Interview with Coach Jim Roselando

Interview with Coach Jim Roselando on MIT Radio: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pQaDv8i_Y4

"Qi is a form of energy. Gong means work. So Qigong is a form of energy cultivation. Through still exercise you can cultivate balance and smooth the energy through the whole body. The Dan Tien will be robust, the meridians will be flowing smoothly, which will gradually realign the body. You can stand and be still and cultivate the mind, the body, the breathing, just by relaxing." 

Monday Night Qigong with Jim Roselando (10/22)

warmup

5min gathering qi

5min dragon post (left)

5min dragon post (right)

10min turning cow

10min hun yun (left)

10min hun yun (right)

5min natural post

seal/wuji/wash

MIT Qigong Youtube

 

www.youtube.com/user/mitqigong

 

***

 

www.ApricotForestHall.com

Thanks to everyone who participated!

We had a great turn out at our Evening of Holistic Health. Special thanks to Health Yoga Life instructor, Siga Bielkus, and MIT Qigong coach, Jim Roselando. Forty-five minutes of yoga followed by forty-five minutes of natural qigong!

Monday Night Qigong with Coach Roselando (9/16/13)

18 Standing at MIT Qigong (9/16/13)

Warm-up

10min Dr. Ma Li Tang's Gathering Qi

20min Natural Post

5min Gathering Qi

5min Dragon Post (left)

5min Dragon Post (right)

3min Gathering Qi

5min Leg Qi

Seal/Wash

Standing Meditation Principles from writings by BP Chan

STANDING MEDITATION PRINCIPLES

From writings by BP Chan, adapted by Jeff Bartfeld, based on 25 +  years experience as his student.

The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine states that "The cultivation of chi is greatly enhanced by standing meditation."
Standing meditation practice consists of stillness on the outside and motion on the inside. It helps create a new and natural body memory, so that one does not impede the inner flow of energy. It also promotes self healing.
During practice, the mind should not visualize anything, and the body should be void of the physical forces of movement. This helps one recognize and cultivate the inner energy known as chi, the vital essence of the universe.
Standing meditation is an exponentially evolving art that can never be mastered. After practicing standing meditation for some time, one will discover that it leads to many wonderful changes.

To help us with this task, standing meditation principles have been handed down in poems and literature. The most important of these principles are alignment, centering and posture.

Basic Instructions on correct alignment, centering and posture:

• Stand naturally with the feet parallel, shoulder width apart and weight balanced. The outside line of the feet should be straight, if this can be done without hurting the knees.

• Be loose and sink as if sitting on a sofa. When sinking (sitting), the thighs will slightly spread into a natural arch. This will happen if you sit by moving the body straight down (do not use the legs to lower the body).

• Keep the upper body, including the head upright, and do not lean in any direction. The torso should not be compressed – allow the body to open naturally. The cervical vertebra should be aligned with the back of the spine so that the mind can be calmed.

• The body should be centered to allow the energy to sink, and the breath should be natural.

• The shoulders and elbows should be relaxed downward with the armpits open.

• The arms should embrace the chest at a distance of three side fists. The fingers of the hands should be relaxed and separated evenly with the thumbs on a horizontal plain. The wrists should not be bent. Bending them is like bending a hose, which interferes with flow.

• The knees should be above the Bubbling Well acupuncture point, and should never go beyond the toes.

• Maintain the three folds of the body (ankle, knee, Qua)

• The eyes should be level with the eyelids slightly closed and relaxed (this will relax the face)

• The tongue should touch the upper palate when the mouth is closed. This connects the Tu Mo and Den Mo channel (Microscopic Orbit) at its upper point, and allows for the formation of saliva, which must be swallowed in a specific way.

Some Additional notes;

The Breath should originate with the stomach (natural breath), be done through the nose and make no sound.

The Mind should not try to guide the energy. This will lead to over focusing and make it impossible to tap into the force. One should not be fooled by ego driven feelings, they are not real. To sum it up, one should have no thoughts, and function as an inner observer.

Under no condition should one force the breath, use strength or arch the chest.
Note: If you try to physically do the above, you are violating standing meditation principles by creating tension through mind willfulness and force. If you set up the body according to the principles, no force will be necessary.
Jeff Bartfeld
www.qigongforest.com

The Joy of Meditation

Monday Qigong: February 6, 2012
10 min gathering qi
10 min turning cow
10 min cow post (#5)
10 min natural post (#1)
5 min left strength testing (shi li)
5 min right strength testing (shi li)
5 min moving zhuang (#1)
seal/wash
*link to 8 zhuangs
    

The Chronicles of Tao
by Deng Ming-Dao

     Six months of practice had elapsed, and Saihung, writing in his diary, tried continually to assess his experiences. He now genuinely enjoyed meditation. He laughed in amusement. Huashan had trained him for a decade before he had reached that point. Now, the serenity, the joy, the feeling of absolute health, and the thrill of learning had literally become addicting. There was no boredom. Meditation had made him sensitive. Far from missing human beings, he relished the solitude. His senses and feelings had become so sharpened that there was more than enough stimulation. Art and music were diversion enough. Self-discovery was learning enough. And his unusual experiences, real or visionary, were wondrous enough. In the months ahead, he experienced events so powerful that the question became more and more indistinct. No matter where the source of reality lay, he knew that it could affect him physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Qi Gong for Longevity

by Bob Flaws 

www.bluepoppy.com

Qi gong means to train or discipline one's qi. According to Ken Cohen, a well known qi gong teacher in the West, this term did not come into use in China until 1934.[1] However, what we today call qi gong has been practiced in China since not less than 400 BC. In the 1970's, a series of tombs were excavated in China at a site called Ma Wang Dui near Changsha. These contained a cache of books written on bamboo slats and silk rolls. A number of these books were on medical subjects. Amongst these books were pictures of various exercises believed to confer health benefits and contribute to longevity. At approximately the same time, the great Daoist philosopher, Zhuang Zi, wrote about such exercises and their healing properties.  During the Han dynasty (25-220 ad), a scholar named Wei Bo-yan wrote a book on what has now come to be known as qi gong. Titled Chan Tong Qi (Three in One), it discusses the relationship between Daoism, the Yi Jing (Classic of Changes), and qi gong. Wei was the first Chinese to write about qi gong from the perspective of the jing essence, qi, and shen spirit. Also during the Han dynasty, Hua Tuo, perhaps the most famous doctor in Chinese created his Five Animal Frolics. This was a series of qi gong exercises based on mimicking the movements and breath patterns of five different animals known either for their strength or longevity. These exercises are still taught and practiced to this day. Hua Tuo lived to be 97 at which time he was executed. He was still married when he died. His two students, Fan Ao and Wu Chin lived to be 100 plus and 90 years old respectively.  

During the next 1,700 years, according to the Dao Shu (Daoist History), 3,600 different kinds of qi gong developed. According to Gan Zhen-yun, "The main features of Qigong development in this stage were: the widespread application of Qigong for health protection and medical care, and its integration with Chinese medicine which promoted the development of traditional medical science."[2] In more modern times, Zhang Zi-yang wrote several books on qi gong and health preservation, including Understand the Truth, 400 Characters on Qi Gong, and Secrets for Keeping One's Youth. In these books, Zhang further developed, enriched, and perfected the theories on the relationship of qi gong to the jing, qi, and shen first advanced by Wei Bo-yan 900 years before.  As mentioned above, there are many different styles of qi gong and literally thousands of different qi gong exercises. However, most qi gong exercises are based on the coordination of three elements: 1) a specific pattern of breathing, 2) a specific posture or movements coordinated with that breath pattern, and 3) a visualization accompanying both breath pattern and movements or posture. As we have seen above, one's qi is manufactured in part from the purest essence of the air we breath. Through qi gong exercises we can manufacture qi more efficiently, store qi more effectively, and circulate our qi more smoothly. In addition, we can circulate our qi to particular places or organs in our body to bath those areas in healing, revitalizing energy.  

In China there are Confucian styles of qi gong, Daoist styles of qi gong, and Buddhist styles of qi gong, each with their own unique theories and techniques. In addition, many qi gong exercises are associated with Chinese martial arts, such as Tai Ji Quan, Ba Gua Zhang, and Xing Yi Quan. Further, there are also types of medical qi gong specifically meant for the healing of disease or increasing one's health. Qi gong has become extremely popular, even faddish, in China in the last dozen years or so, and there are many books available on this subject in both Chinese and English. There are even a number of video tapes available to help one learn qi gong.  Generally, it is best to study qi gong as part of a class under the guidance of a qualified instructor. Qi gong instruction is now available in all large cities and many medium sized cities in the United States. 

It is important to mention a couple of more introductory things about this ancient Oriental exercise art.  First, qi gong emphasizes deep, abdominal breathing. Such deep diaphragmatic breathing rids the lungs of stale air and bathes the organism in fresh air. In addition, this deep breathing has a massaging effect on the internal organs and promotes the flow of blood, lymph, and cerebrospinal fluids. Secondly, the breath associated with most qi gong exercises has four characteristics. It is long, thin, even, and slow. It is not hurried, choppy, coarse, or rough. This relaxed, rhythmic, deep breathing thus helps calm the mind and relieves stress.  And thirdly, qi gong involves concentrating the mind and ridding it of distracting thoughts. In Chinese this is called shou yi. Shou means to concentrate, to attend to, or to look after. Yi means one. Thus shou yi means to concentrate on only one thing. During qi gong, such one-pointed concentration can be on a point within or part of the body, on the breath, or on a visualization or sensation. As Wang Zhi-xing, a qi gong teacher active in England and Europe says:  Shou yi teaches us to rest our mind internally on the oneness instead of restlessly jumping from one idea to the next. Shou yi helps us settle our mind and spirit internally and to focus our senses deeply within instead of looking outward all the time. Shou yi guides us to integrate ourselves with our circumstances and helps us to relax in different situations. Through shou yi, one's mind becomes peaceful and empty; the body, mind, and spirit are harmonized and the shen is therefore pacified and nourished.[3] 

This article is adapted from Imperial Secrets of Health & Longevity (1990) by Bob Flaws, published by Blue Poppy Press. For more information call 1-800-487-9296 or visit their website at www.bluepoppy.com.

Video: Coach Jim Demonstrates the Turning Cow

Coach Jim Roselando demonstrates the Turning Cow exercise

from Year One of the MIT Qigong curriculum.

Why Meditation is Important to the Martial Arts

Why Meditation is Important to the Martial Arts

by Jáchym Jerie, January 24, 2011

Disciple of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming at the YMAA CA Retreat Center

Also featured in the Spring 2011 Issue of Qi-Journal: http://www.qi-journal.com/

To reach the full potential as a martial arts practitioner, you must begin by training your mind. One way to accomplish this task is through sitting meditation. Through meditation your awareness, calm, and focus will increase. These are all very important factors in martial arts. Without awareness, you will not be able to fight in a battle without getting hit or even killed. Without focus, you will not be able to catch the right opportunity to strike or defend, which could be disastrous. Without calmness, you will not be able to focus or relax. If you tense up out of fear, you will burn out quickly. You must learn how to manipulate your energy, which will be referred to as Qi (氣) of the body so it will not disperse unused. Also you can activate more energy when it is really necessary.

All these benefits can be gained through embryonic breathing, which is the type of meditation focused in this article.

Embryonic Breathing Theory

To understand the concept of embryonic breathing, you have to know the basic energy system of the body. The human body has two polarities, one resides in the brain, and the other is in the abdomen region. The latter is called the real lower Dantian (丹田), while the former is known as the upper Dantian. There is another Dantian positioned at the solar plexus area, but not covered in this article. The lower Dantian is the battery for the whole body. It resides in the abdomen region. The structure of the abdomen allows Qi to be stored to a high level and from there it can supply the whole body.

The upper Dantian is in the limbic system located between the ears. Some Qi Gong (氣功) practitioners believe that this is the residence of the spirit and your true self.

The lower and upper Dantian communicate through the spinal cord. The communication occurs here because the spinal cord is composed of material highly conductive to Qi. This enables the two brains to act as one. Physically, they are two, but in action, they are one.

Yin and Yang

The energy of the Dantians has two polarities; the lower Dantian is the Yang (陽) side, and the upper Dantian is the Yin (陰) side. The two polarities regulate the whole energy system of the body. The Yang side supplies the quantity, while the Yin side supplies the quality. The quality of the energy will improve as the practitioner learns how to focus better. However, it is not a task that can be finished since there are unlimited levels of focus. Only through practice can you attempt to achieve a level of focus where outside distractions will not register. To improve the quantity, you have to condition the lower Dantian. For further information please refer to the book Qigong, The Secret of Youth—Da Mo's Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow/Brain Washing Classics, by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming.

False Dantian

The whole abdominal area is called false Dantian and can store energy to some extent, but once it is full, the energy will be distributed and consumed. The energy that is stored there comes from fat conversion, which happens as we move our abdomen, in normal or reverse abdominal breathing, which will be discussed later in this article. About one and a half inches below the navel, there is a cavity which is called Qihai (氣海) or false Dantian. Through this cavity one can lead Qi into and out of the real lower Dantian.

Semi-sleeping State and the Mind

The Chinese believe that human beings have two kinds of minds. One is called Yi (意) and the other one is called Xin (心). Yi is steady like a horse and represents wisdom. Xin is like a monkey and represents the emotional mind. To calm down the emotional mind, you should focus on your breathing. The semi-sleeping state is very important for meditation. Once we get to the semi-sleeping state the subconscious mind starts to wake up. The control of the conscious mind gets thinner and thinner. Once you meditate for a while, you might experience the surfacing of emotions such as anger or sorrow. Those feelings are most likely trapped emotions from the past, and you should release them.

Despite this, the semi-sleeping state is a condition in which we can best concentrate. When we are in the conscious state, our mind registers a lot of things and gets distracted by the outside world. Once we reach the semi-sleeping state, those distractions from outside fade away. Of course it is not easy to keep the semi-sleeping state without falling into the sleeping state. Through regular practice you will be able to do so.

Normal Abdominal Breathing

As you inhale, the diaphragm drops down and the abdomen pushes out. The Huiyin (會 陰), located between the anus and the testicles (essentially the perineum), also pushes out. As you exhale, the abdomen withdraws and the diaphragm moves back up to push air out. The Huiyin also gently pulls in.

This breathing technique is mostly used for relaxation purposes and is a very natural and familiar way to breathe. Babies instinctively use abdominal breathing. However, most people develop the habit of breathing with their ribcage as they grow older.

Reverse Abdominal Breathing

Reverse abdominal breathing is the opposite of normal abdominal breathing. As you inhale, the Huiyin and abdomen draw in. As you exhale, the Huiyin and abdomen push out. This breathing method helps to lead and build Qi more efficiently and should be used during meditation. Reverse abdominal breathing occurs naturally quite often, such as when laughing or crying. Reverse abdominal breathing also helps to energize muscles to a higher level, so it also occurs without thought when power or strength is needed, for example, when pushing heavy objects.

Embryonic Breathing

Embryonic breathing is the foundation for many kinds of meditation and Qigong exercises. Please note, it is very important to establish a good foundation before you can move onto any advanced exercises. If you want to master embryonic breathing, you have to practice the normal and reverse abdominal breathing techniques.

Embryonic breathing itself is basically the reverse abdominal breathing exercise with the mind placed into the lower Dantian. A step by step approach is discussed below. When the mind is placed into the center, one stores the energy there, since the mind and Qi are connected.

How does Meditation Work?

To get a deep understanding of meditation requires time and a lot of practice. To achieve success, you need to be patient and have perseverance. If you would like to start meditating, think about an available time in your schedule. It is preferable to meditate at the same time each day. This will establish a routine, and will make it easier for you to settle your mind faster.

Meditation can be practiced in almost any position. Here, at the YMAA Retreat Center, we like to sit on a cushion with crossed legs. This is practical as we will do further exercises in this position. You may prefer to sit on a chair or even lay down. The first step of embryonic breathing is to calm down your emotional mind. You do this by focusing on your breathing and relaxing your body. In the beginning, you might get distracted and think about other issues instead of paying attention to your breathing. If you get distracted, simply bring your mind back to your breathing. It will take some time until you feel comfortable with focusing inward and pushing external thoughts away.

Benefits Gained Through Meditation

As you progress, you will naturally start to inhale into your abdomen and this will have a great effect on your health. The diaphragm drops down as you inhale which massages the organs that are below it, in particular the kidneys, liver and spleen. The kidneys produce hormones and through the massage, the production goes up. These hormones are a bio-catalyst which helps make chemical processes in the body run more smoothly. As we age, the hormone production goes down; therefore it is important to keep the hormone production at a proper level.

Through proper, relaxed, and smooth breathing, you take in a lot of oxygen. This will ensure that the practitioner has a faster metabolism. Only with air are we able to change food into energy, therefore, it is extremely important to build up the right breathing habits.

In addition, you will learn how to manipulate your energy. Using the correct technique of breathing, you can manifest more energy or store it in the center and in the bone marrow. That’s why you can store energy when there is abundance, and manifest it when it is really necessary. Through meditation, the mind calms down and becomes more focused. This is crucial since focus is needed for all the tasks we face in daily life. It helps to solve them efficiently and thoroughly. You will find a solution to a problem faster when you are focused and calm, rather than when you are distracted and agitated.

Often we read that our life will get easier through meditation. This is only partially true. Meditation is hard work and it requires a tremendous amount of discipline. It will bring you to the point where you face your true self, and this might not be an easy task.

I believe that one of the reasons why we have so many things that keep us occupied is because we don't want to listen to our inner selves. No one really likes to look into a mirror and see all the flaws you have. But this is the only way we can evolve. As you meditate, you might feel emotions coming up without any apparent reason. Those emotions are the ones which we hold back. The only way to deal with them is to let them out. Mediation can be a very powerful tool in your life for improving mental well being as well as physical health.

Jáchym Jerie is a disciple of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming at the YMAA CA Retreat Center, which is located in Humboldt County, CA. Jáchym grew up in Switzerland and has been training Kung Fu since he was 17.

For more information: www.YMAA.com

Relaxation: using metal to cool fire (Qi Mag 1995)

Qi Magazine - Issue 17 (1995)

Relaxation, Focus and Meditation

These terms are widely known, but alas, widely misunderstood. This misunderstanding can have quite marked effects on your practice. So now it's time to clear up all the confusion.

The concept of relaxation often seems to be a problematic linguistic distinction between Western and Chinese cultures. In the West, relaxation seems to be almost wholly associated with sleep and unconsciousness. To the Chinese, especially to those associated with the martial arts or meditation, relaxation has some quite specific qualities. 

The first quality of relaxation is simply 'not tense', which does not mean 'limp' or 'floppy.' You quite often see this mistake in Taiji classes, when the teacher tells students to "relax" or be "soft." In fact, what the teacher is usually trying to tell the students is that their movements are too rigid, that they should be more fluid, flexible and light, rather than hard, heavy and stiff.

Unfortunately, when the teacher says "relax" the students don't just become limp they also tend to half-shut their eyes and go into a mental mode that can only be equated with that of a sleep walker or zombie. This is not too much of a problem when students are meditating because all they do is waste their own time, but so far as martial arts are concerned, this attitude is a positive liability.

This problem is compounded by the Western misinterpretation of phrases like "without force," "no mind," "empty mind," "go with the flow" and so on. "Going with the flow" for instance may well include a certain 'acceptance' of situations but it doesn't mean accepting a punch of the nose. "Going with the flow" means not using 'direct' resistance. You don't let things just happen to you and nor do you necessarily meet them head on like two rams clashing their horns together; instead you simply step off the line, avoiding hard attacks or even helping them on their way. Likewise, keeping an 'empty mind' does not mean being vacant. It means that you should got concentrate on particulars above the 'gestalt.' In other words you should not be concentrating so hard on your technique that you miss what the other person is doing to counter you.

When you understand how these ideas apply to the martial arts it is relatively easy to apply the same principles to meditation. Relaxing does not mean letting your postures collapse or going to sleep. It means letting go of tension, deepening and slowing your breathing. When your breathing relaxes your heart will naturally slow as well. Five element theory explains this as using metal to cool fire.

Keeping an empty mind means not concentrating on particular things. If you imagine that your body is like a theatre stage, your organs are like the dancers and your mind is like the lighting. The idea is that you watch everything that happens rather than focusing your mind on one thing like a spot light; because when you focus say on your heart, the rest of the stage goes dark and the liver might fall over. In this way you can let your mind be like a lantern shining on now.

With regular practice the energy of your body becomes smooth and your organs become healthy. It is easy to see and deal with problems before they become too advanced. As your meditation improves, your skills of concentration and relaxation will benefit your martial arts and also improve the quality of your whole life. 

-by Glenn Gossling

Qigong Breathing by Michael Tse (1994)

Qi Magazine (Issue 11 - 1994)

By Michael Tse

Everybody knows how to breathe. But how many people really understand the breathing practice within Qigong? This is very important because without the correct breathing techniques we cannot develop our Qi.

Breathe in, Breathe out - inhale, exhale. We all do this every second, none of us can stop, otherwise we will die. During the breathing process the air comes in through the nose, passes down to the lungs and then the oxygen goes on to all the different parts of the body. This maintains the body and particularly the functions of the organs: heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, live and especially the brain. We know breathing is very important. How could we do it better so that we can get more energy - Qi?

The first step we should take is to find the best air we can. Technique is important, but the air is more important. It does not matter if you have the best breathing techniques if the air you are taking in is polluted. You will still become ill - the air will harm you! So find a place with plenty of fresh air, when you are indoors, open the windows. Fresh air is where our energy comes from. Many people like to concentrate on technique, if they miss fresh air, it is as if they have a beautiful car with a good engine but no petrol. 

The Chinese say: "In a purified place people will be in high spirits." Thus those who live or are born in a place with good energy will be healthy and intelligent, they may become great people in the future. On the other hand, a great person must live in a place with good energy. Therefore, Chinese people are very concerned about the environment they live in and even buried in. They all know about Fung Shui (Geomancy) - the energy of the environment. 

Just being in a place with good environmental influences can give you a lot of energy, even if you do not know any Qigong breathing techniques, you will benefit greatly and tend to relax. We are all very sensitive to our surroundings. It can affect our health and our emotions. For example, in a noisy place you cannot concentrate, cannot think - so you will not get any new ideas. In a quiet place you can relax and open your mind. Here you can solve many problems, because it is a good place. 

So, now we have the petrol, we need to learn how to drive... In the beginning you should relax your body. Allow all the joints, muscles and face to relax and the mind to become calm. Now your body's functions will become normal. There is no tension and no distractions. Then slightly concentrate on your Dantien, your center just below your navel, because this is where your energy is stored. 

Different people describe the location of the Dantien in different ways. Some say at the Qihai point (an acupuncture point on the Ren Channel), some say one and a half inches or even three inches below the navel. Actually, the Dantien is an area, not a point. So we do not need to be so strict about its exact location. 'Dan' means 'essence of energy' or 'crystal'. 'Tien' means 'field'. A field is not a point, it is an area. Thus the Dantien is an area. When the Dantien is open it can store a lot of energy. This makes you healthy, strong and lets you live a long life. The more active you are, the more energy you will use and this reduces your life. Take for example a dog. Dogs breathe very quickly, using the mouth more than the nose. they are very active and fast - very yang. Thus they only live for about fiifteen years, twenty at the most. A turtle for example, does not breathe with its nose alone. It uses its internal body, its abdomen. Each breath takes about two minutes. It moves slowly and quietly - very yin. So on average they live for two hundred years! People are the same. If you go running, circuit training, weight training, then these exercises can make you big, but they do not give you energy. Quiet, slow, gentle - these ways can help you store energy. 

When you breathe you should not just use your chest,  your lungs - you should use your abdomen.  They abdomen is deeper than the chest. When you breathe the breathing is deeper, longer, more internal. This way the Qi goes directly to your Dantien and strongly affects the internal organs, particularly the kidneys, lungs and heart. In fact, you breathe with the Dantien.

The Breathing Methods

The first breathing method you should use is 'natural breathing'. Forget everything (including your abdomen and the way it moves as you breathe). Just relax and concentrate on your Dantien. Slowly you will find your breathing getting deeper and deeper. 

Then you can move on to other breathing techniques. One is 'normal breathing'. Unlike natural breathing, normal breathing places more emphasis on the Dantien. As you breathe in your abdomen expands, so your Dantien expands. As you breathe out you contract your abdomen, so your Dantien moves in. this emphasizing stimulates the Dantien, making it warm. 

After practicing 'normal breathing' for a time we can move on to a slightly higher level technique - 'reverse breathing'. This also works with the abdomen, but as you breathe in you pull in your abdomen and as you breathe out you expand your abdomen. This is more difficult than normal breathing it is also stronger - it is like turning up the fire to make the room warm. 

Finally, having practiced for long enough you will find that relaxation is the most important thing. When you breathe you must relax your whole body. Start with natural breathing then move on to normal and reverse breathing. These breathing methods are good for the Dantien. They make it more sensitive and able to collect more Qi. However, because they are stronger you cannot use them all the time. Just use them to stimulate your Dantien, then let go and breathe naturally, otherwise you will become too yang - too hot, like you burn the toast. This will cause the heart to beta quickly and build up the pressure in your  veins. You will not be able to sleep and you will suffer from stress.

The correct way to use either normal or reverse breathing is to count twenty-four breaths (inhale and exhale being counted as one) and then go back to natural breathing. This allows your Qi to come back to the Dantien. You will find all your channels are clear and you feel comfortable and warm. Just let your Qi flow naturally. In fact, if you are relaxed enough, your breathing will spontaneously change to normal and reverse breathing naturally - it is no longer fixed. At that moment you are at one with nature, your body will be so relaxed that you will forget it completely, you will not even notice your breathing. Let everything go and your body will eventually become part of the universe - reach the state of Tao.

Zhang Zhuang as Self-Treatment

Traditional Chinese Therapeutic Exercises - Standing Pole

By Wang Xuanjie, J.P.C. Moffett

The Chinese medical community has previously conducted investigations into the therapeutic value of pile stance exercises. The cycle of illness is explained as follows: When the cerebral cortex becomes over excited or exhausted, the body's functioning suffers as a result to the point of illness. Likewise, illness, as a malfunctioning of the organs, sends out harmful stimuli to the cerebral cortex, placing an even further burden upon it. The aim of standing pole exercises is to break the illness cycle by providing the cerebral cortex with beneficial stimuli, thus causing it to relax.

Relaxation is achieved through the manner in which the standing pole exercises are practiced. One must assume the required body posture and then hold it for a period of time. The cerebral cortex eventually finds a soothing and pleasing object of focus in order for the body to maintain the physical posture. When the object of focus is not overly stimulating, the very relaxed sensation felt by the cerebral cortex leads to muscle relaxation, improved blood circulation and deeper respiration. The initial aches and numbness associated with a beginner's practice will gradually disperse and will be replaced by a warm, slightly numbing but very comfortable feeling. This feeling is a most beneficial stimulus to the cerebral cortex and the longer it lasts the cerebral cortex achieves even deeper relaxation, concentration and an inhibitory "quiet" state.

Electroencephalogram investigations have demonstrated this (quiet) state to be quite different from sleep or hypnosis. It is characterized by the appearance of beta wave in the front portions of both hemispheres, which increases in amplitude and expands towards the back of the hemispheres as practice progresses and the inhibitory state deepens. The alpha wave, however, undergoes little change, though sometimes exhibiting a slight increase in amplitude, cycle extension and a trend towards a gradual slowing of rhythm.

Mental activities such as worry, anger and even thought as well as unnecessary and excessive tensing of the body's muscles cause fatigue and body aches. Tension can especially be felt in the chest and shoulders and seen in the face. The steady practice of standing pole exercises extends outside practice to daily life so that excess tension and thus fatigue are permanently reduced or eventually eliminated.

It has been observed that during the standing pole exercises the pulse rate increases steadily and then eventually levels off. Immediately after practice the pulse rate does not drop suddenly. This makes it suitable for practice by those with heart trouble or the very frail. Breathing is allowed to respond naturally to the gradually rising needs of the metabolism. Breathing is not artificially slowed for that would deprive the body of oxygen. As with other strenuous types of exercise when oxygen intake cannot keep up with its consumption, as evidenced by labored breathing, there occurs a harmful build up waste products in the body such as lactic acid.

With steady practice, chest muscles eventually relax, allowing for very deep and perfectly natural breathing. There is an accompanying increase in lung capacity and with it a beneficial increase in the permeability of the pulmonary alveolus wall and expansion of the lung's capillaries. Further, greater chest expansion during inhalation increases pressure in the thorax, helping to draw blood out from the veins into the heart. Exhalation releases the pressure, helping the heart to push out blood. Lastly, there is a beneficial massaging effect of deep breathing on the internal organs as with each inhalation the diaphragm sinks and the mediastinum expands and with each exhalation the diaphragm rises and the mediastinum contracts.

Relaxation of the abdomen allows the abdominal organs to settle, while the movement of abdominal respiration coupled with pressure changes in the thorax creates a massaging motion on them. Investigations have shown that such a massaging action on the liver causes an increase in choleresis, aiding digestion, prevents stasis of the bile system and expands the blood capillaries in the liver. Such massage also helps to prevent stasis in the stomach and intestinal system, working against the development of ulcers, gastroenterits, constipation and other abdominal disorders.

In summary, the standing pole exercises are a viable and effective method of self-treatment. As a non-strenuous but thorough mental and physical exercise they can be practiced by even the very frail, combating illness and strengthening the body without the side effects of other forms of treatment.