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Further to the earlier part where breathing is emphasized to help to improve our health, this article described three (3) ways of breathing and its benefits. All these breathing may either be done formally or informally while watching television or sitting in a bus, train or car.

If you do the following breath formally, qigong/chi-kung master advocates that men should do 36 times and women 24 times. Just time yourself as to how long these should be repeated instead of counting the repetitions which can be quite distracting.

For the following three types of breathing - do not take big, loud deep breaths; exhalation should last just slightly longer than inhalations.
Type No 1: Chest Breathing

Benefits: helps the respiratory system

Procedures:

1. INhale using your nose by pulling the breath and fresh energy into your lungs by expanding them to full capacity. Inhale quietly and steadily
2. Make sure to inflate the chest ONLY. You may feel that your stomach is also suck in slightly.
3. EXhale by pushing the breath and stale energy out through your mouth slowly, quietly and steadily.
4. Slowly contract your chest and lungs to their least capacity. You may feel your chest become concave.

Type No 2 : Upper Stomach Breathing

Benefit:- helps the digestive system.

Procedures:

1. INhale using the nose by pulling the breath into the area between the navel and diaphragm slowly, quiety and steadily
2. Expand your upper stomach ( only) between the ribbage and navel to full capacity, making sure to keep your chest and lower stomach in or flat.
3. EXhale through your mouth slowly, quietly and steadily
4. Pull or suck in your upper stomach as you push your breath and stale energy out.You may feel that your lower stomach pull in ever so slightly as well.

The abovesaid upper stomatch breathing is generally difficult area for people to isolate in movement. However, stay loose, relaxed, and focused throughout the breaths and isolate movement only in the upper stomach.

Type No 3 : Lower Stomach Breathing

Benefits: helps the reproductive and urinary systems.

Procedures:

1. INhale through your nose by pulling the breath into the lower stomach- only from the navel down. Do it slowly, quiety and steadily
2. Expand the pelvic area and drop the breath to the pelvic floor. As you inhlae, inflate your lower stomach (only ) between the ribcage and navel to full capacity making sure to keep your chest and upper stomach flat and deflated.
3. EXhale through your month, by pushing the breath and stale air out. Pull or suck in your lower stomach as you exhale through your mouth slowly, quietly and steadily. You may feel your upper stomach pull in slightly.

Like type no 2, this lower stomach breathing is quite a difficult area for people to isolate in movement. However, stay relaxed and focussed throughout the breaths and try to isolate movements in the lower stomach.

(source: Qigong For well being by FaXing Hou & Mark V Willey)

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In qigong/chi-kung, one vital aspect is the proper breathing and control of the breath.

Why?

By doing proper breathing, the organs of the body are strengthened and their functioning is improved.

By inhaling bring nourishment into the body and assists blood circulation and organ function.

By exhaling it serves to cleanse the body of harmful elements and wastes.

Hence, proper breathing and breath control is necessary for the conduction of the vital qi/chi which helps to improve our health whether physically or mentally. By correct breathing it allows the vital energy to flow naturally.

In the alternative healthcare, experts has confirmed that we have never been doing proper breathing hence illness cropped up into our daily lives. Stress from work/family “takes” our breath away. Some of us have never actually “know” how to breath properly. Often we heard of advice like ” slow down and take a deep breath to calm down”.

Next article deals with the different type of breathing and its benefits.

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What is qigong or chi-kung?

Simply, it is a holistic therapy that exercises the body and mind and increases consciousness.

Regular practices of qigong exercises helps:

• in regulating the function of our central nervous system.
• it influences our physical state in general while improving our pathological condition in particular.
• it evokes latent powers within the human body enabling the practitioner to use them to their fullest potential
• it increases the body’s ability to adapt to and defend against the natural/physical environment in which we live.
• it strengthen the body’s constitution
• it improves intelligence and
• it prolong life.

How is that this qigong/chi-kung is able to confer so much benefits as described above?

As the origin of Qigong is from either Buddhist and or Taoist elements, the Chinese believe that Qigong is specifically the art of exercising the three treasures of the human body which is namely :-

• jing ( essence)
• qi (vital energy) and
• shen ( spirit)

When practising qigong/chi-kung exercises, it is combined with the practise of the following three regulators namely:

• xing( shape/postures)
• yi ( intention /concentration) and
• qi/chi ( vital energy)

Hence, by controlling these three regulators through various qiqong practises, we are then able to regulate our body’s constitution, consciousness and respiration respectively. Incidentally, such regulations are the main principle of the practise of qigong/chi-kung and the primary constitutents of the maintenance of good health.

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