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.

Energy in the Internal Arts

We just released our fourth book – Wild Goose System, Volume IV – Healing Methods.

Wild Goose System Volume IV - Healing Methods

I had the opportunity to respond to several questions about the book – one of those was related to understanding how Traditional Chinese Medicine principles are embedded in the movements of the Wild Goose forms. I wanted to give this a bit more attention in the blog. The information here is a reflection of topics covered in our Wild Goose books, Volume III (Martial) and Volume IV (Healing). It’s too much to cover fully in the blog, but here’s an abbreviated version.

If you are doing either a healing (qigong) form or you are doing a martial form as a part of any internal system, then you should expect to find energetic alignments in those forms. If these are not evident (i.e. no one is teaching them in your system), then your system is not an “internal” one. “Internal” systems are inclusive of qi energy and by that definition, must engage the qi transport system.

Energetic engagements are created in multiple ways.

1. Aligning and/or joining acupuncture points on the feet and hands with other body points – example: Laogong [Pericardium 8] in the palm facing inward toward Qihu [Stomach 13] on the chest.
2. Creating structural alignments by using the relative positions of points that are located at or near the body’s joints – example: elbow joint held above the knee joint.

 Enhancements to energy flow will also be present.

1.  Feet will break / make contact with the earth, resulting in energy surges through the body
2. Rotational movement about the body’s central axis will raise and lower energy – Clockwise rotation lowers energy and Counterclockwise rotation raises energy
3.  Rubbing, clapping, touching, projection – i.e. massage and acupressure techniques
4. Specific structural alignments of the hands (commonly called mudras) will enhance / alter energy flow

 And, mental intent and awareness will also play a role in energy engagement.

These methods of energetic alignment and enhancement are present in both internal healing and internal martial forms and applications. In healing applications they are use to promote balance in both the healer and the patient. In the martial applications they promote imbalance in the opponent (create a disability). A short hand for this engagement is that we engage our own energy system first to heal ourselves. We can then engage the energy systems of others to either heal or hurt.

If you are practicing what should be an internal system and do not have access to the energetic methods of your forms, it is certainly possible for you to begin to unravel what’s going on for yourself. This is not an easy task, but there is substantial supportive information available via TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). On the martial side, the TCM offshoots of Dim Mak (kyusho-jitsu [Japanese]) also offer supporting information. TCM principles have formed the basis of the internal arts for thousands of years – you can tap into that resource to enhance your understanding of your own forms. When you enhance your understanding of how the forms work, you also enhance your experience and the benefits you receive from the forms.

Here is an example of an energetic connection that is used in the Wild Goose system’s 1^st 64 action form. The movement is called “Hand circles of the foot” and is number 18 in the sequence of 64 actions. The images are of Wild Goose system, 28^th Generation Lineage Holder, Grand Master Chen Chuan Gang.

First, here’s the move as it is being set up. Note the toes are raised on the right foot and also note that the fingers of the right hand are held together in a Plum Claw formation (four fingers surrounding the thumb) at Quepen (Stomach 12) point.

Next as the movement is fully formed, the left hand grasps the big toe. Note that it is the thumb and first finger that do the grasping. The toe is then rotated counterclockwise. 

 

This is an interesting movement because there is a lot going on here. Here is an explanation of what’s happening energetically.

1. Beginning at the ground, the toes of the right foot are raised. This breaks the connection to the earth, primarily at the Yongquan (Kidney 1) point. This causes a brief surge of energy up the anterior portion of the right leg.
2. The rotation of the big toe moves energy through the joint. A simultaneous body rotation at the hips and shoulders moves energy through the mid and upper body.
3. The toe is grasped with the thumb and first finger. This creates a wood-element mudra. The specific grasping point is at Yinbai (Spleen 1), which is the origin of the Spleen Meridian (yin). A connection across the top of the foot runs to the Stomach Meridian (yang). The wood-mudra grasp at Spleen 1 effectively connects the left hand to both the Spleen(yin) and Stomach (yang) meridians, which are Earth element. In five-phase theory the Wood element (the hand mudra) is controlling the Earth element meridians Spleen and Stomach.
4. The right hand is formed in the Plum Claw which is a five-element mudra, bringing all five energetic phases (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth)  to the Quepen (Stomach 12) point. This completes the connection, forming a circuit of the yin-yang Spleen-Stomach meridian pair. Because of the inter meridian connections provided by the Quepen point, the Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Triple Warmer and Gallbladder meridians are also activated.

In summary we have the energy surging up the front of the leg from the raised foot, along with the controlling action of the Wood mudra and the Five-phase energy input of the Plum Claw mudra which are accessing the yin-yang circuit of the Spleen and Stomach meridians. The inner connectivity of the Stomach 12 point provides a bonus of accessing four additional meridians / organ sets.

Overall, this movement results in a clearing and recharging of the Spleen and Stomach meridians as well as activation of the Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Triple Warmer and Gallbladder meridians. The primary effect of this action is on the Spleen and Stomach organs, which results in improved digestion and immune function with secondary effects on Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Triple Warmer and Gallbladder. A more in depth view of the effects can be seen by referring to an acupuncture text (or the book :) and examining the range of physical and energetic responsibilities of the organ systems that receive primary and secondary benefit from this action.

Having some understanding of the impact of the energetic engagement methods is empowering. Knowing that your hand configurations have elemental properties and that a single point on you body can connect to multiple organ sets gives new perspective to your practice. It might seem to an outside observer that simply touching a hand to the body would be insignificant. However a skilled internal arts practitioner who understands energetics, knows that a simple touch has the potential to heal a patient or disable an opponent.

For more about the Wild Goose system and books, DVDs and instruction please visit www.DayanArts.com.