, more definite, more tangible. While this limitation may be troubling to some people, it is an integral part of our creative processes. If we didn't limit our choices, we would never get anything accomplished. Being grounded is a simplifying force, bringing our awareness into the body which exists in only one space and in only one time-the here and now.

On the other hand, our thoughts are more nebulous, extending outside time and space. We often think about the next thing that we have to do, the next Shadows Festival, or the next Blue Lotus Convention. Our bodies remain behind. When we aren't grounded, we may feel as if we aren't getting anything accomplished that would lead us to be able to go to the next Festival or Convention.

Through grounding, we are able to weather the stormy periods of our everyday lives. We are then able to prevent getting overloaded by the stresses we create. We are able to channel these destructive energies into the ground. Grounding is like focusing a camera lens-dissolving two images into one. Our astral or psychic bodies become firmly connected to our physical bodies. If someone were to look at us when we are particularly grounded, they would sense a dynamic clarity about us.

When a person desires to study a complex subject in depth, he needs to ground himself in the basics. Our lower chakras are the foundations upon which everything that we do is built.

Now like everything else in life, this chakra needs to be kept balance. Undue attachment to the security of being grounded can be detrimental to us. The physical world that we inhabit is only a tool, it should not be the goal. We can become attached to the material comforts of this world. It becomes possible that this attachment can dominate our minds with addictions to material comforts, and the accumulation of more and more of these comforts becomes the basis for the lives of many people. It is not satisfying of a need that is the problem, but the attachment to this security that becomes the trap.

Grounding is not a lifeless, dull process, but a dynamic and vibrant one. As we become simplified and integrated with our environment and reduce the tension in our lives, we experience increased vibrancy. This may seem easy to be intellectually grasped by many people, but the experience cannot be fully explained exoterically. It is a skill that cannot be built in one or two meditation sessions. One can detect a little benefit after a short period of time, but only after a protracted period of time can the real benefits be achieved.

Exercise 1
Stamp one foot several times and then the other. This helps to open the foot chakras, and makes contact with the earth beneath us. This is great to do in the mornings as well as during the junan taiso warm up exercises before training in the taijutsu earth modes.

Exercise 2
Lie on your back and raise your legs, with knees relatively straight-but not completely straight. Push your legs into the air with your toes toward your head. Push into your heels. If you find a place that makes your legs vibrate, stay at that point and let the vibrations continue as it energizes your legs and hips.

Exercise 3
Lie flat on your back and get comfortable. Make sure you are warm enough, for the body may get so relaxed that it become colder. Begin breathing deeply, and keep the breath going in a comfortable steady rhythm throughout the entire meditation.

Begin by raising your left leg a few inches off the floor. Hold your breath for a few seconds and tighten each muscle in your leg. Then, with a gush of released breath, let all the muscles relax and let the leg fall onto the floor like a dead weight. Give it a small shake, ground it, and let it be. Then move onto the right leg.

After the legs are grounded, move on to the left arm, making a fist and tightening all the muscles as you possibly can. Release. Now the right arm. Lift...tighten...hold...release.

Roll your head from side to side, stretching all the muscles in your neck. Raise the head slightly off the floor, hold, tighten, release.

Next, curl up your nose, purse your lips, and scrunch your eyes together. Hold, tighten, release. Repeat with your mouth open, tongue out, and face stretched. Hold, tighten, release.

Mentally go over each part of your body, one at a time and check to see if the parts are really relaxed. Begin with the toes, the feet, the ankles, the calves, knees, and thighs. Check to see that your buttocks are relaxed, your stomach, and chest breathing in and out slowly and deeply. Check to see that your neck is relaxed, your mouth, tongue, cheeks, and your forehead.

Now allow yourself to observe your body, peacefully breathing in and out, in and out, deeply relaxing. Observe your thoughts, letting them come and go effortlessly. If you wish to make changes in your body, now is a good time to make silent commands or affirmations. Keep them positive, such as "I will be strong" instead of "I will not be weak". Smile inwardly. Smile at your accomplishments here and now. Think about how good your body feels, and how good it will feel as you go about your tasks. When you are ready, shift your focus away from the here and now, back to your surroundings. Begin flexing your fingers and toes, and wiggling your legs and arms. Open your eyes and return to the world refreshed.

Jian Shan is a student of ninpo taijutsu and may be contacted at: jian@netcom.com.