BREATHING

- General rules about breathing:

All breathing should be done thru the nose. We have more
control over the breath thru our nose than out mouth. The
nose acts as a filter and it moisturizes the air as it comes in.
Originate your breathing from your Real Dantien, located
between your lower dantein and ming-men point. Use your
belly to help you breathe, not your chest. This kind of
breathing is called "Abdominal Breathing". When we
breathe in air, we are absorbing energy from the air. If we
use our belly to breathe, the diaphragm sinks down,
creating more room to hold the air in, thus we can absorb
more energy. It also charges up our blood with plenty of
oxygen. Improve our vitality by supporting our body with
oxygen-rich blood. Another good side effect of Abdominal
Breathing is its calming effect. It helps us relax. Often,
many Energy-Work, such as Tai Chi, Yoga, Taoist Inner
Alchemy, and other meditation arts, start out their
practice with a series of Abdominal Breathing to calm
down the mind of the practitioners. When practice
Abdominal Breathing regularly, the breathing will be slow
and deep; which is the ultimate goal in breathing. When
our breathing is deep, we can take in more air. When our
breathing is slow, we have more time to fully digest the
energy within the air. To maximize our breathing capacity,
relax your chest by sinking the sternum and dropping the
shoulder. Then round your chest from the scapulas by
pushing your arms slightly forward and to the sides,
creating a gap in the armpits. The reason to round the
chest is to take the pressure off the sides of your rib cage,
which in turn take the pressure off your chest. Relax and
do not force your breath! see
diagram>

Normal Breathing
-There is two basic breathing patterns we use. First one is
called "Normal Breathing", since it is the way we breathe
normally. The stomach expands as we breathe in,
contracts as we breathe out. Sometimes it is referred to as
"Buddhist Breathing" or "Post-Birth Breathing". It is the
breathing pattern we use after our birth. When we are in a
relaxed state, we use Normal Breathing, such as the time
before we go to sleep or as you are sitting down and
reading this paper. As we breathe in, we are conceiving, so
it is yin in nature. As we breathe out, we are expanding, so
it is yang in nature. When you have the chance, observe
other animals as they breathe or even newborn baby. They
breathe with their belly naturally.
-During inhalations of Normal Breathing, expand the belly
on all four sides (forward, backward, and sideways). Sink
both the thoracic diaphragm and the pelvic diaphragm.
Inhale and gather the chi in the dantien.
-When
exhaling, the
belly
contracts
from all four
sides. Both
the chest
diaphragm
and the
pelvic
contract, lift
upward
pushing the
air out.
Breathe out
thru the
nose. Exhale
and condense the chi in the dantein.

Reverse Breathing
-The other breathing method is called "Reverse
Breathing". Also known as the "Taoist Breathing" or
"Pre-Birth Breathing". The stomach contracts as we
breathe in, and expands as we breathe out. It is the reverse
of the Normal Breathing. It is the breathing method we use
before birth, when we are still in the fetus. We use this
method when we need some extra energy. When you are
excited, exhausted, or exercising, you will find yourself
breathing in Reverse. Be very cautious when practicing
Reverse Breathing. Do not practice more than 3 minutes at
a time, and don’t force it or you may injure yourself.
Reverse Breathing is more difficult to practice than
Normal Breathing. Do what is natural to you, and do it at
your own pace.
-When exhaling, the thoracic diaphragm moves upward,
whiles the pelvic diaphragm moves downward. At the
same time, the stomach expands on all 4 sides, creating a
vacuum effect in the center (precisely the Real Dantein).
The chi in the air we
breathe in is considered to
be yin. The chi in our Real
Dantein is considered to be
yang, we called this
"Original Chi". So when we
exhale using the Reverse
Breathing method, we are
separating the yin and yang
chi in our belly.
 - When inhaling, the
belly contracts from
all 4 sides. While the
thoracic diaphragm
moves downward, the
pelvic diaphragm is
moving upward,
forcing the yin and
yang chi to mix
together at the Real
Dantein.

meditation posture
In the previous exercise, we have relearned how to breathe
naturally with Normal and Reverse breathing. Now we can use
these breathing methods to begin our meditation practice.
Before we meditate, we need to be prepared. We need to find
a place that is quiet and comfortable. It is a good idea to set a
time aside just for meditation, so we will not be disturbed by
others. Incense and soft music will help, but they are only
accessories. Whatever is best for you as long as you can stay
relaxed and not be disturbed by it. It is said that "the amateur
meditates to relax, while the professional relaxes to meditate."
So we must relax in order to meditate. The meditative
environment and meditation posture will help us greatly in
achieving the state of total relaxation. There are 3 major
postures for meditation: sitting, standing, and the seated pose.

Sitting pose:
the meditators cross their legs to create a base for sitting on
the floor.

Crossed legs: simply cross the legs in front of the body. Both
feet are hid under the thigh. It is easier, and is recommended
for beginner.
Half Lotus: cross one leg on top of the other. Place one foot on
top of the opposite thigh. The sole of the foot is to face
upward. This posture requires greater flexibility of the leg, and
the ankle. It is more difficult than the crossed leg, but it
provides a stronger base. The foot that is facing upward can be
used to channel down energy.
Full Lotus: same as the Half Lotus except that both legs are
cross, and both feet are on the opposite thigh. Both feet should
face the sky. As your flexibility increases, the feet should
come closer to the body. This posture is the most difficult, but
it gives the meditator a solid base. The Full Lotus also
provides the body with extra blood supply from the legs, as
the legs were crossed. This enables more energy to travel
upward to the higher centers.
In all 3 of these sitting postures, the hands can be place either
overlapped in front of the dantien or on the knee palms up.
This allows us to receive energy from the Heaven (Universal
Chi). Together with the energy received from soles of the feet,
especially in the Full Lotus, the whole body is bathed in
heavenly chi. This Universal Chi, which is yang in nature, will
ascend upward to the higher centers for advanced meditation.
The general rule for these sitting postures is that you should
work from whichever is most comfortable first. If your body is
not flexible enough for the Full Lotus, do the Half Lotus. If
you force yourself into a posture, the pain will only distract
you during meditation. Another rule is concerning the
placement of the hands and feet. Generally, if your left hand is
on top of the right hand, then your left legs should be on top of
the right leg, and vise versa. Remember to keep your body and
your head erect as in any other posture.
Advantages of the sitting pose: stable, ability to absorb
Universal Chi, helps leading energy upward.
Disadvantages: weak Earth Chi connection, difficult on the
legs for the beginner.

Standing pose:
the standing posture is popular among martial artists and
healers, because it is a powerful tool for developing internal
energy and Rooting. There are many standing postures, the
most popular one is the Tree Standing, where the body weight
is evenly disturbed between two legs.
In standing meditation, the practitioner is to stand still for up
to an hour. It might seem like the person is not doing anything,
but the physical and mental workloads are equal to, if not
beyond, any other physical exercise. This is what the Taoist
called "seeking motion within stillness". In this seemingly
motionless posture, the practitioner is to observe changes in
energetic patterns within and outside the body. Besides
building the leg’s strength, standing opens the hands and feet
channels naturally. It can also teach the practitioner
grounding, where excess energy is ground to the earth. In the
standing posture, Heavenly chi (Universal Chi) can come in
from the crown of the head, and Earth Chi can come in from
the sole of the feet (KI 1). So standing is used for cultivating
the chi. (see more about standing here)
Advantages: balanced energy from both Heaven and Earth,
grounding, builds leg strength, opens the hands and feet
channels, cultivates chi, develops fighting and healing power,
an ability to "listen" to the body, and all-over body
conditioning.
Disadvantages: tiring on the legs, too overwhelming for
beginner to use as a meditation pose, because too much is
going on at once inside the body.

Seated pose:
meditating while sitting on a chair. It is the most comfortable
meditation pose. Practitioner is to sit on the "sitting bone" on
the outer 1/3 of the chair. This allows the genital to breathe.
The head and back is upright and erect. Don’t lean on the back
of the chair, it will obstruct the chi flow in the back. Feet are
placed flat on the floor and parallel to each other. The hands
can either be placed on the knee or overlapped in front of the
abdominal. It is very comfortable and easy to meditate in this
posture, because you don’t have to support your own weight.
Advantages: advantages of the other two postures;
comfortable and easy to maintain, balanced chi from Heaven
and Earth,
Disadvantages: TOO comfortable, while having little
advantages of the other two postures, it is not as intensive as
other two.

100 counting breath meditation

Now we will use the breathing method we have learned in the
past exercise and incorporate it into this beginning mediation
exercise. This meditation technique will calm our mind and
help us concentrate. It will also allow us to cultivate chi into
the dantien.
In this exercise we are to forget about the past and stop
planning for the future, so that our mind will be unite with our
body. We will concentrate on the present moment. We will
use our breathing to help us achieve the "now".
Use any meditation pose that is the most comfortable. Breathe
with Normal Breathing as learned from the previous exercise.
Keep the body relax and touch the tongue to the roof of the
mouth. When breathing in, follow the in-breathe from the
nostrils to the throat, lung, solar plexus, and finally the
dantien. Breathe in deeply and slowly. Pause for a moment,
then breathe out slowly following the same route from the
dantien out to the nose. Count to yourself "one". This is one
breathing cycle. Repeat. If any thought comes up, and you find
your mind is wandering, recount to zero. Do this until you can
count to one hundred. Then repeat the cycle if desire. This
exercise is much easier to said then done. Although, it seems
simple and too easy, it lays the foundation for further
meditation. Once you can work up to a hundred, you can then
forget about the counting. Do not cheat yourself by breathing
faster. Counting to a hundred is not the point of this exercise.
The point of this exercise is to gain control over the mind. Let
any thought springs naturally and leaves naturally. Do not try
to fight it. We are not trying to stop the flow of consciousness,
but instead slow it down.
Another important point is to keep your body relax and
concentrate on the dantien. This will let the chi to accumulate
and sink to the dantien. Because we are cultivating chi in this
exercise, we need to close this meditation with a closing form.
Closing form allows us to safely store away the chi we have
cultivated. It is extremely important to do the closing form
after each exercise, so the energy will not get stuck
somewhere in the body, causing unnecessary side effect.

Closing form:
.Close your eyes and relax your body. Relieve yourself from
whatever you were doing. Calm your mind down and focus on
your dantien.
.Breathe deeply three times (3 cycles) into your dantien and
gather the chi there (use you mind to "lead" the chi, don’t
force it). Then overlap your hands on top of other, and place it
in front of your dantien.
For men: put your left hand on top of the right hand. Spiral
your chi in the dantien, in a counterclockwise direction (facing
the clock) 36 times, then clockwise 24 times. Condense the chi
from a ball into a dot.
For women: put your right hand on top of the left hand. Spiral
your chi in the dantien, in a direction clockwise (facing the
clock) 36 times, then counterclockwise 24 times. Condense
the chi from a ball into a dot.
.At the end, mentally say to yourself "I am done", then slowly
open your eyes.
Optional closing form (this is optional, use it after you have
done the regular closing form):
After chi work, our hands are charged with plenty of fresh chi.
Instead of letting it disperse into the atmosphere, we can use it
to refresh yourself. After the closing form, rub your hands
together until they are hot, this should not take more than a
few seconds, since the hands are charged with energy.
.Then use your hands to cup both eyes. Inhale and visualize
light going into your eyes. [Visualization works because chi
follows the mind. "Wherever the mind goes, the chi follows."
Visualizing a light coming in is just as effective as using the
mind to lead the chi in.]
Rub your eyes lightly with the root of the thumb (the meaty
part) in circles. 8 times for men and 7 times for women. This
will energized and brighten your eyes. Rub the hands again if
necessary, before continue.
.Then use your hands to rub your face in a circle. 8 times for
men and 7 times for women. This will rejuvenate your skin
and complexion.
.Brush your hair with your hands from front to back. 8 times
for men and 7 times for women.
. Beat teeth together 36 times. This will strengthen your teeth.
. Open your mouth as wide as possible, like a lion roaring.
This will release tension trapped in the jaw.
. At the end, you may massage yourself at major acupuncture
points. (check in a meridian map)
this optional form will rejuvenate yourself, keeping you
youthful. It will also strenghten your teeth, and brighten your
eyes.
There are two Taoist approaches to immortality: 1) Outer
Alchemy, and 2) Inner Alchemy. Outer alchemy works from
the outside in, while inner alchemy works from the inside out.
It is the same as the difference between external and internal
martial art. Generally speaking, outer alchemy strengthens the
physical body first with moving meditation, and various herbal
formulas. Inner alchemy on the other hand, strengthens the
energetic body first with still meditation and cultivating the
chi. Although the 2 approaches are different, they are usually
used together to complement each other in self-cultivation.
This is the same dual-approach that we recommend and
encourage here in this web site. Tai Chi Chuan is an excellent
example and model of this dual- approach.
Taoists often value the number "3" because the principle to
immortality is derived from the "Three Treasure of the
Universe". The 3 treasures of the universe are Heaven, Earth,
and Mankind. And each "treasure" contains its own three
treasures. The 3 treasures of Heaven are the sun, moon, and
stars. The 3 treasures of Earth are fire, water, and air. The 3
treasures of mankind are chi, jing, and shen.
Chi, as described earlier, is the life force energy. Jing can be
translated as Essence. Jing is the Original Chi that was given
to us from our parents. Jing is often named as Pre-birth, Pre-
heaven chi, or Sexual energy. Shen is the name for our
spiritual-self. When our spirit is raised to the head, our vitality
can be seen through the brightness of our eyes.
In order to receive immortality, we must work on our three
treasures to raise our spiritual energy and refined it to the same
level, or frequency as the Tao. We live and interact in this
physical 3 dimensional world to learn and nourish ourselves to
achieve Realization. But our physical body dose not last
forever. When our physical body fail, our energy will leave
our body. It may be recycled into a new body through
reincarnation, but then we might not see Realization until our
new bodies are physically and mentally matured. That might
be a waste of time and resources, because a new life takes
tremendous amount of time, energy resources, and caring. So
in order to continue our "education", the Taoist says, "why not
build spiritual body?" that way our spirit has a place to reside,
even after our bodies have failed us. The spiritual self then
lives forever, thus Immortality. Another advantage for having
a spiritual body is that it has transcended the limit of a
physical body. The spiritual body can go where the physical
body can’t – the Fourth Dimension, time. So Taoists proposed
an immortal formula: first, use the chi to nourish our jing.
Secondly, transform the jing into refined chi. Afterward, use
this refined chi to build up the shen. Then reunite the shen
with the Tao.
To summarize this transformational process, it is usually
separated into a number of different stages. The amount of
stages depends on the system of teaching.
.The first stage: "Using the Post-birth chi to nourish the Pre-
birth chi"
Post-birth chi is the energy we consume from our environment
through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the subtle
energy from the universe. We use this Post-birth chi to nourish
our Pre-birth energy, our Original chi. To build up and
strengthen our Original chi also means we must conserve it,
because to save also means you must cut down on your
spending. Therefore it is recommended that men should stop
ejaculation to conserve their Essence (jing), while women
need to regulate the menstrual cycle to conserve their Essence.
(We will discuss more about these energy conservation
techniques later.) The Microcosmic orbit and chi cultivation
techniques are taught in this stage.
.The second stage: "Transferring jing to chi"
When the jing is full from the nourishment of chi conservation
and cultivation, we will transfer it into chi. One might ask
why? Why even bother changing chi into jing in the first
place, when you have to change it back to chi anyhow? The
answer is simple. When you transform jing into chi, it is
refined. It is refined to the level where your body can easily
digest or store for further application. It can be compared to
the process where your liver transforms sugar into glucose,
where your body can either store it or digest it. The liver
removes excess glucose from your system; then it is stored
until it is needed. Similarly, the dantien can store excess or
extra chi until it is needed. This stage of transforming jing into
chi is sometimes called "Water and Fire" meditation. It is
expressed by the sixty-third hexagram, "ji ji". In this
hexagram, water is on top of the fire. Water means our sexual
energy. Fire means the fire in the cauldron, the Real Dantien.
(Fire can also be interpreted as the fire of the heart) When fire
is below water, the water will boil and steam. So the hexagram
"water above fire" means steaming the sexual energy, jing.
Steam is light, so it moves upward to the head. This process is
equivalent to the Indian Yoga’s kundalini awakening.
Kundalini is merely a different name for jing. The Taoist
system teaches us to bring the "steam" down to the dantien.
Like water vapor that is condensed into cloud and come down
as rain. When the rain comes down, we will store it at the
dantien. Dantien literally means "elixir farm". After the rain,
we will have harvest. What do we harvest? The pill of
immortality! That is where the name dantien came from. The
environment, we created at the dantein, where the Heavenly
chi and Earth chi can interact and mix, are called "The reunion
of Heaven and Earth". The intercourse of Heaven and Earth
will give birth to the "Spiritual Fetus", which will develop into
what we called the Spiritual body. Water and Fire meditation
is taught along with the opening of the other 6 Extraordinary
Channels in this stage.
.The third stage: "Transferring chi into shen"
Once you have achieved the first two stages, you will have an
abundant amount of energy to nourish your "spiritual baby".
This stage can be divided into 3 steps. The first step is to
nourish this spiritual fetus for ten months just as a real
pregnancy. We will feed it with the energy from Universal chi,
Earth chi, and Cosmic chi. Because the vitality of our spiritual
body, or baby, is heavily dependent on its nourishment during
the pregnancy, we should be careful of what kind of energy
we feed it with. Of course we will want the best for our
 "baby". After the ten month period, we will move the fetus to
the upper dantien and give birth to this spiritual baby.
The second step is to nurse the baby for three years. During
this 3 year nursery, the baby should never leave the physical
body far, or for a long time, because it is still young and
premature. In this stage we can catch a glimpse of the Fourth
Dimension, or the Immortal realm, but distance traveling is
still not recommended.
The third step is the nine years of education. The spiritual
body can now travel further each time with practice. During
this nine year period, we will teach it everything we know, and
help it to become independent.
.The fourth stage: "Return the shen to the Tao"
After the nine years of exploring, the spiritual body can now
travel freely. It is time to return to the Tao. You now can
transcend space and time without any limitation. You have
transformed into a true immortal.

Using Post- Transferring Transferring Return the

birth chi to jing to chi chi to shen shen to the
Stage nourish the Tao
Pre-birth chi
methods Chi Water and 10 month Exploration
cultivation, Fire pregnancy, of the 4th
chi kung , meditation, dimension
opening the 3 year
Microcosmic opening of the
 orbit other 6 extra nursery,
channels
9 years of
education
Time 3 to 6 100 days 13 years 00
months