Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Complete full to the chest breaths?

Hello,

I have read all the breathing posts. I went to another site which described "baby breath" as part of SFQ in the Wellness Directory of Minnesota articles. The idea of pull in the lower belly, yet fill-up the upper belly. But then shouldn't the breath continue to extend and fill all the way to the upper chest and shoulders. Breathing is of such importance and I don't feel there has been any clear definitive instruction in proper breathing. Often I have wondered in Small Universe whether I am feeling powerful qi or hyperventalating and feeling intense tingling from that. I know I am not the only one who has little confidence in doing the breathing right. I wonder if Pete could get us a straight from Master Lin written instruction on the breathing, the filling up especially.
I hope this post makes it because I have been trying to get a post to work now for over a month!

A month of using SFQ and STILL not knowing if I am doing it "right".

Linda

Aloha Linda,

I'll see if Master Lin has a clearer explanation to contribute.

Physically, your bringing in the lower abdomen slightly and allowing the breath to fill from there all the way up the chest.Then on the exhale it releases all the way down until at last you release your lower abdomen.

Regarding small universe, it's not about straining to extend your inhales and exhales to the "omms" and "muahs". You may find your physical in/exhales finishing earlier than the sound. Even though the physical breath stops, the energetic breath continues as your still feeling and visualizing the energy flowing in or out of your body throughout his sound.

Much love, Shawn

[This message has been edited by Shawn_Grim (edited February 25, 2002).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shawn_Grim:
Even though the physical breath stops, the energetic breath continues as your still feeling and visualizing the energy flowing in or out of your body throughout his sound.

And Shawn with succinct clarity brings out that visualization is everything, not the actual breath/timing but the visualization timing to the sounds! That is a big AHA! to me Shawn and I sure appreciate it.

Now let me see if I understand you, when you pull in your lower abdomen (I see it as pulling it in from the inside) the breath you want to feel begins and fills from that area that is pulled in, and then expands and pushes out the upper ab, while continueing to keep that hold/lock on the lower ab, and then where is the next place felt? I mean literally what is felt next? For me I feel it next down in the lower back and then filling up the back and above the upper abs with the chest as one movement to the "top" shoulders/throat whatever is to full. Do you feel it next in your lower back and up your back along with the front, or do you feel it next as you said up to the chest? I'm getting really excited here because perhaps SFQ breathing can be described/explained once and for all! Sorry, I didn't mean that to come as a challenge, but definately a plea!
Your Pal,
Linda

Aloha Linda,

You’ve got the pulling in from the abdomen and filling from there up. I don’t think about where the physical breath is going, just that it’s filling from the bottom up at that point, then releasing from the top down until at last the lower abdomen is relaxed. My focus is on the energy being soaked in through all my pores and going to the lower dantian (or where ever the energy ball is at that time in the small universe meditation) –not the physical breath.

Much love, Shawn

Chunyi also recommends with this lower abdominal breathing to breath as if one is breathing with the entire body. I just try to be mindful of that and the universal energy coming into the lower dan tien on the inbreath. the breathing like many other things in SFQ works better for me when I keep it simple without too much focus on details.