Reverse Breathing

[D_Glenn]

筑基的关键是要处理好气息。 人生全靠一口气，日常呼吸，呼出时，小腹内缩；吸进时，气下沉，小腹微有上升与突起，做到细长无声，这称调息。 通任督时要学会呼出时连同小腹突起，吸气时小腹内缩，即靠意念持内气沿着督任二脉循环呼吸，这叫调真息，也称橐籥功夫。 开始阶段可以用调息方法，使自己入静，但要真正通任督二脉必须学会逆呼吸，即当外气入腹时真息从腹底沿督脉上升头部百会穴；外气从鼻子呼出时真息从百会穴沿着任脉下降到腹底。

{The pivotal point on which the 'Building the Foundation' Practices rely is on being able to breathe well. One's whole life depends upon a single breath. Everyday you have to breathe. Every time you exhale the abdomen contracts/ shrinks in a little. Every time you inhale the (氣 Qì) sinks back down. In the exhale there should be a tiny movement upward of the abdomen. And the inhale the abdomen protrudes just a tiny bit. The breath should be fine, long and not make a sound. This is called 'Harmonizing the Breath' (調息 Tiáo Xī) [aka Shun Huxi (Normal Breathing)].

{In order to learn how to time the movement of the breath with the movement of the Conception Meridian (任脈 Rèn Mài) and Governing Meridians (督脈 Dū Mài) one must learn how to do the opposite- exhale while the abdomen is protruding out a tiny bit; and on the inhale the abdomen contracts inward a tiny bit. This depends on using your thoughts (Yinian) to have the movement of energy follow the movement of Ren and Du and circulate through the two meridians with the breath. This is then called 'Harmonizing the True Breath' (調真息 Tiáo Zhēn Xī) a.k.a. 'The Skill of Playing the Flute from Both Ends' (橐籥功夫 Tuó Yuè Gōngfu).

{In the beginning of this stage you can use the method of 'Harmonizing the Breath' [Shun Huxi]. Which can also be a means to help oneself first enter into a state of calmness.

{But it's important to know that in order learn to time the movements of the Du and Ren meridians with the breath then one must learn 'Contrary Breathing' (Ni Huxi). Where the outside air and True Breath (真息 Zhēn Xī) in the bottom of the abdomen rise upward in the 督脈 Dū Meridian, ascending to the top of the head, where the True Breath reaches 'Hundred Meetings Point' (百會穴 Bǎi Huì Xué). Immediately after the outside air is exhaled through the nostrils then the 'True Breath' (真息 Zhēn Xī) comes back in from 百會穴 Bǎi Huì Point and comes down the front of the body through the 任脈 Rèn Meridian, arriving at the bottom of the abdomen.}

[Building the foundation is doing Zhan Zhuang or Xing Zhuang with all the typical requirements, where no matter the breathing being used all the requirements remain the same, the only thing that changes is the slight movement of the abdomen and diaphragm.

Doing Ni Huxi while holding the other requirements will gradually or if you've practiced for a long time, instantly start the Micro Cosmic Orbit where the Governing Vessel /Du meridian is flowing naturally upward but the flow in the Conception Vessel/Ren meridian is Reversed/Contrary (Ni), so it's important to have the Huiyin point (CV1 lifting while the tailbone is tucked under so that CV1 is crossing/bridging the gap to GV1, then if Baihui Point (GV 20) is properly pulled to the top (it's normally at the back of one's head but if the neck is stretched upward and the chin is tucked it will be at the very top and slightly facing frontward) then the extra flow from the Governing Vessel /Du meridian will come up and cascade back down the front like a waterfall. As Reverse Breathing is continued this Reverse Orbit/Circuit continues.
What is important is that you do at least some Closing exercise, even if it's just 30 seconds to a minute to take that moment to let the Conception Vessel/ Ren Meridian return to it's normal direction of flow upwards, both hands stretching upwards, naturally coming back down so you can again stretch the arms and torso upwards, even look up at the hands, the whole body stretching upwards. Do this once or twice as a healthy body should want to flow in the normal directions. You don't want your body to become dependent upon the movement. Reversing Flow is a Daoyin that you have to use your Yi to start. Normal flow should not have to rely on Yi.]

So people may ask "Why all the rules? What if I don't care about 'Reversing Flow' or 'Micro Cosmi-whatcha-ma-call-it'?

Answer: As other people have said, it's naturally how one breathes when doing something extremely strenuous such as pushing a stuck car, or pushing a car to pop the clutch for a dead battery, etc.; so Zhan Zhuang is imitating the physical conditions of doing something extremely strenuous, but without actually doing the work of pushing a car. Tricking the body into producing the extra energy required to push the car, but without the energy being converted to work, you end up with a surplus. The thing you have to watch for though is that you are also setting up the body to be in the same condition in which self-injury can occur as if pushing the car. You don't want to, say 7 hours after you stopped practicing 'Reverse Breathing', have your body still be in that state, which over a long period of time can cause things like hernias or other minor soft tissue injuries that you won't equate to the Breathing Practice. Cause and Effect are misunderstood. There's a common thing that occurs amongst Chinese Martial Art school and the teaching environment that has been passed down: where- everyone outside of your own school /family is a rival/ potential opponent, so it's not unsual for the 'How To Do Guide for something' to be common knowledge, every school "has it". But what is kept secret is the 'Danger Warnings' and 'Trouble-Shooting' sections of the Guide book/ Manual.


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[wiesiek]

time for -----
- Yi is movin` DT by RB exercise , or in reverse order
- support your 7th neck vertebra /dazhui point/ by the fingers in standard mabu
- start breathing in sync., with head movin`:
down, back, sides , circling...

not for beginners only

[Bugang]

Reverse breathing increases the 'pressure' in the system. I believe that's its purpose.

That's one way to see it. In that case I would add "increases the pressure CHANGES..." , because on the inbreath it inceases the pressure and on the outbreath it decreases the pressure even more than a "normal outbreath". Which increases your ability to project energy outwards and might also be useful to experience a very relaxed, or should I say "spiritual" state of mind at the end of the outbreath.

Anyway I repeat the warnings not to do it without proper instruction and not to overdo it.

[meeks]

For me, reverse breath is pretty much the ONLY breathing I do when I practise both Bagua exercises and Bagua Qigong

[Morty]

How about twisting the spine a little bit on the exhale via all those lovely oblique and back muscles?

I believe systema has a lovely pushup excercise where you seemingly push your body weight up by the force of your breath alone - what do you gents think about that one?

I'd love to hear from someone who does comparable training in the japanese side of things.

[shawnsegler]

I have practiced trying to be comfortable with reverse breathing for the last 20 or so years and it was always uncomfortable in the beginning. I eventually just sort of gave up on it (would try again once in a blue moon, but that's about it) and then about 8 or so years ago it just suddenly sort of happened that I can or would do it in a way that felt natural. Now it happens just sort of naturally but for awhile when it first became comfortable but if I thought about it too much it would feel weird like I was forcing my body to do something it didn't want.

Now I just ignore it and I find its how I breath more often than not, especially when I'm doing internal stuff...but that being said I still feel uncomfortable when I concentrate on it for too long so I just let my body do it's thing and if I think it's appropriate through part of a form or as is usual in sort of out ward movements that you would require power I can emphasize it subtle-y but for the most part since it's integrated I just let my body do what feels right now.

S