Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Breathing Rythm

Aloha littleboat,

It's more about "feeling" the energy as you do the work, than getting the hands just so, or doing this many times.

Much Love, Shawn

From the previous comments, it appears that “being in the proper flow” really indicates meditating (active and sitting) within the kinesthetic sensations of our body energetics.

The more that I perform the exercises, the stronger I perceive my body kinesthetics. I have noticed consistently that during the Moving of Yin and Yang, Breathing of Yin and Yang, and Joining of Yin and Yang that the arms and hands feel like giant magnets, pushing and pulling on each other. Energetic crescendos may also appear within the rest of my body. There are points in which my hands and arms feel highly resistive of completing the full motion, at which time I continue breathing, hold the tension, and allow this resistance to resolve into a continued ease of motion.

Is it best to force through the ‘electromagnetic’ resistance, in order to complete the cycle, or is best to allow the resistive sensation to first clear, allowing a more natural flow and movement?

Harmony of the Universe has its own wonders. As the arms cross and the head is place as if on a pillow, the first ‘test’ of arm movements seems to create more rapport in one direction than in the other. I generally choose the direction of greater rapport and flow. During the exercise, there are times when my arms and hands resist crossing, so I continue breathing and wait until ease returns, allowing crossing and continuation of movement. Again, is it best to ‘force’ through the heaviness or wait until it resolves?

During Harmony of the Universe, when hands are brought together, in order to raise and release an energy ball above the head, and they continue to act in receiving energy from the Universe, I perceive periods when my arms and palms ‘desire’ to remain raised, collecting energy (perceived as two channels passing down the hands/arms through the torso, pelvis, and out the legs). The breath is naturally being held during these moments, just prior to lowering the palms above the head (so, the time frame of breath-holding is extended beyond that which is directed -- holding the breath for three counts).

Once again, is it best to allow the hands extra moments to remain raised, continuing their energy collection capacities, or is this portion of the exercise more appropriately performed when the hands are immediately lowered to the head?

Thank you, for your time, energies, and insights. My renewed interests in Qigong have been newly enlightened by the incredible shared wisdom of Master Lin and his Qigong family.

Love and Light,
Joe

Hi Joe
I would say to keep doing what you're doing - let the qi be your guide, trust it and the resistance resolves by itself as you know. You have a wonderful awareness of your body and the qi and describe it very clearly. Keep going - you're doing wonderfully well.
Love
Jetay

Dear Jetay:

Thank you, for your support, insights, and confirmations.

Love and Peace, through Spring Forest Qigong,

Joe

This thread is very helpful and I want to bump it up a bit. I had a similar question. I had only "dabbled" in reverse breathing, but have been practicing and learning Qigong for some time.

I find this system to be the best for me at this point in my life and for the foreseeable future and hope to someday learn with Chunyi Lin in person.

For now, I was having problems with the complications of:
A) learning the movements
B) coordinating the movements with breathing
C) Learning Reverse Breathing
D) Slowing down the breathing
E) Other stuff

From what I am understanding Shawn to be saying here, and based on Chunyi Lin's development of his system (and BTW, all of the good teachers I have had, always were learning and improving what they were doing and teaching. For me, that is a sign of true progress in the Tao), it is okay to just work on learning the movements at first, and not bother too much with the breathing at all.

Then, once one has the movements down to some degree , then one still should work on the flow and the slowness and kind of forget about the breath,

Then, when one has developed flow and slowness (similar to how I learned Tai Chi Chuan), then one can work on reverse breathing.

I find reverse breathing very difficult for now (at least while trying to learn the movements and forms), but am totally convinced that it is well worth learning.

Shawn's response based on Lin Sufu's teaching helps a lot to break down the learning steps into bite size pieces in a more relaxed way.

I was kind of intuitively thinking that this sort of approach would make more sense, at least for me before I read this thread. It is nice to know that I am "tuning in".

Thanks to Shawn and to all those posting here and to Curious1 for starting the thread. This is a keeper (bookmarking it now) !

[This message has been edited by shakurav (edited April 03, 2006).]

What is reverse breathing?

In a very oversimplified nutshell (leaving out theory etc), it means to contract the abdomen on the inhale and expand (or release) the abdomen on exhale. The "normal" way is the to expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale.

Here is a link given in another thread on this same subject:
http://tinyurl.com/pdqe6

with a lot more explanation.

For me right now, I am feel very liberated to just focus on the movements, the flow and natural breathing. Later, once I master the movements, I will learn reverse breathing a little at a time. I have found that in a lot of things, and most especially things like Qigong and Tai Chi Chuan, it is usually better to take things slowly and gradually.

Shakurav,
thaks for your input and link.
I had similar questions and doubts but got the feeling of it but still not adept at reverse breathing after two months.Maybe because of many years of practising of yoga which is using deep breathing.

Peace and light.

[This message has been edited by Lightworker (edited April 04, 2006).]

Aloha,

Just a note, since that link may bring up some concerns as well as a bit of mental overwhelm.

That linked article comes from what that person has been taught. Chunyi has been asked by some pretty prominent qigong teachers why his students can do the reverse breathing without some of the issues that other systems caution.

When starting Spring Forest Qigong, Chunyi would recommend breathing your normal relaxed an even breath.

Without even involving reverse breathing, notice what Chunyi is having you visualize during the breathing in the exercises. In it is a very simple, yet powerful Taoist technique.

I generally recommend that once you are comfortable with the exercises and the visualization that goes with them, do the reverse breathing for three breathes at the beginning of the exercise, then go back to your regular breath for the remainder of the exercise. In this way you can do it well and relaxed, without any distractions. And you'd be surprised what a practice of three little breathes can naturally turn into.

Much Love, Shawn

[This message has been edited by Shawn_Grim (edited April 10, 2006).]

Shawn, you mention:

"Chunyi has been asked by some pretty prominent qigong teachers why his students can do the reverse breathing without some of the issues that other systems caution."

What is his answer to this question? I have secretly wondered if reverse breathing is a problem cuz of what I've read about it elsewhere. But I trust Master Lin and figure he wouldn't recommend it if he thought it could be hurtful to us new students. Is this just a matter of respectful disagreement among qi gong masters? What are the possible problems that could arise?

At the training course, Master Lin said he breathes completely in reverse breathing all day. I tried to watch his tummy but couldn't detect anything! Sometimes when I RB it feels like I'm sucking in my breath too shallow, so I revert to baby breathing.

Thanks for any comments!!
Hugs,
Carebear

I try to do the reverse breathing as much as possible, and I notice the more relaxed I get, the easier it becomes, and the breath kind of begins to move in a circle. Of course, as soon as I focus on it, I lose the momentum!