Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Breathing Rythm

Hi,
I would like to know when I should do the inhale and exhale for exercises 3 & 5 (Moving of Yin and Yang and Joining of Yin and Yang). Chun Yi does not mention about breathing both in the workbook or the video at all regarding these 2 exercises that involve movement. My understanding is that we are to do reverse breathing for all the exercises and that we are to sync our movements with our inhales and exhales. What about these two exercises?

For Moving of Yin and Yang, exhale as your right hand goes down the torso and inhale as it goes up.

For Joining of Yin and Yang, you can inhale on one turn of the ball and exhale on the return turn.

Reverse breathe all of the time.

Hi all I just got my Level 1.

To do with this topic about breath.if its so vital to do reverse breath in the "moving of Yin and Yang " and all others then why in the Manual there is no mention at all ?
I think this is a vital component to this for beginners.

thanks...peace to all,

[This message has been edited by Lightworker (edited February 01, 2006).]

Hi Pete. I hadn't heard of the inhale on the rising right hand. Thinking about it I suspect I do it with the rising left. Since I start this exercise with the inhale and the rising left.

That said I have notice that at times my breathing will sync with the other hand, and later be in sync with the left again.

Lighworker, I don't think this is a "so vital" issue. It's just one of the elements in the good, better and best practices. Master Lin stresses what he thinks are the key elements to a good practice... all six of them.

You are perfection.
Iam2

Aloha Lightworker,

For the first few months, beginners should just use a normal relaxed, even breath.

After they are very comfortable with the exercises, add the reverse breathing. I'd suggest doing reverse breathing at that time for the first three breaths of your active exercise or meditation practice, then let it go–focusing back to the movement. You'll find that after a while, you'll be reverse breathing naturally.

He mentions it every time during the "Beginning of the Universe" in the book and on the DVD.

There is a lot in the level I course that will show up as you practice and develop in Spring Forest Qigong.

Much Love, Shawn

Wow, you dug deep for that old post.

Chunyi talks about Qigong being a science, and how he's continually testing movements and techniques to get the best results with the least amount of work.

Check out Pete's post-its dated 2001. If you had taken a class like Pete in the late 90's, Chunyi would have been synchronizing the breath as Pete mentioned in the earlier post. See what I've added below regarding how the movement is currently taught.

You'll find Chunyi currently teaching students to coordinating the breath with the Breathing of the Universe, Seven Steps of New Life, the Harmony of the Universe, and Small Universe mediation.

This is consistent with the video in your home study course.

So, if the master doesn't find it important to mention coordinating your breath during a certain exercise, then there's probably no need for you to worry about it either.

Because Chunyi and Spring Forest Qigong is continually growing and developing, many student choose to retake his classes or attend the 6-day retreat we host with him in October.

The following are some adjustments to make your Moving of Yin and Yang exercise more powerful.

Keep your palms facing the centerline of the body throughout the entire exercise.
Those who've watched the video with a fine-toothed comb may have noticed his hands rotating a bit at the top and bottom of the movement. Chunyi has said, "that's good, but keeping them facing the body is best."

Slower is Better
It's the old adage: "To grow faster in qigong, you need to go slower." During this exercise, Chunyi talks about slowing down the movement more and more as you develop. Instead of a breaths per rotation, it gets to be minutes per rotation. So you can see how coordinating with the breath on this exercise goes "out the window."

Relax
More important than getting everything "right," is to relax and feel the energy. You can't do that when you're busy going through a checklist of do's ands don't in your mind.

Much Love, Shawn

[This message has been edited by Shawn_Grim (edited February 15, 2006).]

Thanks for pointing out the date on the post Shawn..... I hadn't noticed.

Thanks for the reminder that eventhough Master Lin is a Master he is still learning and passing along what he learns. So that SFQ is moving from good, to better on the way to best.

You are perfection,
Iam2

[This message has been edited by Iam2 (edited February 15, 2006).]

[This message has been edited by Iam2 (edited February 15, 2006).]

Shawn,

I read the above "2001" messages 2 weeks ago (by searching on breathing) and got confused too. Pete indicated 1 breath per cycle but the course note says 3 to 5 cycles per minutes. I am glad
Curious1 raised the question while I was puzzling

My breath rate is about 15 breaths per minutes. For 5 cycles per minutes, I need 3 breaths for 1 cycle.

It seems to be simple maths to me but I am not sure should I interpute it this way.

To summarize, my question is "whether 3 breaths per cycle is okay?"

I know there is no right or wrong but I want to do it "better" if it is not the "best".

Thanks,
,
Little Boat

Aloha Iam2, littleboat, et al.,

Iam2: I was wondering where Pete was going with that post too, until I glanced at the date.

littleboat: doesn't matter. Master Lin is putting 3-5 cycles/minute put there as a good starting reference. He does his because:

1. We tend to go too fast and get into our heads trying to "do" the exercise "right."

2. We as Americans have "recipe culture" minds, and want everything laid out in exact amounts.

Relax and focus on the feeling during the exercise, rather than doing the exercise itself, and let the breathing take care of itself.

I friend gave my son Isaiah, The “Isaiah Effect” book when he was born. I’m not saying I’m a fan of Gregg Braden’s book, but there is a chapter in there where he gets to ask a question of the head monk of a Tibetan monastery. The monk smiles and says what Chunyi has been emphasizing for some time now about feeling it.

Much Love, Shawn

[This message has been edited by Shawn_Grim (edited February 16, 2006).]

Shawn,

I don't quite understand what you said but will try to "feel" next time.

Thanks,

Little Boat