Reverse Abdominal Breathing - Preparation for Small Circulation Practice (2/3)
This is the second article from the “Breathing Techniques Series” which will help the reader to prepare for small circulation practice.
In our Yijin Jing program “Reverse Abdominal Breathing” is the progression of “Normal Abdominal Breathing.”
Reverse Abdominal Breathing
This article will help you grasp the reversed abdominal breathing technique and offers you a source for researching Qigong and deepening your studies. Also called “Taoist Breathing”, this technique is more efficient in accumulating Qi and manifesting it in the physical body. Utilizing this way of breathing is more effective to lead Qi to the extremities, but also beyond the body like in “Five Gates Breathing” or inward into the bones like in the Xisui Jing (Marrow & Brain Washing Qigong) From my experience, when using this technique it is also easier to be aware of the Qi and the locations of your Yin and Yang energy centre along the centre energy line of the body. (More to that in the article: Embryonic Breathing)
Just as in Normal Abdominal Breathing you should meditate in a comfortable seated position. Your tailbone slightly drives into the ground (or cushion) and the crown of the head is raised up as if a string attached to the crown is pulling it up gently. Your chin is tucked in slightly and the tongue touches the roof of the mouth. Your entire body, especially the chest, is relaxed. You are breathing deeply but softly into the lower abdomen. Feel how the abdomen expands as the diaphragm moves down and fills it up with air. Of course the air is in the lungs but it’s only due to the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. You can place your palms on the lower abdomen to help you coordinate the movement with your breath. By keeping a light contact on your lower Dan Tian you can maintain awareness of the breath and movement but also keep your mind in this area. Keeping the mind at the lower Dan Tian plays a significant role for storing Qi in it.
In reversed abdominal breathing you draw in the abdomen as you inhale and gently push it out (expand it) on the exhale. At the same time you need to coordinate the up-down movement of the Huiyin cavity (perineum). As you inhale you gently pull your Huiyin upward and on the exhale you relax it and slightly push it down (outward).
Advice for practice:
I suggest to master “Normal abdominal Breathing” before approaching the Taoist technique. Due to the nature of this way of breathing, a bit more tension in the perineum, lower abdomen and even in the chest is created. To understand why, we first need to know how breathing works. The lungs themselves are mainly processing the air but they are not responsible for bringing in the air. This is done with muscles. When you do chest breathing, the intercostal muscles between your rips expand the rip cage and therefore draw in air to the lungs. When we use abdominal breathing, the air is brought in by the thoracic diaphragm and the abdominal muscles. In reversed abdominal breathing the diaphragm moves downward to bring in the air, at the same time the abdomen draws inward and the Huiyin cavity lifts up. In this scenario you are having the 3 parts moving toward one another which can create some tension in the body. However, after practicing for a while you will be able to make this process feel very natural and avoid any tension from accumulating. When you start practicing in suggest you to observe these 3 areas closely. Once you feel a build up of tension simply go back to normal abdominal breathing for a while. When you have released any undesired tension or tightness you can continue with reversed abdominal breathing and after time you will be able to practice it for longer periods. Eventually you will be able to maintain fully relaxed during the practice.
Be gentle!
In Taoist Breathing, as you inhale you draw in the abdomen and gently lift up the Huiyin cavity. (perineum, anus) The movement of the Huiyin cavity is very important. The expansion and contraction of the abdomen and up-down movement of the Huiyin cavity create a kind of pumping motion which helps circulating and regulating Qi in the body. The movement stimulates the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, the adrenal and sex glands and therefore the production of hormones (original essense) which will be regulated and possibly increased. When you lift up your Huiyin cavity, you need to do it in a gentle way. The same goes for drawing in the abdominal muscles. When you hear instructions like gently, softly or slightly, you need to take them very serious. If you apply too much force or tense the perineum or abdomen too much, you might encounter the problem of tension and tightness. This is to be avoided as much as possible.
To practice effectively and to progress to the embryonic breathing technique, you need to practice diligently. The movement of the abdomen and Huiyin cavity needs to become natural and habitual. Practice until you don’t need to control the muscles with your mind anymore. The movement needs to happen automatically, in an unforced and relaxed manner.
