If we can control our breath, we can control our life

Doctors report that 90% of Americans don’t fully engage their diaphragms when breathing. Although the average adult breaths ~ 18,000-30,000x per day, most people breathe in a shallow manner and hold their breath when they are tense, angry, or fearful. Attention to breathing can break these patterns, letting people inhale more fresh air, smoothly and calmly and in turn benefiting their well-being from Healthy Breathing.

“If we can control our breath, we can control our life,” an old Buddhist saying. We all breathe. If we do not we die. And if we do not breathe properly we hinder our homeostasis and our health suffers. Part of tai chi and tai chi chuan practice is mindful breathing. Like tai chi movements, tai chi breathing should be practiced in a relaxed, continuous way.

Here are some tips for the beginner to practice tai chi breathing:

1-Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Say ‘le’ in French. Notice where the tip of your tongue naturally goes. This is where you’ll want to place the tongue tip when practicing tai chi. This helps both with your breath and with chi flow.

2- Inhale and exhale through your nose. Use mouth breathing only if you’re suffering from allergies, colds, or other types of nasal congestion.

3-Aim for a long, continuous breath without a pause between the inhale and exhale. The breath, like a circle, shouldn't stop.

4-Breath to and from the belly. As the belly moves in and out with each breath, your organs receive an internal massage.

5-Ujjayi breathing is a breath technique employed in a variety of Taoist and Yoga practices and something to try in our tai chi system. Ujjayi is a diaphragmatic breath, which first fills the lower belly (activating the first and second chakras), rises to the lower rib cage (the third and fourth chakras), and finally moves into the upper chest and throat. The technique is very similar to the three-part Tu-Na breathing found in Taoist Qigong practice.

Inhalation and exhalation are both done through the nose. The "ocean sound" is created by moving the glottis as air passes in and out. As the throat passage is narrowed so, too, is the airway, the passage of air through which creates a "rushing" sound. The length and speed of the breath is controlled by the diaphragm, the strengthening of which is, in part, the purpose of ujjayi. The inhalations and exhalations are equal in duration, and are controlled in a manner that causes no distress to the practitioner. When you have mastered the ujjayi, sit and just breath; advance your practice by trying this change… your exhale should be 4 times longer than your inhale- at first you may be dizzy but over time that will change with practice.

6-Relax. Relax your eyes, your chest, your jaws. Relax everywhere else you may be holding tension.

Just breathe…and breathe… Over time, you should find your breath being longer and deeper, with a greater sense of relaxation.

Breathe during Your tai chi and tai chi chuan workout. Remember to breathe during your tai chi workout. Breathe continuously. Try not to hold your breath at any point. Beginners often hold their breath without realizing they are doing so. Become conscious of your breath.

To Contact The Way Tai Chi System©, click below:

http://dovertaichinh.jimdo.com/