Our breathing is the foundation upon which we are built. When our breathing (free audio download) stops, we die. When it slows down we become sick and weak. Every time we take a breath we pull in atoms of our beings. Oxygen flows through us, through our heart and brains, providing our bodies with the things they need. Every cell in our body is replaced every seven to ten years, which means that the body that you currently inhabit is not the one that you were born with.
This process happens so subtly that our conscious minds never notice it. The part of us that never notices this change is the shen, or soul. The body is what we are; the shen is who we are. The connection between the two is the chi, which is located in the three dantiens, or focal points. The chi flows through our bodies with the energy it needs to heal and maintain itself. When these energy pathways from the dantiens are blocked we begin to develop health problems in the same way that we would if deprived of oxygen.
The importance of bringing these three aspects of ourselves cannot be overstressed. Pure physical exercise forces the body to extremes because it lacks the focus that movement arts gives its students. When our breath (Qi) is strengthened and united with the Li, or physical force the first will make the second stronger while being controlled by the second. The rhythm of the body controls the pace and rhythm of the breathing. Without this harmony we are only able to achieve part of the positive effects and this achievement can sometimes come at a high price.
It is through the breath that we draw into our body positive energies to help the healing processes begin. When we breathe we should never breathe shallowly, from the lungs. Our breathing should come from the abdomen. Sometimes when doing breathing exercises we are easily distracted. Simply breathing can be boring and our conscious mind is always looking for distractions. Some people use guided mediation to combat this problem but most use visualization: Instead of merely picturing air moving in and out of our bodies a better idea is to imagine a golden cloud of energy flowing into our nostrils and spreading throughout our bodies when we inhale, picking up all of the tensions and releasing them as a brown cloud of negative energies.
Finally, keep your attention focused. Practicing Qigong requires our full attention. Eliminate all thoughts except the breathe of life itself, keeping your brain tranquil, and you will find that accessing the dantien, or Cinnabar Field, will be much easier. This is the main secret of Qigong breathing.
