I have also gotten good results with Level I and II active exercises just doing regular lower abdominal breathing. I have thought "contract" means to draw in so I have more recently practiced these exercises drawing in my lower abdomen and letting the upper abdomen expand. It takes more concentration to do this and I don't feel I can do it for really long periods of time. The difficulty I have is concentrating on it when I'm concentrating on other things in Breathing with the Universe or Cloud Hands exercises. In the written material about the Beginning of the Universe Exercise, Chunyi advises to draw in the lower part of the stomach a little bit while inhaling and to let the stomach out when you breathe out. I'm just finding this way of breathing more challenging than the typical way I breathe for relaxation.
