this is a ‘story’ of mine, there’s no studies as proof nor theories, nor beliefs, just one fine, lovely personal story, I would say. ๐
Korean have lived very near to the floor, soil, and earth like many other asian countries. Why we especially emphasize more with feet, I don’t know actually. But they are quite often in literature, music, language etc. Like in this folk song Arirang which I sang here once, a sorrowful woman sings letting go of her lover who left her, and wishes for him to be sick with feet. In language there are many adjectives and adverbs describing the movement of feet. And still it’s a very popular style, living on the floor, even though they also sit on chairs and sofas, and sleep on bed.
This actively living with feet brings an interesting following. To use feet, you need almost the whole under part of the body. Without core, without hip you can’t activate the feet. I first became aware of this, after I started to do handstanding. I learned a lot about what our feet actually do and can do, I could see the point from my feet, how amazing it was! And because of living near to the floor, almost everyone can basically do this frog pose, but you know which effect it has? They cease not only the pain in the back, but dissolve the mental pain. If someone has a blockage in feeling, this pose can help one to break that blockage and let feelings come out. Maybe..this is why no Korean can not sing, no Korean can not dance. They can feel the rhythm and sound so good, and love so much to express their feelings, in their own way.
But not only with feelings the feet were active, the feet could produce mighty power in households, on fields, even on games too! because it works and only can be worked by core, waist, hip altogether. Our ancestors used their feet skillfully, even better than hands, I heard. So I started intensively to strengthen my ankles, after that I really saw the improvement by tkd too. ๐ But independently for tkd or whatever, feet are often not enough concerned in our life. A little bit more consciousness to feet and also to the ground won’t be not bad. ๐
