Creative Qi Gong

Smiling to the Inner Organs Meditation

2009-09-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is a fifteen minute recording of a meditation that we have been doing quite a lot recently in the Qi Gong classes. It is a fundamental Qi Gong meditation form for clearing the internal organs of negative or congested Qi within the bodily organs, and helping them to become positively charged and healthy. People at the clases have been mentioning how helpful they found it, so here it is for you to listen to at leasure! (click on link below)

Smiling to the Inner Organs Meditation

Incremental Breathing

2009-09-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Incremental breathing is a way of using the breath to both energize and or relax our mind and body. Taking a few of these breaths at regular times during our day can really make a difference to the quality of our life, as well as making us more aware and empowered with regard to how we can influence the energies of our mind, body and nervous system for the better using such an easy technique. Incremental breathing can be practiced on the inhalation when we want to energize our body, and on the exhalation when we want to calm and relax our body and nervous system.
Practicing either of these two forms of breathing will be enhanced if we are first bringing our center of gravity down low into the belly, and breathing with the whole lung, as explained in the basic Qi Gong breathing article published earlier.

Incremental breathing on the inhalation.
As you breathe in divide your inhalation into three even lengths or 'sips' as follows:
Breathe into about 25% lung capacity, pause*, breathe in to about 50% of lung capacity, pause, breathe into about 75% of lung capacity, pause. By this time your lungs are comfortably full. Then, breathe a long, slow exhalation. Repeat 3-9 times.
(*the pause here should be short, a half second or one second max).
Once you have become used to the above technique, as you are inhaling incrementally, feel all the cells of your body becoming more and more energized as you inhale, so by the time you reach the top of your inbreath, your whole body feels full of Qi /energy.

Incremental breathing on the exhalation.
First take a long, measured inbreath to about 75% of your lung capacity, so that your lungs are comfortably full. Then, as you breathe out, divide your outbreath into three even lengths:
Breathe out to about 50% of lung capacity, pause, breathe out to about 25% of lung capacity, pause, empty remaining air from lungs, pause. Repeat 3-9 times.
Once you have become used to the basic process of incremental breathing on the outbreath, as you breathe out incrementally, feel your whole body becoming progressively more and more relaxed.

Once you have practised them individually, you can combine these two techniques together, so that you are breathing in incrementally to energize your body and mind, and then breathing out incrementally to relax your body and mind. The result is a very pleasant combined experience of energy and relaxation that we can take into and use in our life.

For the insomniacs among you, this type of breathing can be good to combine with the ''Hands on the belly to relax the brain'' technique in the article preceding this one on the creative Qi Gong blog.

© Toby Ouvry 2009 please do not reproduce without permission.

Hands on the Belly to Relax the Brain.

2009-08-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

This is another very simple technique that I use often in order to calm and reduce conceptual activity and center myself fully in my body. I use it most frequently when my mind is whizzing when I lie down to go to sleep at night, or if I want to take a quick nap during the day and want to move into a state of relaxed non-conceptuality relatively fast. It can be done sitting, standing or lying down:
Simply place your hands one on top of the other on your belly, just beneath your belly button. Close your eyes, relax the brain and simply focus on the feeling of warmth that the resting hands create on the lower belly. If you like you can imagine that the lower belly area is like a magnet, and that energy from the brain is gently being attracted down into the torso by the pull of this magnet. However, to be honest I find that this is not necessary, the natural sensation of the hand on the belly does the work for you, without you having to do a lot else!

© Toby Ouvry 2009 please do not reproduce without permission.

Free Form Breathing - Allowing your Body Conscousness to Decide

2009-08-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

One very simple technique that can be used in order both to prepare for Qi Gong exercise and also as a general calming and grounding meditation exercise is as follows:
Simply ask your body how it wants to breathe in order to find its point of balance, relaxation and calm. Then simply allow your bodies consciousness to guide the pace, depth and manner of your breathing for a few minutes.

In this exercise rather than imposing a technique or form upon our breathing and body, we allow our body consciousness to guide us in the breathing pattern IT needs to do most in order to find centered-ness, relaxation and calm. It may decide that we need to breathe in short bursts with an emphasis on the outbreath, it may guide us toward long, evenly spaced breathing or whatever (you may be a little surprised!). The point is that we are allowing our body consciousness to do it, rather than dictating to our body what the rhythm should be.
Once we have done this for a short while you will find that your mind and body are calm and centered, and you can go onto engage in whatever activity you then wish with a much greater sense of poise and presence of mind.

© Toby Ouvry 2009 please do not reproduce without permission.

Solar Qi Gong Meditation

2009-08-04T01:41:00.000-07:00

This is a meditation that is designed to connect to and move energy from three solar sources through our body and energy system, and in particular though our middle, upper and lower dan tiens. The three solar sources are the sun that is the center of our solar system, the molten solar core of the earth and our own solar center located in the center of the chest (middle dan tien).
Once you are familiar with it you will find that solar energy is a particularly powerful form of Qi which can be used to great healing, clearing and regenerating effect within our physical, energetic, soul and spiritual bodies.

Begin by sitting in a comfortable meditation posture in a chair with your feet comfortably on the floor, or standing in the Qi Gong standing posture. Settle your mind and body with a few relaxed deep breaths.

Be aware of the Sun that is the center of our solar system, see it as being directly above your head in the sky.
Now send your awareness down into the center of the earth, feel the sun within the center of the earth.
Now feel into the center of your chest, somewhere between the level of your heart and the level of your solar plexus (it varies slightly for different people, go with what you feel regarding precise location), see a beautiful ball of solar light/fire there, the sun within the center of your being.

Focusing on the sun above you in the sky. See a line of light now descending to the point above the crown of your head. See being formed there a powerful and bright miniature sun.
Now see a line of light from the sun within the earth extending up to the point immediately beneath your feet. See a bright and powerful miniature sun
being formed immediately beneath the soles of your feet.

Now see the miniature sun above the crown of your head descend and locate itself in the center of your brain and head area (upper dan tien), so that it is almost like a halo surrounding your head and neck.
Focusing on the miniature sun beneath the soles of your feet, see it rising up your legs and locating itself in the center of your sacral area, just above the hips (lower dan tien).
You now have three suns locates in your lower abdomen, heart and head respectively.

See the lower sun in your abdomen rising and merging with the sun at your heart. Now see the sun in your head descending and merging with the sun at your heart.
See the lower sun continuing to rise from the heart and coming to rest in the head. See the upper sun continuing down from the heart into the lower abdomen.
Now the ''sun in the lower abdomen'' and the ''sun in the head'' have exchanged places.

After holding this visualization for a while, see the both suns gradually descending and/or ascending from where they now are back to their original positions in the head and the lower abdomen, so that the three suns are now back in their original positions.

Now see the three suns merging and forming a unified column of light from your pelvis all the way up to the crown of your head. Hold this visualization for a short while, then see the light expanding out into your whole body and energy field, until eventually you feel as if you have a very bright sun surrounding and interpenetrating your entire body and being, the center of which is in the middle of your chest. You can either hold this visualization for a while, or if you like direct the solar energy/light to any areas of your body that may need it for healing purposes. You can also send it to people or places that you may want to assist in any kind of healing process.

Finnish in your own time, ensuring that you have connected and grounded yourself fully back in your physical body before getting up and moving on.

© Text Toby Ouvry 2009, please do not reproduce without permission.

Some Questions on Qi Gong: On warming down after practicing Qi Gong, and on Qi Gong and the Chakras.

2009-07-23T01:55:00.000-07:00

1) Why is it recommended not to expose your body to cold water after a Qi gong work out?

Essentially the reason is that, after a Qi Gong workout all the cells of your body, and the pores of the skin are energetically open. So, any cold energy that the body is exposed to, such as having a cold shower or jumping into a cold swimming pool will immediately penetrate the body which can result in a chill. So this is the same reason that when people are living in the tropics they should be careful of exposing their bodies to cool breezes (eg by going into an air conditioned environment after having been outside for a while). The ''cold'' energy will penetrate deeply into the body because the body's energy gateways are open. If you imagine a house with all its doors and windows open, any breeze will immediately penetrate into the heart of the house from outside. It is the same with our bodies in hot temperatures or when we have been doing an activity such as Qi Gong.

2) What is the relationship between the ''three dan tiens'' of Qi Gong philosophy and practice and the seven chakras taught in yoga and other spiritual traditions?

Quite a lot could be written on this one, but essentially Qi Gong identifies three main energy centers within the body; the lower dan tien which is in the sacral area, and houses the vital energy (jing) that overlights our physical body. The middle dan tien which resides in the center of our torso around the heart level, which is the center of our mental and emotional energy (qi) as well as our ''soul body''. Finally the upper dan tien which resides in the center of the head and houses our spiritual energy (shen) and is the center of our ''spiritual body''.
So, I would quite simply say that these three dan tiens are a three fold way of dividing energy up (energy, mind, spirit), whereas the chakras are a sevenfold, or slightly more complex way of dividing up the same energy (physical, energetic/sexual, emotional/mental, soul, atmic, causal and spiritual).
Another central facet of Qi Gong practice is the ''microcosmic orbit'', which essentially consists of a yang channel or meridian rising from the perineum up the spine, back of neck and head to the crown, and then a yin channel or meridian that travels from the crown down the front of the face (through the tongue, which is why we keep it placed on the roof of the mouth in Qi Gong workouts), neck and torso, all the way back down to the perineum.
These two channels have 14 points, 7 in each channel, spaced along them.
These 14 points form 7 pairs, each facing each other at various points along the torso, head and neck. These opposing yang/yin energy points then create 7 energy vortexes in the center of the body in roughly the places where we are taught the seven chakras are.
So, from a Qi Gong point of view the seven chakras are essentially energy vortexes created by the opposing yin/yang polarities of the microcosmic orbit.

Basic Qi Gong Belly Breathing

2009-02-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

In recent classes it has really been apparent how bad breathing habits are really deeply ingrained in us to the extent that unless we really pay attention to it, we don't notice. To this end I have been doing a 'basic Qi Gong belly breathing' with the class at the beginning and end of every session. Here it is, I recommend you use it regularly until it really is an instinctive habit for you and your daily Qi Gong practice:

Stand or sit comfortably with a naturally straight back (for more details on posture see article on "Basic Qi Gong standing posture" here).

Place your hands over your belly, one on top of the other. If you are breathing properly, you will be directing the air down to the bottom of the lungs as you begin each exhalation, such that your belly will gently rise as you breathe in, and you will be able to feel this movement with your hands. Then, as you exhale you will be able to feel the belly gently moving back down to its resting position. Consciously now practice breathing from the belly, so that you can feel the rise and fall of your abdomen as you breathe in and breathe out.

After you have done this for a short while, do the following; As you reach the bottom of your exhalation, gently pull in the belly so that you are drawing in your belly button toward the spine. This drawing in of the spine will cause you to expel any remaining air from the bottom of your lungs, so that as you inhale again you will be breathing totally fresh air into your lungs, and no stagnant air will be left to remain in the lower part of the lungs. Now gently relax the belly and begin your next inhalation, slowly and naturally. Again, use your hands to really be 100% aware of the movement of the belly and abdomen as you are breathing.

In the final section of the exercise, practice combining this basic breathing pattern described above with the drawing up of the pelvic floor. As you breathe in, gently tense the muscles in your perineum. This will cause your pelvic floor to rise and become firm, and you will feel the downward pressure of the abdominal organs pressing upon it as you continue to breathe in. When you reach the top of your inhalation, gently lower the pelvic floor to its starting position by relaxing the muscles in the perineum. Repeat this pattern with each inhalation and exhalation.

This final part of the exercise can take a little bit of getting used to, but it is worth developing as a skill because it enhances the power of our breath to circulate Qi through our body quite substantially. Practising this exercise for five minutes in a day is a Qi Gong exercise that in itself will have noticeable effects on your overall health and well being!

Feet and Crown Breathing

2008-12-18T00:20:00.000-08:00

In qi gong the soles of our feet are the main interface or energy gateway between our bodies and the qi of the earth. Conversely, the crowns of our heads are seen as a major gateway between ourselves and the energy of the sky and stars, or ‘heaven’.
In order to encourage the flow and exchange of qi between ourself and the earth we can practice ‘breathing’ through the soles of our feet. In order to do this, simply focus your attention on the soles of your feet. As you inhale, imagine yourself breathing in qi from the earth, like a tree drawing energy up through its roots. As you exhale, imagine and feel yourself breathing energy down into the earth.
In order to encourage the flow of energy between ourself and the sky, visualize a small golf-ball sized ball of light at the crown of your head. As you breathe in, feel yourself inhaling qi and energy from the sky down into your body. As you breathe out, feel energy flowing out of your crown and connecting with the sky.
Once you have a feeling for the flow of qi flowing through the soles of your feet and the crown of your head, you can then go onto practice ‘core body breathing’, or what I call ‘full body breathing’. Whilst practicing these either of these two types of breathing, retain a particular awareness of the energy gateways at the crown of your head and the soles of your feet.
To practice ‘full body breathing’ simply means to feel that, as you breathe in every cell of your body is breathing in and taking in new qi and energy. As you breathe out, every cell of your body is releasing old or stagnant qi, and allowing new qi to flow and expand through itself and our whole body. So, with full body breathing we are breathing with our whole body, and not just with our nose, mouth and lungs!

Core Body Breathing

2008-12-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

‘Core body breathing’ is a form of breathing that I find particularly useful when practicing Qi Gong, and also as a method for developing a sense of mind-body synchronization. Like the other forms of breathing mentioned on this blog, it can be practiced on its own as a meditation form in its own right.

What do we mean by the ‘core’ of the body?

In this context, the ‘core’ of the body means the energetic centre-point of any given area of the body.
With regard to the head, neck and torso, you could say that there is a core, centre-line of balance that runs from the crown of our head, down through the centre of our brain, neck, chest and abdomen to the perineum (the mid point between the sexual organs and the anus).
With regard to the arms and hands, their core can be visualized and felt as a line of energy that runs down from the shoulders, through the centre point of the upper arms, elbow joints and forearms. After passing through the wrists, it then splits into five lines of energy that flow down through the hands into the fingers and thumb.
In a similar way with regard to the legs and feet, their core can be seen and felt as two lines flowing down the centre of the legs from the hips, each line splitting into five lines within the feet which pass down though the centre point of each of the toes.

To practice core body breathing: on the inhalation, breathe into the core of your body, feeling qi flow into your body’s energetic core; as you exhale, direct your qi from the core of your body out to the surface/skin. By breathing in this way you encourage qi to flow through all areas of your body and in particular this establishes a communication and exchange between the core qi of your body and its surface qi.

Wave Breathing

2008-12-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Wave breathing is a form of Qi Gong breathing that is similar in some ways to circular breathing. However, whereas circular breathing emphasizes the maintainance of an even flow of breath throughout the inhalation and exhalation, in wave breathing the pace and power if the inhalation and exhalation vary like waves.
If you do this as a form of breathing meditation in itself, it can be pleasant and helpful to imagine yourself to be sitting on your favorite beach, with the waves rolling in and flowing out as you breathe.
As you breathe in, imagine your inhalation is like a wave rising up from the ocean gathering in height and power. As you reach the top of the inbreath, the pace of the breath will naturally slow to an almost still point as your lungs reach a comfortable point of fullness.
Now as you exhale imagine, that your out breath is like a wave breaking on the shore. Initially there is a sustained flow of breath, like the flow of a wave up the shoreline. However, as you move toward the end of the exhalation, the pace of the breath naturally starts to slow, like a wave running out of power as it rises up the beach.
After you have gently emptied the lungs with your out breath, begin your inhalation - allowing the pace of the breath to gather - like the water being drawn back into the ocean and rising again as another wave.
In this way you can establish a gentle and relaxing form of breathing that mimics the energetic ebb and flow of waves in the ocean.
Once you have become familiar with the basic flowing feel of wave breathing, you can feel yourself breathing power, energy and qi into your body as you breathe in. Then, as you breathe out, you can practice feeling this power and energy flowing through your body in a relaxed and even manner. By doing this you will be learning how to energize and empower your body and mind, whilst at the same time retaining as sense of relaxation, awareness and ease.

‘Breathing in a Circle’

2008-11-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

In Qi Gong, one of the basic breathing techniques is called ‘breathing in a circle’, or circular breathing. This means that we are trying to make our breathing a gentle continuous flow, with each breath following the one preceding it without a break in momentum. In general, if the flow of qi in our body is gentle, continuous and regular, then this will promote the long term health of the physical body and encourage our mind to become relaxed, comfortable and spacious. In general, in today’s modern society our body and mind tend to be quite over-stimulated, resulting in jagged fluctuations in our physical and mental qi, and in our breathing patterns. Learning to ‘breathe in a circle’ helps us to smooth out the jagged patterns in our energy and allow it to become smooth and steady, promoting both internal and external well being.
Breathing in a circle makes an excellent meditation exercise in itself for calming our body and mind. Here are some of the basic characteristics to pay attention to when practicing circular breathing:
1) The pace and length of the inhalation and exhalation should mirror each other. They should be of approximately the same time duration, and the intensity of the air flow should be gentle and continuous as you breathe in and breathe out.
2) There should be no gap between the inhalation and exhalation, and between the exhalation and the inhalation. As you reach the top of the in-breath, change gently and immediately to the out-breath so that the momentum of the breathing is maintained. Likewise, as you reach the bottom of the out-breath change gently and smoothly to the in-breath.

If you focus on breathing in these two ways, then it should feel as if your breathing is becoming ‘circular’ with the inhalation and exhalation forming two halves of a circle that intersect smoothly and seamlessly at the top and the bottom.
You may find that, as you ‘breathe in a circle', after a while, the rate of your breathing will start to slow down naturally. This is fine, just try to ensure that the pace and length of the inhalation and exhalation continue to mirror each other as your breathing slows.
Try doing a few minutes of circular breathing each day, you may be surprised at how quickly you can induce a feeling of comfort, clarity and wellbeing within your mind and body through consciously ‘breathing in a circle’!

Three aspects of Qi within the human body

2008-11-14T04:38:00.000-08:00

Qi Gong distinguishes three levels of qi within the human body; ‘essence’ (jing), ‘energy’ (qi), and ‘spirit’ (shen). Each of these different levels of energy are located in the three ‘dan tiens’ which translated literally means ‘elixir fields’. These are as follows:
The lower dan tien is the centre of our ‘primal essence’. It is located in our sacral area and is associated with our physical and sexual vital energies.
The middle dan tien is located between our heart centre and solar plexus, and is associated with our mind and our primal qi.
The upper dan tien is located in the centre of our brain (or third eye area), and is associated with our primal spirit.
The overall maintenance and health of these three dan tiens is one of the main goals of Qi Gong. It is said that the energy of our lower dan tien is depleted by excessive sexual release and physical activity. Our middle dan tien is depleted by excessive or negative emotions. Our upper dan tien or spirit is depleted by too much worry and thinking.
I would add to this that we can enhance the energy of our lower dan tien through balanced healthy use of exercise and sexual energy. We can enhance the energy of our middle dan tien by cultivating calm, positive and balanced emotions. Finally we can enhance the energy of our upper dan tien and spirit by cultivating calm, positive and balanced modes of thought and thinking.

Getting familiar with the three dan tien.
Basic standing postures are used in Qi Gong to develop and enhance the flow of qi to these three elixir fields. Here is a simple exercise that can be done in 5 or so minutes that works with all three of the dan tien:

First position
Adopt the basic Qi Gong standing posture, and adopt the basic Qi Gong breathing pattern.
See beneath your feet a ball of earth light, or earth qi, about a meter across. The top of the ball is resting on the soles of your feet. The bottom of the ball has a line of light extending deep into the earth. Breathe the qi from the ball into your body through your feet.

Second position
Now imagine that the ball of light rises up your body, to centre itself in your sacral area and lower dan tien. Raise your hands up in front of you so that the palms of your hands are 10-30cm in front of your sacral area, with the palms facing the centre of the lower dan tien. You should feel as if the palms are positioned around the edge of the ball of light, holding it in place. Breathe in and out of your lower dan tien a few times.

Third position
Imagine now that the ball of light rises further up your body to the middle dan tien. Raise your hands and arms up the body correspondingly, so that they are facing your middle dan tien, holding the ball of light in place. Breathe in and out of your middle dan tien for a few breaths.

Fourth position
Now imagine the ball of light rises further up your body to the centre of the brain, and upper dan tien. Raise your hands correspondingly so that the palms are in front of the face, holding the ball of light in place. Breathe in and out of your upper dan tien a few times.

Concluding
Having worked your way from the first position to the fourth in the manner described above, now bring the ball of light down from the fourth to third position, from the third to the second position and so on until you finish in the first position, back where you started.

Standing like a Tree

2008-11-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

In Qi Gong trees are taken as a role model for our standing posture, as they are strong, stable and balanced, with their roots deep in the earth, and their branches reaching high into the heavens. We try and emulate this in our own standing posture; drawing stability from our connection to the earth through our feet, keeping our centre of gravity low in our belly, our upper body relaxed, our head and shoulders open to receiving energy from the sky, sun and stars.

Imagine now that there is a tall, strong and beautiful tree in front of you (if you can stand in front of an actual tree all the better!). Feel and see its roots extending down into the earth, drawing up qi, water and nutrients. Feel the strength and flexibility of its trunk, and the branches reaching high into the sky, drawing down qi and light from the sky.
Now become the tree. Feel your roots flowing down deep into the earth giving you deep stability and energy. Feel the stability of your trunk, flexible and strong. Feel your branches and leaves reaching up toward the sky and sun, drawing down their qi into your being. Now as you breathe, feel every cell in your body breathing in qi from the earth beneath you and the sky above you. Feel light and qi flowing in and out of every cell in your body as you breathe in and out.

Directing energy with the hands and palms:
We can learn to direct qi though our body in a more powerful way through the positioning of our hands. If you like, you can try the following hand and arm positions as you ‘stand like a tree’. Initially this should not be done for more than five minutes at a time.
1. Whilst focusing on your roots (the soles of your feet) angle the palms of your hands upward so that they are facing the earth. As you breathe in feel qi rising from the earth below into your body. As you breathe out, Feel that earth-qi expanding through each cell of your body.

2. Now raise your hands and arms up so that they are at shoulder height, parallel to the ground. Face your left palm down, and your right palm up. As you hold this posture, feel qi rising up from the earth beneath you into your trunk/torso, and simultaneously feel the flow of sky-qi flowing down through your crown, head and shoulders. Feel these two energies merging and harmonizing in the centre of your torso.

3. Now raise your hands above your head, opening the palms to the sky above. Feel as if you have branches and leaves reaching up into the sky, drawing down qi and light from the sun, stars and sky. As you breathe, feel this sky-qi moving and flowing through

4. Move back to position 2, and then to position 1, ending in the basic standing posture.

Basic facets of Qi Gong standing for beginners

2008-11-06T23:29:00.000-08:00

Outlined below are the basic aspects of the Qi Gong standing posture:

- the feet should be just beyond a shoulder's width apart; and should be somewhere between parallel with each other and ninety degrees; find a position between these two extremes that feels comfortable and natural.

- the knee joints should be unlocked so that the legs are bent just enough for the thighs to be holding a little of the weight of the upper body, but not so much that they are straining. It should be a position that you can hold comfortably for minutes at a time.

-the pelvis should be slightly tucked in, so that the small/tailbone of the back moves about 1-2cm further in and down from its position in normal standing.

- your centre of gravity should be low in the torso, in the sacral area (1-4cm beneath the belly button. You should not be holding any body weight or tension in the chest, shoulders or neck.

- the back should be basically straight with the head in line with the spine. The lower spine above the tailbone should curve very gently inwards, describing a shallow convex curve before straightening up just above the mid back.

- the chest should be open, with the shoulders relaxed and slightly rounded. Imagine that you have a piece of string attached to your sternum. If someone were to gently pull that string up and out by 1-2 cm, that would give most people the correct posture for the chest and shoulders.

- the head should be in line with the spine, with the chin tucked slightly in. Imagine that there is a string attached to the top of your crown. Feel that string pulling your head gently up for a half to one centimeter. That will give you the correct position for the head.

- hands and arms should hang loosely by your sides, with the palms facing the thighs at about three o’clock (if twelve o’clock were the centre of the front of the thighs.

Relaxing in the standing posture:

Whilst in the standing posture, be aware of the crown of your head. Scan downward with your mind and feel any tension within your head, neck and shoulders gradually melting away like ice melting into water. Continue down the rest of the body, checking each area individually. Any tension that you find as you check, feel it melting away downwards through the legs and flowing out of your body via the soles of your feet.

Basic facets of Qi Gong breathing for beginners

2008-11-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

Outlined below are the basic aspects of Qi Gong breathing as taught in Toby’s classes. To begin with you will have to practice each aspect separately, in order to get a feel for it, but after a while you will find that you can combine all the features into a smooth cycle of breathing without having to exert effort.

- breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth*. The tip of the tongue should be placed on the palette behind the top front teeth.
*Specifically when practicing formal Qi Gong exercises - In daily life breathing in and out through the nose is generally recommended.

- breathe into the belly. This means, as you breathe in, you are directing air down into the bottom of the lungs, so that you can feel your diaphragm expanding downward, and exerting a gentle pressure on the abdominal organs.

- breathe in to about 70% of your lung capacity; do not breathe in more deeply than is comfortable and relaxing.

- when inhaling, as well as directing the air down into the bottom of the lungs, try also to utilize the sides, the front and the back of your lower-mid lungs. This means that as you inhale you can feel the front, back and sides of your lower and mid ribcage gently expanding. Then as you exhale you will feel your ribcage contracting accordingly.

- as you inhale, gently (no more than 40% strength) contract the muscles in the perineum, so that you can feel your pelvic floor rising and becoming firm. As you do this you will feel a gentle squeeze or pressure being exerted upon the abdominal organs as the diaphragm pushes down on them from above, and the pelvic floor rises from below.

- the quality of the breathing should be smooth, gentle and continuous, without a gap or break between the inhalation and the exhalation. This is called circular, or wave breathing. In the same way that as soon as a wave has broken upon the shore it begins to ebb and be absorbed back into the ocean, as soon as we have reached the peak of our inhalation, we should begin our exhalation. Likewise, at the end of the exhalation, we should begin the inhalation immediately and smoothly with no break between.

Below is a link to a basic Qi Gong breathing exercise (lasting twelve minutes approx)that we often do at the beginning of a Qi Gong class. It includes many of the breathing pointers above, and listening to it is a convenient way of getting used to the fundamentals of Qi Gong breathing. It also includes some free form breathing at the beginning.

Listen to basic Qi Gong breathing exercise