Moving Harmony Qigong/Tai Chi

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☯️ Breathing Methods of Tai Chi and Qi Gong practices ☯️

Before we begin the advance exercises, we must understand the five basic keys of general qigong practice. The five keys are: regulating the body, regulating the breath, regulating the mind, regulating the qi, and regulating the shen. The most important of the five is regulating the mind. After all, it is the mind that regulates the whole.

In addition, you should learn to coordinate shen, breathing and qi, which we talked about in the first part, namely: shen and breathing depend on each other, and shen and qi need to be united with each other.

Breathing is a strategy to regulate the Kan and Li of the body and determine the Yin and Yang of the body. That is why breathing methods are a major topic in Qigong research and practice. We would like to discuss some of the well-known methods of regulating breathing. This will help you better understand the Neidan Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing.

Below, the methods of breathing and using the mind are listed in order of increasing difficulty. If you succeed in grasping the essence of each of them, you will have to devote about three years to them all together. Be patient and master the previous one well before you begin the next one. Only then will you be able to deeply understand the theory behind them.

I. Chest Breathing (normal breathing)
First, you should learn to regulate your normal chest breathing by relaxing your lungs and inhaling and exhaling smoothly until your breathing becomes neutral, quiet, and calm. Then you will find that you can breathe long and deep, while your body remains relaxed. When you achieve this, your heart rate will decrease. You can practice in any comfortable position. Practice for 10 minutes every day, morning and evening, until you notice that your mind is no longer paying attention to your chest. Then you can concentrate on feeling the results of the training. And the result may be, for example, that when you exhale, you will feel how the pores of your skin open, and when you inhale, how they close. It will seem that all the pores are breathing with you. This is the lower level of breathing of the skin, or body. The sensation is very pleasant, one might even say amazing. When you achieve complete automatism and pleasant sensations with normal chest breathing, your goal - regulating this breathing - can be considered achieved.

II. Buddhist Breathing
Having learned the breathing described above, you should move on to learning to control the abdominal muscles and coordinate them with breathing. When you inhale, the abdomen expands, when you exhale, it is drawn in. You should practice until the whole process becomes smooth and the body remains relaxed. Naturally, at first your mind, in order to control the abdominal muscles, must concentrate on this area. But after practicing for some time, you will find that the whole breathing process has become smooth and natural. This means that you are now ready to accumulate qi in the lower Dantian.

When you reach this level, you should begin to coordinate your breathing with the movements of your Huiyin and a**s. As you inhale, relax your Huiyin and a**s, and as you exhale, pull them up. Remember to do this gently, without tensing your Huiyin and a**s. When you pull them up, they remain relaxed, but if you tense them, it will hinder the circulation of Qi. By tensing your Huiyin and a**s, you will also cause tension in your abdomen and stomach, which can lead to other problems. At first, it will seem that you need to use your muscles to pull your Huiyin and a**s up, but after some practice, you will find that it is your mind, your consciousness, that is more important than the muscle movement. When you reach this stage, you will have a surprisingly pleasant sensation in the area of your Huiyin and a**s. In addition, you will feel a stronger flow of Qi to the skin than during chest breathing. You will feel as if your whole body is breathing with you.

III. Taoist Breathing
Having mastered the "Buddhist breathing", move on to the "Taoist breathing", which is also called "reverse breathing". It received this name because in this case the movements of the abdomen are opposite to the movements it makes during "Buddhist breathing", i.e. the abdomen is drawn in during inhalation and protrudes during exhalation.

When you begin learning "Taoist breathing", at first do not pay attention to the coordination of Huiyin and a**s until you learn to perform this type of breathing smoothly and naturally. Then resume the coordination of Huiyin and a**s, only now during inhalation pull up the Huiyin point and a**s, and during exhalation relax. Exhale Exhale

After practicing for a while, you will suddenly discover that you can now direct qi to the skin more effectively on the exhale than during the "Buddhist breathing" process.

IV. Shen Breathing
Once you have mastered the "Taoist Breathing", you must learn to unite your Shen and your breath. When you inhale, shift your attention to your Upper Dantian, when you exhale, relax your concentration. Remember that you should not make any effort to achieve concentration. Simply shift your attention, leaving your physical body and mind relaxed. One day, you will realize that your Shen and your breath have become one. This stage is called " Shen Breathing". When you learn " shen breathing", your shen will rise so high that it can control your qi very effectively. Once you reach this level, you will have created a solid foundation for yijinjing - and xisuijing qigong.

V. Breath of the Five Gates
Once you have reached the level of" shen breathing," you can begin to learn how to regulate the flow of qi to the Five Gates, or centers: the head (including the upper dantian and baihui), the two laogong points located on the hands, and the two yongquan points, which are on the soles of the feet. Beginners use the baihui gate on the head first because it is easier to connect with the surrounding qi through it. Then, when this gate opens, the upper dantian is used instead With this type of breathing, during inhalation, the qi that has entered through the Five Gates is directed to the lower Dantian, and during exhalation, the qi is directed to the gate, where it is exchanged with the surrounding qi.
(See the picture of Five Gate Breathing)

VI. Bodily Breathing
"Body breathing" is sometimes called "skin breathing." In fact, body breathing involves breathing with the entire body, not just the skin. When you exhale, you direct the qi to the muscles and skin, and when you inhale, you direct the qi to the bone marrow and internal organs. It feels as if your entire body has become transparent to the qi.

When you learn this, the mind and shen play the most important role. When you inhale, you draw qi into your body from the environment and direct it to the lower dan tian. In doing so, you also feel the qi being directed inward to all your internal organs and bone marrow. When you exhale, you direct this qi from the lower dan tian outward to your muscles, tendons, skin, and even beyond your skin. Again, the main key to successful mastery of the method is the coordination of huiyin and a**s. When you breathe this way, you feel as if you are inflating yourself, like a large beach ball. As you inhale, the ball gets smaller; as you exhale, it gets larger (see the picture). The flow of qi inside the ball is smooth, abundant, and natural. Your entire body seems transparent to the qi. When you inhale, you feel your body becoming lighter, when you exhale, you feel it becoming heavier.
(See the picture of Body Breathing or Skin Breathing)

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The image illustrates the concept of the “Dantian” and energy pathways (“Qi”) in the practice of Qigong, an ancient Chinese system for maintaining and improving health through the integration of posture, breathing techniques, and mental focus.

The Dantian is an important area of the body that is considered the center of energy and vitality.

There are three main Dantians shown:
The Upper Dantian in the head,
The Middle Dantian in the solar plexus area, and
The Lower Dantian in the lower abdomen area.

The Fire Path and the Water Path illustrate the circulation of vital energy (Qi) throughout the body, which is a fundamental concept in Qigong for achieving balance and health.

Huiyin is an important acupuncture point located in the perineum, which is often used in Qigong practice to control and direct the flow of energy.

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☯️ Six Principles of Correct Qi Gong Practice: Essentials of Qi Gong Practice ☯️

From a general summary, we can see that the key points of practicing Daoyin Gongfa include the following:

1. Open your eyes naturally

Relaxation means that one should not be tense mentally and physically relaxed during the practice. Stillness means keeping calm and free of distracting thoughts during the practice.

Relaxation and tranquility mutually promote and influence each other. If relaxation is mastered, tranquility becomes easier, and once tranquility is achieved, relaxation becomes easier. Relaxation and tranquility are the fundamental requirements for relaxation exercises, the basic skills for beginners, and the foundation for successful practice of various exercises.

2. Combining movement and stillness

Daoyin exercises are divided into two categories: dynamic exercises and static exercises. Generally speaking, dynamic exercises utilize body movements to guide the flow of internal energy, while static exercises rely more on the power of intention to gather energy in the Dantian. Therefore, when arranging exercises, static exercises and dynamic exercises should be closely coordinated.

3. Practice and nourishment together

Practice and nourishment are two distinct states of mind during the practice of qigong. Practice involves consciously adjusting the body, maintaining posture, concentrating attention, and eliminating distracting thoughts. Nourishment refers to the state of rest achieved after conscious practice, characterized by a relaxed and comfortable body, gentle and uninterrupted breathing, and a tranquil mind. Practice and nourishment complement each other, promoting the harmonious balance of qi and blood in the body.

4. Be of the same mind

"Yi" refers to the practitioner's intentional activity; "Qi" refers to the breath and the internal energy sensations experienced during practice. "Yi Qi Xiang Su" means that the practitioner can use their intention to influence and train their breathing and internal energy, integrating their intentional activity with the movement of their breath. This is also known as "Yi Qi He Yi."

5. Accurate and gentle

You must pay attention to maintaining the correct posture and making sure the movements are in accordance with the regulations. The height, weight, position, technique, and breathing should all be done according to the regulations. The movements should be flexible, gentle, and just right.

6. Take it step by step

It takes a while for the guiding health-preserving exercises to be effective and it is impossible for them to be effective in a short period of time. Therefore, we must follow a certain procedure when practicing. Only in this way can we achieve success naturally.

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“Qigong gives us the simple, practical tools we need to experience the transformation of energy in our own lives.”

The moment you choose to move your energy, your transformation of a better life begins.

Qigong teaches us ways to ask and receive message.

Qigong not only teaches us techniques to directly transform energy; it also helps is to experience unconditional love, to be able to accept what is, and to access the energies we need to fulfill our purpose

In Qigong, we are studying and working with energy: how it works in the world and in the body, and how we can use that understanding to benefit ourselves and the world.

To those that have practiced Qigong, you know first hand, the source of healing, that comes from Qigong and how empowering it is to know that everything you need to heal yourself, is at your fingertips, literally…

Qigong healing goes straight to the “root cause” of an illness, to help the body heal fully and completely.

Qigong takes, what sometimes can be a lengthy path to finding the root cause, and shortens it drastically, because your body’s Qi (intelligence) already knows how to heal itself!

Qigong works with your body’s Qi to heal not only physically, but also, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually

You were Born a Healer!

Many Blessings,
Chunyi Lin