About breathing – abdominal and reverse abdominal

I read some Internet posts recently along with several magazine articles that were all directed at the methods of breathing used in meditation, qigong and TaiChi Chuan. Most of the focus of these articles is on defining the differences between abdominal, reverse-abdominal and chest breathing. Here’s my take on the topic and from my conversations with Shane, I understand what I present here to be consistent with Grand Master Chen’s view of using the breath in the Wild Goose (Dayan) system.

First is “chest breathing”, which is characterized by a reduced air volume because of limited use of the diaphragm and an increased reliance on the chest and back muscles. In “chest breathing” you can see and feel the breathing movement coming from the upper chest. It is associated with stimulation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and with the “fight or flight” response. Chest breathing’s inefficiency and its stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system make it undesirable for any internal meditative or martial disciplines. It is however a pattern which is often seen as people age (i.e. it may be “natural” but not desirable) and as such it is one of the things we would like to correct with practices such as qigong.

Next is “abdominal breathing”, sometimes called “baby breathing” because it is the way we breathe at birth. In abdominal breathing the emphasis is on the use of the diaphragm as well as the intercostals in order to create the maximum space for the lungs to expand into. It is important to keep in mind that efficient breathing sets up the area around and below the lungs as if it were an open cylinder. In this regard, an upright posture (correct structure) is also critical to maintaining the cylinder. The diaphragm and intercostal muscles then draw the lungs into the empty space in the cylinder to create a more efficient breath. This logic applies to both abdominal and reverse-abdominal breathing.

To better differentiate the two terms I’ll state them as “relaxed abdominal” and “reverse abdominal”. In the relaxed abdominal breath, the core muscles are relaxed and when the diaphragm draws down, it creates the “bulging tire” around the midsection that gives relaxed abdominal breathing its name. In reverse abdominal breathing the core muscles are under tension, creating the “flat belly” look during the inhale – i.e. the “reverse” of what happens during the relaxed abdominal breath. Now the really important part – why is one breath with the core relaxed, and the other with the core tense (activated)? This goes directly to the natural function of the body during the breath. If the body structure is still (as in seated or some standing meditations) the core muscles may remain relaxed – i.e. there is no need to activate the core since there is no need to enhance the energetic connection between the lower and upper body. And, if the body structure is moving, (as in actively absorbing or projecting energy), then the core muscles are activated to facilitate the energy transfer between the lower and upper body. The selection of a relaxed or activated core is a natural process that requires no conscious intervention. You do not need to “think” about tensing your core muscles when your are actively absorbing or projecting energy. This response occurs automatically – for example if you have to push an automobile or lift a heavy weight, you will automatically activate (tense) your core. Remember that in the internal arts we only use those muscles necessary to get the job done – relaxation (song) is always the key. Another way to say this is that you should always use diaphragmatic breathing, be as relaxed as the application will allow, and whether or not the core is activated is dependent on how the body structure is being used.

For Wild Goose practitioners this follows the admonition to relax and breathe naturally. All you need do is breathe with the diaphragm and maintain a correct and relaxed structure and the rest takes care of itself – relaxed abdominal or reverse abdominal – the body decides automatically.

Taking this a step further, it may be better all around to forget the labels of “abdominal” and “reverse abdominal” and simply understand that diaphragmatic breathing is the way to go and the core will take care of itself naturally.