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New Excerpt From "Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath Of Life"

Aloha from Maui. Here's the new excerpt from "Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath of Life."

LONGEVITY BREATHING

Once this has occurred we have begun to become in touch with the energetic aspects of the training. And these will come into play even more as we explore Longevity Breathing and enter into states where the breath takes unusual forms and sometimes seems to disappear altogether.

With Longevity Breathing, whose name derives from the compression and release of the internal organs facilitated by the descending of the diaphragm, we enter into the final stage of conscious breathing, the portal, through which it is possible to pass and return to the state of Original Breath, or breathing like an infant, the true ‘natural breath.’

To perform the Longevity method correctly, it is important to first define a few important parameters. Try this; inhale and then exhale normally. On the exhale note the place where the abdomen is most fully withdrawn. (Moved back toward the spine.) Now gently hold the abdominal muscles in, to that same moderate degree. This is done using only the minimal amount of force necessary and applied mostly to the following four points or corners. The first two points lay on the line of the navel where the Rectus Abdominis muscles meet the External Obliques. In other words the Left and Right Dan Tiens. The second set of points each lie on a line directly below the Left and Right Dan Tiens respectively, where each line intersects its respective inguinal crease. 

There’s an easy way to locate the four points. Try this; place both thumbs on the navel. Next, slide the thumbs laterally until they reach the two points where the Rectus Abdominis [washboard muscles] meet the Obliques. There’s generally a slight vertical indentation in this region. These points are usually easiest to feel while standing. Now, while holding the thumbs in position, extend your middle fingers directly below until they reach the Inguinal Crease. And there you have it. (See Diagram)

Now having located the four masterpoints and while keeping them slightly withdrawn, [held in] breathe in very gently, slenderly and slowly behind the abdominal muscles such that the breath reaches the Perennial region and begins to fill the low back and Sacrum first and then an instant later, the sides and front. Once the breath has filled out the ‘circle’ in all directions at the level of the Perineum/Sacrum/Low Back, as you continue to inhale, the breath will seem to rise, like filling a large energetic cylinder which physically becomes the entire torso [abdomen and chest] and then later, the neck and head as well.

The organ massage spoken of earlier starts to occur as we drop our breath to the bottom of the torso. As we feel the breath reaching the floor of the urogenital diaphragm (Perennial Region) we soon realize that our (Hiatal) Diaphragm located at the at the level of the lowest rib has descended toward the pelvic floor in the process. And if done right, this will also include the chest and particularly the Sternum. This descending motion creates a slight compression within each of the internal organs which is in turn, released and becomes expansion as we begin inhaling. 

Please note that this method is in direct contrast to the forceful withdrawal and tightening of the abdomen used in ‘Packing Breathing’ which people train in order to develop the Iron Body and Golden Bell Cover protection mechanisms. 

Lastly, as one continues to practice the Longevity method they will find their breath elongating further and further, until the difference between inhale and exhale seems, if only temporarily, to vanish. This leads for some to the idea of breathing or needing to breathe itself temporarily disappearing.  And with that we come full circle and arrive once again at the Natural Breath, only now with and entirely new understanding. 

This form of Natural Breath has been found to also have a number of other health rejuvenating benefits, not the least of which, is the increased oxygenation of the blood and increased tissue oxygen saturation. 

Increased blood oxygenation leads to improved circulation which nurtures the entire organism, including the brain. The increased oxygenation is especially valuable to the brain where it helps stave off the untimely cessation of brain cells which would ordinarily lead to problems like Alzheimer's, dementia and the like, as we grow older. 

Increased tissue oxygen saturation helps such things as the muscles to function longer and more optimally during prolonged exertion. This can be very useful in maintaining one’s vitality into old age. As well as our daily Zhan Zhuang and Taijiquan training.

It has been my experience that Standing Meditation and Taiji are a perfect compliment of Yin and Yang. With Zhan Zhuang (Yin) we are outwardly still while things move inside, whereas with Taijiquan (Yang) we have just the opposite. We move outwardly while inwardly we maintain a still point. “The mind stays with the Dan Tien.”

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New Excerpt from "Zhan Zhuang Breathing Methods - The Breath of Life"

Aloha from Maui,
Here's a new excerpt in which I discuss allowing the breath to become round and then spherical…

THE DEPTH ASPECT - FULL MOON/SPHERICAL BREATHING

The Full Moon breathing method adds three additional points on the back to the five Half-Moon points already mentioned. These are Mingmen, GV-4 and two points roughly equidistant between Mingmen and the two Jingmen points. These are located in the vicinity of Zhishi point BL-52, on either side. In combination, these eight points create a complete circle, and when the inhale is generated from the body’s centerpoint, they form the basis of Spherical Breathing. That is, an equal expansion in all eight directions from the tiny sphere of our centerpoint to an energetic sphere that eventually encompasses the entire torso and later the whole body, including the extremities. As this technique becomes comfortable, the practitioner finds that the vertical elements also come into play, that is, from our centerpoint downward through Huiyin point, CV-1 in the perineal region and also upward to Baihui point GV-20.

When we exercise the Half-Moon method, often we can see and feel a lot of movement in the tissue, even on the sides. But when we add the points on the back something unusual happens. All of a sudden the amount of abdominal movement we had earlier appears to become greatly reduced. This results from the stretching or expanding of the tissue of the back which takes away from the elasticity in front. But as we become more comfortable with the equilateral expansion in all directions, this feeling will change. With enough experience, one begins to feel a sense of unified, equal expansion without resistance. At that point we are ready to add one final element which will lead us into what some have called Longevity Breathing.

But before we do, a brief recap is in order. The navel - which expands forward, and the Mingmen - which expands backward, together create the archetype for the depth [front to back] dimension. The two Jingmen points, each expanding laterally generate the archetype for the horizontal aspect or width. And finally Huiyin and Baihui points, activated from our centerpoint induce the vertical dimension or height aspect. With enough daily practice all three dimensions will find their correct dynamic tension, at which time the breath seems to expand and condense without a sense of impediment from the muscles or other tissues. 

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Excerpt From Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath of Life

Aloha from Maui,
Here's the next excerpt from  "Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath of Life"

THE HORIZONTAL ASPECT - HALF-MOON BREATHING

The second aspect we shall explore is the horizontal aspect which is encompassed in Half-Moon breathing. This method derives its name from the shape the abdomen takes while inhaling. What we do is simple. First we establish three points, all of which will expand simultaneously. The first point is the navel or low Dan Tien region. The second  and third points are found on the left and right sides of the body, in the midriff area at Jingmen Point, GB-25 just below the the free end of the 12th rib. As we inhale we shift our feeling-awareness between the navel and the two Jingmen points on either side. The idea is to ensure that all three locations have physical movement. The navel area expands forward while the left and right points expand outward in a lateral manner. Together, the expanding arc formed by the three expanding points now resembles a half moon. Along with the three points mentioned, two other points, specifically the Left and Right Dan Tiens are then added. These locations lie roughly halfway between the navel and Jingmen point on either side. Together the three basic points and these other two further reinforce and amplify the “roundness” of the half-moon. 
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Excerpt 2 from "Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath of Life"

Aloha and greetings from Maui. 
Here's the second excerpt from the "Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath of Life" article. Mahalo.

THE VERTICAL ASPECT - CROSSING BREATH

The first of the three dimensional aspects of the triad of Sphericality (Height, Width and Depth) that we shall explore is the vertical or height aspect. The ‘Crossing Breath’ develops this. The idea is simple. Breathe into your upper back and lower abdomen. The breath from the upper back descends to the sacral region while the breath starting at the Low Dan Tien or navel area simultaneously ascends to the Clavicle. Half-way down and up the twin aspects ‘cross,’ hence the name.’ 

In addition to refining the vertical motions of down and up individually, the Crossing Breath begins to train the muscles to move in opposite directions or contrary motion; an essential characteristic of Spherical Breathing.’ The idea of opposite motion is also especially useful in the area of the midriff, and specifically between the External and Internal Obliques who’s job it is to move in opposite directions during proper Taiji, Qigong and of course Zhan Zhuang practices.

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Excerpt 1 from "Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath of Life"

Aloha and Greetings from Maui. Below is the first excerpt from an article I wrote entitled, "Zhan Zhuang Wisdom - The Breath of Life" which comes out in the winter issue of Qi - The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness

ZHAN ZHUANG BREATHING METHODS 

It is often said in Zhan Zhuang that one’s breathing should be ‘natural.’ But what does this really mean? In one sense ‘natural’ breathing is however we happen to be breathing in each moment. Although there is truth in this, this type of natural breath often has embedded within it, various deficiencies due to injury, lifestyle or a lifetime of various habitual behaviors. 

That brings us to the second interpretation, wherein the ‘natural’ breath means to return to ‘embryonic’ breathing - sometimes called ‘Back to Childhood’ or ‘Spherical’ breathing - enjoyed by every human being from the time they are born, through their early formative years. This type of breathing oxygenates every cell in the body, the efficacy of which is evidenced by the infant and young child’s healthy rapid growth.

In the old way of learning, breath was not taught to the novice until they were much further along in their training, usually about one to three years. The reason for this is that it was thought that as the beginner began to work out the ‘kinks’ in their body through daily practice, the breath would naturally adjust itself to the trainee’s current needs and state of consciousness. This was true for both Zhan Zhuang and Taijiquan. With Taiji, as the movements and postures opened up and were embedded with the various internal Nei Gong components, the breath would naturally regulate itself and become correct.

While this is true, it was also known that, that way of training could be a long road with many twists and turns, often leaving the dedicated practitioner bewildered and at a loss as to how to progress further. This mindset was thought to be a good way to test and weed out all but the most committed and persevering individuals.

ORIGINAL BREATH

Before a baby is born and is still within its mother’s Bao, the baby breathes through its umbilicus without using it’s lungs. This is actually its ‘Original Breath,’ which sustains and nourishes it for the nine months prior to birth. This is breathing from your Centerpoint. (An old Daoist tradition says that this incoming transmission occurs more from the left side of the navel than from the right.)

Our goal in Internal training regarding the breath is to eventually return to a similar state during our practices. This only becomes possible through deeper and deeper relaxation, 

when one begins to “Enter Into the Void” which can be likened to the state of Samhadi from the East Indian traditions. But before all that can happen, we will have to pass through a fair number of preliminary stages. 

One such stage just prior to entering into the ‘Original breath’ is when we find ourselves inhaling and exhaling simultaneously. From there, the sense of breath can disappear altogether, and yet our brain and internal organs are still being nourished. In other words we don’t pass out or faint. On the contrary, our mind and higher senses seem to have an increased sense of clarity and focus. 

This however, is generally only possible after we have mastered the Spherical Breath which contains and creates three-dimensionality, In other words, a horizontal, vertical and depth aspect, each of which is first learned separately and then joined in various combinations until a balanced sphericality is achieved.

By the way, when simultaneous inhalation and exhalation is done sharply and suddenly it can generate a powerful self-defense to absorb blows. This method harnesses the body’s Wei Qi - Defensive energy, (includes the immune system) and the Ying or Nutritive Qi and even the Organ Qi and focuses them at the point of interception or contact. This method harnesses all the body’s defensive energy in a single instant. 

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Longevity Breathing - creates Organ Massage

Zhan Zhuang Insight - 2

Aloha and Greetings from Maui,

Here’s another insight that came during a recent Zhan Zhuang session. It concerns the meaning of Wu Wei, which most of us know as “effortless effort” or “doing without doing.” In addition to those meanings, Wu Wei is also the Golden Key that opens the Gateway between purely physical consciousness and energetic consciousness...

Aloha