Learn Deep Breathing to Attain a Healthier Body

It is thought that a vast majority of people, possibly up to 98% of Westerners, do not breathe correctly. There are two reasons why they do not do so. First, they do not know the correct breathing methods. Secondly, they know but do not know how to learn and practice so that it becomes a habit.

Most people breathe using the chest or the upper diaphragm, and worst still some people breathe through the mouth. Breathing in this way will result in shorter, shallower and coarser breath. This type of breath does not allow the air to go in deep enough to oxidise the cells in the lungs. This results in less oxygen intake into the blood systems. Breathing through the mouth will let unwanted elements in the air to go into our blood systems. Mouth breathing is one of the reasons that cause you to snore in your sleep.

Even if you are tired or gasping for air after strenuous sports or activities, try to breathe through the nose (except when you are swimming!).

The correct breathing pattern is long, deep and in smaller flows. Long breath allows more time for the lung cells to be oxidise and send more oxygen into the blood system. This increases metabolism, and increases blood circulation. However, this is just the Western reasons why deep breathing is good. Chinese Medicine offers some offer benefits.

In meditation, martial arts or qigong practice, one of the requirements to make these practices effective is to “Sink the Qi into the Dantian”. Qi here means vital energy, and in the same time – air. Dantian is the acupuncture point (acu-point) at 1-2 inches below the navel which gathers the vital energy Qi for our body. Sinking the Qi into the Dantian – can be achieved through long and deep breathing. With more vital energy coming into your body, your energy level will increase, and you will have a healthier and clearer energy body.Breathing should be done in smaller flows. This will result in a calm and relaxed disposition and composure.

How to achieve all this?

The secret to long and deep breathing, with smaller flows is to breath with your abdomen or lower diaphragm. This is called Abdominal Breathing.

Abdominal Breathing is the key areas taught by most instructors, whether they are Tai Chi Chuan instructors, martial arts sifu, Qigong master, Yoga guru or meditation masters. From my experience in energy healing – my master emphasizes on abdominal breathing during healing session and energy meditation!

Many people fail to take these methods to heart though. People that have been breathing using the chest for all of their life are reluctant to change their ways. If you want to change your breathing pattern overnight and make it a habit, you need to put in the effort to do so.

Often people do learn about abdominal breathing at some stage in their life, but they later forget to practice it until it becomes a habit. Many people focus on the form, not on the essence of breathing itself. Many people that practice Tai Chi do not actually “feel” Tai Chi. Breathing forms the essential parts of the practice and for you to understand and ‘feel’ the flow of Tai Chi.

It can take a long time to make abdominal breathing habitual, however, once it is the normal method of breathing, then it is easy from there on. To make it a habit takes time and effort. That iss why so many people most give up before.

So, how to make it a habit?

Based on Tai Chi Chuan’s healing and breathing system, this 5-Step System to Tai Chi Breathing should help you to to make abdominal breathing your normal breathing method by habit. Follow these five steps:

While seated or standing in a relaxed posture, connect the body’s meridian channels by touching the tongue to the upper palate
Start abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen first, focus on inhaling breath from the deep part of the belly
Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed
Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling and exhaling
Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm

This method is straight forward on paper, but they require exercise and constant practice in order to make deep breathing a habit.

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