Qi Breathing Exercise 1

Extend your exhalation

Of course, there must be an absolute balance between inhalation and exhalation. Otherwise breathing just would not work. Still, lots of people are most concerned about the former.

The Book Qi — Increase Your Life Energy The life energy qi (also chi or ki) explained, with several very easy exercises to awaken, increase, and use it. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link).

       We tend to focus on breathing in, to the extent that we completely neglect what happens when we breathe out — as if it were not that important. This discrepancy needs to be corrected, in order to create a flowing breath.

       One effect of giving priority to inhalation is that the lungs are almost completely filled with air all the time, as if they did not want to give it away. Therefore, breathing is only done on that marginal lung volume remaining. In that case, you are forced to breathe quickly in order to get enough fresh air. That rushes and stresses the body and mind. It also easily causes you to get almost painfully out of breath, so that you have trouble even with modest hardships.

       Only by emptying yourself of air can you fill yourself with it, and that is the only way of assuring that you get plenty of fresh air into your lungs. So, the first exercise is simply to breathe out properly, in order to fill the lungs anew — deeply.

How to do it

1. You can stand, sit, or lie down, just what you like. It does not matter. But try to have the good posture that you have learned from previous exercises, and avoid any clothing that sits tight on your body. Wear loose clothes, and as few as possible.

2. Inhale normally, through your nose.

3. Exhale through your mouth — as much as you can, without losing your good posture. Continue the exhalation as long as possible — and then some.

4. Close your mouth and let the inhalation happen automatically. Do not let your conscious mind control your inhalation. You will observe that you breathe in as suddenly as if the air was pushed down your lungs, like a vacuum suddenly opening to the outside world. This way, the inhaled air feels particularly fresh and refreshing.

5. When this sudden rush of air has entered your lungs, you should not consciously continue with the inhalation. Instead, you open your mouth and breathe out, at least as much as last time.

6. Repeat as long as it feels good. Remember to keep your good posture. If you get dizzy by the increased oxygen intake this kind of breathing causes, slow down by prolonging your exhalations. You can also take short pauses between inhalation and exhalation, but do not try to change the speed of the former.

       You can do this exercise as much as you like. It is particularly useful when you feel tired or just a bit inert.

       This is also the way to catch your breath after an ordeal. When we get out of breath, we are so eager to get fresh air that we forget to exhale the old air. That makes it hard to ever get enough air. So, when you are out jogging or doing something else that makes you out of breath, try to concentrate on the exhalations. You will quickly get more stamina than usual. Strive to push the old air out of your lungs. You do not have to worry about the inhalations, because they take care of themselves.

       This kind of inhaling — suddenly and automatically, after a long exhalation — is invigorating. You will find it quite inspiring. When you face some task that demands the most of your abilities, this breathing is excellent preparation. It gives you lust, power, and the kind of spiritual inebriation that is the true mother of invention.

Qi Breathing Exercises

Here is a set of simple breathing exercises designed to increase your qi energy flow. I recommend that you do them in the given order, when you try them out. Once you've become familiar with them, you can do them in any order you please. Trust your instincts.

• Qi Breathing Introduction

• Extend Your Exhalation

• Lower Your Breath

• Belly breathing

  Breathe in a square

  
  

Qi Energy Exercises

Qi Exercise Settings

Qi Energy Breathing

Qi Posture

Qi Relaxation

Qi Extension

Qi Centering

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This is a chapter of my book Qi: Increase your Life energy.

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