How To Breathe Like A Tai Chi Master
How to breath like a Tai Chi Master: Master Gohring shows VideoJug users the basic breathing techniques for Tai Chi and Chi-Kung.
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Step 1:
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Pre-Exercise
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OK, let's talk about the breathing first. So before you even begin your whole routine, you want to focus on the breathing. In fact, if you focus on the breathing, and that's the main thing you get in the beginning, you can get a lot of benefit just from this Tai Chi breathing.
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Step 2:
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Positioning
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So what you want to do is stand with your feet separated just a little bit on the floor. Not too far apart -- they can even be close together -- but something that's comfortable. There is no precise alignment.
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Step 3:
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Abdomen Exercise
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And then place your hand on your lower abdomen. So the lower abdomen, in Tai Chi, we're referring to right at the base of the belly, about an inch and a half to two inches below the navel. And just with your fingertips or with your palm, push into this area. You can try this right now or just use this to review.
But what you want to do is just push into this area, and then start to breathe into this area. So with the lips lightly sealed and the teeth gently meshed together, begin to breathe in and out through the nose.
When you breathe in, feel this lower abdomen area go out. And when you breath out, feel this lower abdomen area come back in. Breathe in deeply, breathe out slowly, and allow the body to relax.
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Step 4:
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Breathing
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As you continue this breathing, allow each part of the body to relax, and then the next, starting at the top of the head, going all the way down to the bottom of the feet.
When you breathe in, feel the lower abdomen go out; when you breathe out, feel the lower abdomen come back in. If at first you don't feel this, it may simply mean that you need to push in a little bit more with your hands.
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Step 5:
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Relaxation
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Continue this breathing, and let's relax the body one part at a time. Continue to breathe, and begin to allow the muscles of the face to relax. Allow the eyes to close, allow the scalp to relax, the jaw muscles to relax, the face to relax. Allow the neck and shoulders to relax.
The arms, the upper back, the lower back. Allow the stomach to relax. Allow the thighs to relax. The muscles in your knees, allow the knees to soften, and the knees to bend slightly. All the way down to the bottom of the feet. One sign that you are doing this correctly is that your body may begin to sway a little
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Step 6:
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Rooting
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So let's talk about "root" for a second. In Tai Chi, there's a common terminology that we call rooting, or root, like a tree has roots. So as you continue to stand here and you become more relaxed, you want to become more rooted, as if there were roots growing out the bottom of your feet.
Continue with the breathing, and begin to imagine that there are roots growing out from the bottom of your feet and spreading across the floor and into the earth. With each breath, allow the body to relax more and more.
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Step 7:
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Postures
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So before you practice the postures in your beginner routine, or in any routines that you learn later, you want to start with the deep breathing, so you have the right mindset as you go through your postures. That way you'll get the most benefit.