The core principle of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is that a balanced supply of qi (bio-energy) is essential to good health. Too much or too little qi overall, or an imbalance of qi between the organs results in illness. TCM also finds a direct correlation between breath, qi and blood flow – qi moves the blood. Looking to Western Medicine we also find correlations between breath, blood and the body’s energy fields. It is the breath that oxygenates the blood and ultimately causes an electromagnetic response based around the iron content of the bloodstream. Breath is a vital component of energy work.
It can seem counter intuitive, but there are a lot of ways to breathe. These “different ways” reflect varying combinations of awareness, body dynamics and qi flow along with the inflow and outflow of air. Look through any of the popular texts on qigong and you can easily find over a dozen different breathing patterns.
Wild Goose takes a straight-forward approach to breathing. In the initial forms of the system, we are told simply to breathe naturally. Breathing naturally means to make use of the body’s innate abilities to absorb the air. Unfortunately we can sometimes condition ourselves to breathe unnaturally.
A full natural breath will utilize both the intercostal muscles of the chest and the large diaphragm muscle at the bottom of the chest cavity, to expand and inflate the lungs. These muscles, when used correctly in conjunction with a supportive posture, create an efficient breath. Sometimes, with a combination of age and inactivity (compressed/collapsing posture), we can begin to rely too much on the intercostal muscles in the upper chest. The result is that we adapt ourselves to a less efficient breathing process. This is “chest breathing” where you can notice a short and sometimes rapid rise in just the upper chest as each breath is taken. This problem is easily corrected by using abdominal breathing when you begin qigong training.
Simply put, abdominal breathing directs us to draw down with the diaphragm, so that the abdominal area (and even the sides and back of the body) swell outward with each in-breath and collapse on the exhale. (Note that this breathing takes place in an unrestricted cylinder, created by correct posture.) When we use abdominal breathing on a regular basis we feel more relaxed and stimulate a healing response in the body’s parasympathetic nervous system. I incorporate abdominal breathing into the Eight Pieces of Brocade routine taught in my Introductory Classes. This allows folks to reacquaint themselves with a full in-breath – actually reestablishing the way we breathe as babies. Once this natural pattern is rebooted, the Wild Goose admonition to just “breathe naturally” can then be followed.
Another aspect of basic breathing is to both inhale and exhale through the nose. Using nasal breathing stimulates the nitric oxide sensors in the nasal passages. The resulting increase in nitric oxide in the blood stream causes the blood vessels to dilate and this dilation causes a drop in blood pressure. My own experience has been that I can see a 20 to 30 point drop in systolic pressure using just nasal breathing. (Those with chronic low blood pressure or on blood pressure medication should take note.)
As with all training elements, it takes some initial focus to reestablish a more efficient breathing pattern. Once that is done, the new more efficient pattern becomes intuitive. The full efficient intuitive breath then supports the normalization of stress throughout the body. In practical usage, the efficient breath supports energy applications for both healing and hurting.
Next up in this series of posts on the three critical aspects of qigong - Mental Intent.
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