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| Breathing | ||
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Breathing is always a good idea...
Your body knows how to breathe already.
It is important to remember this before considering any kind of 'breath
work'. Tai chi students should avoid interfering with what is
natural.
Oxygen
Breathing provides oxygen for our heart, blood and our cells.
Detox
Breathing helps our lymphatic system to flush out toxins and carrying away
waste from our immune system.
Relax
Deep breathing calms the nervous system and
helps us to relax.
Pain
When in pain, there is often a temptation/habit of
holding our breath... Don't. Breathe normally.
Clarity
A lot of meditation exercises/methods are
concerned with focusing upon the breath.
Breathing is real, tangible and
physical.
Instead of getting caught up with thinking, worrying, speculation and
opinions... anchor the attention on the process of breathing.
Deep breathing makes you feel energised
A committed regime of on-going training transforms your health. Your body
becomes stronger, more mobile, balanced, flexible and supple.
Stamina and awareness improve significantly. Energy levels are boosted - you
feel less fatigued.
Qigong
Qigong moves are timed to synchronise with the breath. Breath slowly, deeply
and comfortably. Breathe in as the hands raise, breath out as they lower.
Breathe in as the hands come towards the body, breath out as they move away.
Moving with the breath
Deliberate breathing methods are fine for standing or moving qigong but no
so good during dynamic combat work or form
practice.
The problem with attempting to synchronise form movements and the breath is
duration.
Breathing usually follows a regular, predictable rhythm. This is a major
problem in combat, where predictability can be anticipated and is therefore
ruinous.
Avoid synchrony
Never try to synchronise breathing with any form. Let your body find its own
balance between movement and breath. Breathe naturally and easily.
Tai chi movements differ in duration and should not be altered to fit the
breath. Similarly, if you try to breathe in synchrony with the movements,
your breathing will be irregular and erratic.
A traditional form has a 'broken rhythm' - with long and short movements -
making it impossible to breathe as you would in qigong.
Types of breathing
Methods of breathing used in tai chi:
Abdominal
Reverse
Turtle
Abdominal
Breathe in and the abdomen goes out, breathe out and the
abdomen comes in.
The more one concentrates on
breathing, the more the external stimuli fade into the background. They sink
away in a kind of muffled roar which one hears with only half an ear at
first, and in the end one finds it no more disturbing than the distant roar
of the sea, which, once one has grown accustomed to it, is no longer
perceived.
(Eugen Herrigel)
Reverse
Breathe in and the abdomen comes in, breathe out and the abdomen goes out.
This is Taoist breathing.
It is also essential for energy release.
Pre-natal
The front of the body ripples as you
breathe.
This is the advanced version of reverse breathing and incorporates a more
powerful action of the diaphragm.
Tortoise/turtle
Pre-natal breath is held on the in-take and
then then exhalation continued for as long as possible.
This is specifically used as a qigong breath.
In & out
Inhale when your arms come in, exhale as your arms
move out.
Inhale as the arms lift, exhale as they lower. Inhale as you lift to kick...
This may seem odd until you consider the difference between a hand or leg
strike.
With the hands or body, you shift from one leg to another as you strike.
Yet, with a kick the weight is in one leg only - the supporting one.
Upward kicks
As you lift the body and kick, you inhale.
If you exhaled as the leg rises, your balance would follow your breath.
Downward kicks
We only exhale for kicks that are inclined downward, and are using gravity
and weight.
Pot belly
One major mistake with breathing is to move your muscles in an
exaggerated manner as you breathe.
The purpose of the various breathing methods is to increase the intake of
air by manipulating the diaphragm and creating a vacuum.
Overly physical movement will develop your stomach muscles adversely, giving
you a 'pot belly' appearance.
Your intention must guide the breath. Use mind not force.
Feel
Rather than force the breath, feel it instead.
Once you can feel the air going into your body, leave the muscles alone and
let your body breathe by itself.
The less you tamper with the breath, the better.
Delivering energy
Conscious breathing is necessary when you deliver energy. The breath helps to power the release, and it also enables the body to
sink
further internally.
These moments occur during the closing phase of a given pattern of movement.
In-breath
If you exhale fully, the in-breath occurs by
itself.
The in-breath is particularly relevant for rising or inward
movements.
A sharp in-breath can provide a sudden shot of oxygen and is useful when you
feel afraid.
Combat
When breath and movement unite in
combat,
the effects are dramatic.
Rather than thinking about hitting, you expel air and your muscles extend
outwards.
With practice, you feel to breathe the move.
Rollback and pluck can be employed with either an out-breath or in-breath
relative to your application, although in-breath is usually better unless
you do not plan to flow into a second delivery.
Remember that all breathing in combat must be abrupt.
Breath power?
Some people think that breath is the source of great
martial
power.
It isn't.
Breathing is just breathing...
The reason for the confusion is simple: it is the physical mechanism of
reverse breathing that generates extra power; not the breath itself.
The breath should be thin,
long, quiet and slow.
It is like drawing silk from a cocoon.
(Cheng Man Ching)
Page
created 18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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