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Hello all,
I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts or experiences to share on internal chi breathing? When I was first going through QF3 and QF4 home study I was wondering (as I often do when going through the self study material) how do I condense this into a relative brief sequence for regular practice? Initially I tried doing the standing postures with counterforce breathing. I found that this caused an uncomfortable sort of nervous energy in my lower abdomen, sometimes accompanied by a sort of palpitation at a level slightly below the navel. So I abandoned that and focused on practicing reverse breathing moving the chi ball back and forth and changing colors, hoping this would replenish my perpetually depleted kidney reserves. Just recently I tried to go back to the counterforce breathing to see if I got the same results. I did when in the standing posture, so I also tried doing counterforce breathing in a seated position. It was quite a revelation as I discovered what a powerful effect it has on quieting and stabilizing the mind. I found it to be a wonderful adjunct to basic mindfulness meditation, and this is after just a few inhalations. Now I understand the meaning of “yuan qi”. However, I’m still getting a bit of a nervous feeling in my abdomen when I practice, even though I am only doing a few repetitions during each session. Any thoughts?
cheers,
elephantHi elephant,
Here is and old post that I found to inspire you in making your program:
http://forum.healingtaousa.com/practice/message/23846/?l=2079742
By the way, since we both started at the same time and we have similar attitude towards this path, maybe we can share more of our experience so we can advance better. Drop me an email if you want at vicentie@gmail.com.
ViktorI prefer to teach counterforce breathing in seating position.
So your trying it sitting down is what I’d recommend anyway.When you do it, make sure you are not exaggerating your breath (i.e. making your inhale and exhale too extreme), as this can cause symptoms such as you describe. Breathing should be calm and relaxed. Aggravated breathing irritates the adrenal glands, and they put out adrenaline which creates nervousness and even “fight-or-flight” sensations.
S
I like to begin with ocean breathing and then switch it in to the counterforce breathing. I also like to add some visualizations, like inhaling gold light and exhaling murky old sick chi … and after some time just golden light in and out … 😉
IMO this is helpful advice about not forcing the breath; it is easy to do this in standing practice almost without realising, giving rise to symptoms mentioned. So yes, I try not to control the breath at all at the start. Somewhere Michael was talking about morning practice of (seated) internal chi breathing and orbit as a great way to start the day. I find this is valuable – in M. Chia’s videos it is described as morning practice of inner smile – flex spine with turtle movement, rock side to side on hip bones, abdominal breathing (internal chi breathing), smile to or observe organs in sequence starting from heart, then allow orbit and/or movement up and down between top and bottom. Follow this with the bridge and regular routes and a bit of micro/macro orbits – all can be done in relatively short time if desired.
Viktor – thanks for referencing and sharing the mini-session I developed! I actually forgot all about it!
Since it isn’t linked, thought I’d share again for those too lazy to copy and paste:
Mini Chi Breathing/Grounding Session/Warmup
Enjoy!
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