Breathing in Tai Chi and Qigong Training...

As evidenced by the comments in my previous post about summer camp, I used my breath training to help manage the stresses of that environment. So this week, I asked the students to pay attention to their breath. There are many ways to breath during training, you will hear in the nose and out the mouth, in the mouth and out the nose, in the mouth and out the feet... Yes, the feet... Keep the tongue to the roof of the mouth behind the teeth and breathe through the nose and so on... Each have their value and place but when you are just starting Tai Chi and Qigong training, I prefer to keep things very simple. Just breathe... As you get more comfortable with learning to breath in a calm and relaxed manner then you can get "fancy with it".

Breathing in sync?
During our Qigong training we work hard to synchronize breath and movement, however, during our Tai Chi training we want the breath to be independent of the movement. This may seem counterintuitive at first, however, I have found that if you introduce connected breath work while the student is still learning the Tai Chi Forms, there is a strong potential for significant confusion and tension to build up. I have found that allowing the movements to find their natural rhythm and then allowing the breath find its own natural, relaxed rhythm creates a more relaxed and functional training environment. Then, over time, the breath and movements will find each other, naturally, With no specific effort you will find that your breath will flow in and out of the movements in a calm and gentle way.

Dan Tien Breathing
Deep breathing effectively increases the richness of oxygen in our bloodstream, relaxes the body, awakens our mental clarity and promotes physical and spiritual healing. In addition, it enhances the lymphatic system’s ability to remove toxins from our bodies thus increasing our health from the cellular level up. The most efficient breathing technique is called Dan Tien or Abdominal Breathing. We are born abdominal breathers and typically lose this natural breath pattern around the age of 6 or 7 when our physical activity levels increase and we tend to move to a chest-breathing pattern. This results in a shallow breath pattern that takes twice the energy to maintain. Abdominal breathing takes half the energy and typically increases our oxygen transfer efficiency by up to 30 percent.
Dan Tien Breathing is a slow, deep breathing style that coordinates your breath with the movement of your diaphragm and abdomen muscles. Breathing from the nose with the mouth closed is ideal for managing a slow, gentle breath, however, it is not necessary to attain benefit from this training. In addition, proper posture also plays an important role in maximizing the efficiency of this breathing pattern.
As you inhale, allow your abdomen to expand and relax in a downward flow. This will release the diaphragm, relax internal organs and allow the lungs to expand more fully in a downward direction. As you exhale let your abdominal muscles contract to effectively “squeeze” the abdomen, diaphragm and lungs thus expelling more of the used air in preparation for the next inhale cycle. Allow your breathing pattern to move at a steady, relaxed pace.

Circular Breathing
As you become comfortable with this breathing pattern try adding the concept of circular breathing to further enhance your training. This is done by listening to your breathing pattern and working to eliminate the spaces between the inhale and exhale cycles. This should not accelerate your breathing pattern but it will increase your concentration and release tension from your body. Repeat this breathing set as you focus your attention on the words... Breathe in – Breathe out
Start with 5-minute sets and increase your practice time in 5-minute intervals until your breathing pattern is smooth and comfortable. Here is a quick tip – Use a small, quiet alarm to set your practice time. This will allow you to concentrate on the practice and not the clock. If you begin to feel dizzy or light headed, stop the exercise and shorten your practice time by half until you can sustain the practice without these effects.

During your training AND the rest of your week, I encourage you to listen for your breath. Are you holding it? Is it shallow and tight? Then try to get a relaxed, deep breath going and see if it changes your physical, mental and spiritual space. Smile and have fun with it...