TheWayof Martial Arts - The Peaceful Dragon

1 The Way of Martial ArtsLesson 3 SHOULD I BE INHALING OR EXHALING?MONTHLY INTERACTIVE LESSONS TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR DAILY LIFEBY MASTER ERIC SBARGEI recommend both, and in equal proportion. Believe itor not, this really is one of the most common questions Ihear from new students, especially when first learning aqigong ( chi kung ) form or practicing punching question actually is a good one. From day one welearn that all qigong, which is the foundation of our martialarts training, is comprised of three elements:Concentration, body alignment, and breathing. So ifbreathing accounts for 33% of what s important in qigong, we do want toget it doing a form, practicing techniques, or even sparring, getting yourbreathing right is simple: Just do what feels natural!

2 As we advance in our training, we see more clearly that the movementsof our Martial arts , the postures of our yoga, and the methods of our medi-tation really are quite natural. Over our life time wehave created body habits and thought habits that areunnatural, and we ve become used to these unnaturalhabits. The art forms we now practice simply help breakour unnatural habits, and guide us back towards more naturalhabits. Natural habits are, without exception, more useful andmore healthful for breathing, like movement and thought, should simply be natu-ral. Your body will automatically tell you when it s time to breathe in,Naturally, You Should Breathe-2-and when it s time to breathe out provided you maintain a relaxed (natu-ral) body, and a relaxed (natural) mind.

3 You ll feel for yourself why thebreath generally wants to go out as your limbs move or strike outwards, andwhy you tend to breathe in as you withdraw or move inwards. Sometimes it is normal to have a tense body, or an anxious and preoccu-pied mind, as a reaction to some outside stimulus. But we want to learn,through our training, how to quickly shed that tension and anxiety. We canonly enjoy deep, effective, energizing breath if we learn (or really re-learn)to relax the mind and body. WHAT S SO NATURAL ABOUT HOLDING MYBREATH FOR NINETY SECONDS WHILE DOING AHEADSTAND AND BALANCING A PLATE OFCHINESE DUMPLINGS ON MY BIG TOE?

4 Nothing. The truth is we have a lot of exercises in our training thataren t really natural they are too extreme to be natural. Then why dothem? Because they aid us in correcting the opposite extremes of the nega-tive and unnatural habits we have developed throughout our sedentary lifestyle makes our bodies overly stiff and rigid, so yogacounters with some extreme stretches to help balance us. Our busy lifestylemakes our mind full of worries and (imaginary) problems, so meditationcounters with some extreme quiet and emptiness. Ourover-indulgentlifestyle makes us soft and undisciplined, so Martial arts counter with someextreme hard practice and is no different.

5 Our negative habits, both mental and physical,make us breathe unnaturally. The breath becomes shallow, coarse, high inthe chest, and constricted. So we counter by learning and practicing several extreme breathing techniques and methods that gradually allow the breathto become deep, smooth, sunk and s the Key Point: Don t mistake the periodic extreme exercises wedo for the ongoing natural state we aspire towards. Understand them forwhat they are, namely specific exercises to help balance our opposite of the time in our practice as in our daily life our body work, con-centration and breathing should not be extreme, but rather natural and bal-anced.

6 EXERCISE ONES tand comfortably and place one hand on your chest, the other acrossyour Dan Tian (just below your belly button). Purposefully breathe deeply,quietly and smoothly. You should not hear the breath. First, simply observe and monitor your breathing. As a result of yourbreathing, which hand moves? One, both or neither? Next, try five or six breaths with no movement of the upper hand, andexaggerated movement of the lower hand as the belly moves in and you inhale the belly should expand, when you exhale it , reverse it: Try five or six deep breaths with the lower hand notmoving, and exaggerate the movement of the upper hand as the chestexpands.

7 The chest will expand when you inhale, contract when you with another five orsixbreaths once again only moving the this in the morning, at night, and any time in between that you can foran entire month. You will become more conscious of your breathing, and thiswill help you start to expand your lung capacity. Note: If you ever feel light-headed during breathing exercises, you can do them sitting TWOAny time during the day, while driving or taking a walk or sitting at yourdesk, for example, simply observe your breathing. Is it deep and smoothand quiet? Is it more from the chest or from the lower belly?

8 If it is morefrom the chest, purposely move it down to the lower belly. Most of usbreathe from the upper chest too much at the expense of diaphragmaticbreathing in the lower torso. While of course we want a mix of both, thelower belly or Dan Tian breathing is most important for us. Do this exer-cise as often as necessary, for days, weeks or months, until you find that youare naturally breathing well from the belly every time you checkASSIGNMENTW rite a paragraph or two explaining how you think improved breathingimpacts both the mind and the body. Then write another paragraph or two-3-explaining how improvements in your mind or body impact your breathing!

9 Send your thoughts to Master Sbarge at Please put Lesson 3 in the subject READING This month s recommended reading is Tao Te Ching,by Lao Tzu. This ancient classic is the " bible " of the profound Chinese philosophy ofTaoism. Taoism can be summarized in one sentence: Live in accord withnature. Knowing how to do that can be challenging, but this 2000 year oldgem will help you succeed. You will surely find, as I have, that as the months and years go by inyour training, you will often want to re-read the Tao Te Ching and you willfind new and deeper truths within it each ve heard that this is the most widely translated book next to the HolyBible.

10 I don t know whether that s true, but I do know that there are dozensand dozens of versions currently in print. I recommend picking up morethan one version to compare different month a book or article will be suggested by Master about topics related to the arts you are training in will help you getthe most out of your practice. Just remember that reading can never replaceyour practice! Each month s recommended reading is purely optional,though Master Sbarge may on rare occasion ask that you do read a particu-lar additional reading suggestions by Master Sbarge, go Please remember that forany book or other item you purchase through The Peaceful Dragon web-site s link to , a percentage is automatically sent to ThePeaceful Dragon .