Basic Breathing

Basic Tai Chi Breathing: A Simple Step by Step Guide

5 Easy Steps Toward Greater Health & Mental Strength

Written By: C. Guan Soo

Basic Tai Chi Breathing: A Simple Step by Step Guide By: C. Guan Soo Website: http://www.TaichiBreathing.com Email: [email protected]

DISCLAIMER This e-book is intended for information only. The author and publisher do not imply any results to those using this information, nor are they responsible for any results brought about by the usage of the information contained herein. The author and publisher of this e-book and the accompanying materials have used their best efforts in preparing this e-book. The author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this e-book. The author and publisher disclaim any personal liability, loss, or risk incurred as a result of the use of any information or advice contained herein, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this e-book, you are taking full responsibility for your actions. Furthermore, the author and publisher do not guarantee that the holder of this information will improve his or her health from the information contained herein. Each individual’s health will be determined by his or her desire, dedication, background, effort, motivation to practice and follow the program, and his or her current health conditions. There is no guarantee you will duplicate the results stated here. You recognize that health programs are dependent on many factors to be successful. All links are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose. This e-book is © copyrighted by C. Guan Soo. No part of this may be copied, or changed in any format, sold, or used in any way other than what is outlined within this e-book under any circumstances.

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Table of Content Part 1: Introduction to the Book ............................................................ 5 Introduction..............................................................................................................6 Background..............................................................................................................6 How to use this book................................................................................................7 Part 2: Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan ....................................................... 9 What is Tai Chi? ....................................................................................................10 What is Tai Chi Chuan?.........................................................................................11 Tai Chi Chuan and Meditation...............................................................................12 Tai Chi and Qigong................................................................................................14 Tai Chi and Healing ...............................................................................................15 Part 3: Introduction to Basic Tai Chi Breathing ................................ 16 What is Basic Tai Chi Breathing?..........................................................................17 Tai Chi Breathing....................................................................................................... 17 Tai Chi Breathing Basic Practices ............................................................................. 17 Tai Chi Breathing for Better Physical Health ........................................................18 Tai Chi Breathing for Better Mental Health ..........................................................19 Who can do Tai Chi Breathing?.............................................................................20 Tai Chi Breathing for Senior Citizens ........................................................................ 21 Tai Chi Breathing for Children .................................................................................. 21 Tai Chi Breathing for Pregnant Women .................................................................... 23 Part 4: Tai Chi Breathing – The 5 Steps ............................................. 24 Tai Chi Breathing – The 5-Steps ...........................................................................25 Step 1: Connecting the Channels ...........................................................................26 Exercise 1-1: Tongue touching the upper palate........................................................ 30 Step 2: Abdominal Breathing.................................................................................31 Exercise 2-1: Testing of breathing ways .................................................................... 33 Exercise 2-2: Hand-assisted practice – Hands over abdomen method...................... 35 Exercise 2-3: Hand-assisted practice – Hand over abdomen and chest .................... 38 Exercise 2-4: Normal abdominal breathing practice................................................. 40 Step 3: Use the Nose, Close the Mouth .................................................................43 Step 4: Deep and Long Breathing..........................................................................44 Exercise 4-1: Your Normal Breathing Count............................................................. 45 Exercise 4-2: Long and slow breathing with tiny flows ............................................. 46 Step 5: Constant Breathing Rhythm ......................................................................49 Exercise 5-1: Constant breathing rhythm .................................................................. 50 Tai Chi Breathing – Step by Step Guide................................................................52 Maintaining the Qi ..................................................................................................... 52 Practice 1: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Normal Person ................ 54 Practice 2: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Senior Citizen .................. 57 Practice 3: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Children........................... 60 Practice 4: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Pregnant Women ............. 62 Make it a Habit.......................................................................................................63

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Part 5: The Fundamental Four ............................................................ 65 Tai Chi Breathing Basic Practices - The Fundamental Four .................................66 Fundamental Four No. 1 – Sitting Posture ............................................................68 Sitting Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice................................................................. 68 Sitting Tai Chi Breathing – Daily Practice ................................................................ 70 Fundamental Four No. 2 – Standing Posture .........................................................72 Standing Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice............................................................. 72 Standing Tai Chi Breathing – Daily Practice ............................................................ 75 Fundamental Four No. 3 – Walking ......................................................................77 Walking Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice.............................................................. 78 Walking Tai Chi Breathing – Daily Practice ............................................................. 89 Fundamental Four No. 4 – Lying Down (Reclining).............................................90 Lying Down Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice ....................................................... 90 Lying Down Tai Chi Breathing – Before Sleep .......................................................... 92 Part 6: Conclusion ................................................................................. 93 Conclusion .............................................................................................................94 Part 7: Summary Guide ........................................................................ 95 Summary of Practices ............................................................................................96 Practice 1: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Normal Person ..............97 Practice 2: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Senior Citizen ...............98 Practice 3: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Children ........................99 Practice 4: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Pregnant Ladies ..........100 Fundamental Four No. 1 – Sitting Posture ..........................................................101 Fundamental Four No. 2 – Standing Posture .......................................................102 Fundamental Four No. 3 – Walking ....................................................................103 Fundamental Four No. 4 – Lying Down..............................................................104 Contact Information ............................................................................ 105

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Part 1:

Introduction to the Book

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Part 1: Introduction to the Book Introduction Basic Tai Chi Breathing: A Simple Step by Step Guide is an instructional book to show you how you can practice and master Basic Tai Chi Breathing to make you healthier and have better mental strength, based on a very ancient martial arts and healing system which is known to be at least 305 years old. This book is the basis for my next two instructional books: “Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life” and “Quick and Simple Tai Chi Chuan for Better Health in 7 Days”. Background I have always been fascinated by alternatives way for health improvement, and have learned, practiced, taught many, many different ways over the past 23 years. Those methods involves various methods of meditation, for example, Internal Energy meditation (内功静坐), Zen meditation (禅), Vipassana meditation and mindfulness practice, loving-kindness (metta) meditation, energy meditation; various healing arts like energy healing, chakra cleaning and activation, reflexology, acu-points massaging, Guasha (刮痧); and various martial arts practices like Karate-do, Thai Boxing, Hua Boxing (华拳), and Tai Chi Chuan (太极拳). I have also looked into various eastern cultures and philosophies like I-Ching, Daosim, Arts of War, Confucian, Mencius, the Four Vedas, Jainism and Buddhism in search of healthier and more harmonious ways to live our lives. I found some principles to be of great interest. From this diverse practices and methods, I simplified into one system so that it will be easier for me to practice daily. Then, I shared the method with my friends, and they liked it. So, I thought, how about making this available to the public? And thus, this book is written and brought in front of you! One more reason for me to do so: I have also modified and simplified the Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan and is now experimenting it with my families and friends and the results were very positive. This new Tai Chi Chuan has also incorporated the breathing techniques and healing arts that I have simplified. This breathing technique is the essence of my new Tai Chi Chuan and has to be done correctly in order to achieve the effect in very short period of time – that is within seven days. And in order to make it easier to learn, I decided to first write this instructional book. Once my friends have mastered this technique, it will be easier for them to learn my Tai Chi Chuan. Since, the major focus of this breathing technique is based on this Tai Chi Chuan practice, which itself was at least 305 years old (prudently based on known records), I name this as

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Tai Chi Breathing – and divided it into two levels for easier learning by different categories of people. Thus, now I introduce you “Basic Tai Chi Breathing: A Simple Step by Step Guide”, and also the next level, which will be completed too, “Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life”, in this 2 books package of “The Complete Guide to Tai Chi Breathing”. How to use this book There are seven parts in this book:

Part 1: Introduction to the Book Part 2: Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan Part 3: Introduction to Basic Tai Chi Breathing Part 4: Tai Chi Breathing – The 5 Steps Part 5: The Fundamental Four Part 6: Conclusion Part 7: Summary Guide

Part 1 and Part 2 serves as an introduction in general, and specifically touching on Tai Chi Chuan, the basis of Tai Chi Breathing. These parts are mainly to let you have a better understanding of Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan and its relationship with meditation, Qigong and healing. You can skip these 2 parts if you like to. Part 3 is essential and I suggest that you read through Part 3 first before going into the practice. In this part, I will tell you how the whole Basic Tai Chi Breathing is organized so that you can go into the practice accordingly. It also includes special attention for 3 categories of people: senior citizen, children, and pregnant women. The benefits of Tai Chi Breathing are also included in this part. Part 4 and Part 5 are the main practices and the core of this book. Part 4 consist of both exercises and practices. The exercises are designed for you to learn and master specific steps or skills towards acquiring competency in all the 5 Steps systems. Once you have mastered the specific exercises, you can proceed to the next until you have mastered all the exercises. Then, you can go into the practice. The practice in Part 4 is for you to do Tai Chi Breathing as a complete practice, according to which category you belong to. The practices in Part 5 are designed for you to learn and master the steps in specific situations – sitting, standing, walking and lying down, which I called The Fundamental Four. There’s no need to rush through these two parts. Take it one at a time. Part 6 is the conclusion of the book.

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Part 7 is the summary guide which I have included so that you can print out specific practices that you are concentrating on, on one single A4 page, and stick it somewhere you can refer to easily as an aid to your practice. The instructions in both the exercises and practices are arranged in sequence, with keywords in bold, and the explanation in normal fonts. The keywords are there to trigger off your memory of each step in the exercises and practices. Please read through the whole exercise or practice first, understand what each steps means, then only you follow the steps and do exercise or practice. To avoid confusion, the 5 Steps of Tai Chi Breathing are the core steps in the book. But for each exercises and practices, there will be additional steps depending on the situation and category. These steps, I refer to as “No. #” in the exercises. For example, if I’m referring to step 6 of the exercise, I will quote it as No. 6. For the 5 Steps of Tai Chi Breathing, I will include “Step #: so and so technique” within the steps in the exercises or practice, for example, “6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling and exhaling.” means the step No. 6 of the exercise, do Step 4 of the Tai Chi Breathing, that is breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling and exhaling. Clear? To make your learning easier, I have included many diagrams and pictures at the appropriate point of the book. These pictures are full-colored pictures – unless you print them out with a black and white printer. The pictures – especially those which have the front view, have been flipped left and right so that it will be less confusing as to the left and right directions. This means that, if the picture is shown to move to the left direction, you follow to the left direction too, and vice versa. You don’t have to follow in the reverse direction, due to the fact that the picture facing you and you face the picture in the reverse (or opposite) sides. You just follow the same direction in the book. I have, in every effort, made this instructional book as user friendly as possible, and with the thought that I’m speaking directly to you as if I’m here in front of you, teaching you the exercises and practices. Do give me feedback (see Contact Information at the last page) if you feel that there are rooms for improvement – to make the instructions easier and more user friendly. Wishing you success in your path towards better health and greater mental strength!

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Part 2:

Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan

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Part 2: Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan What is Tai Chi? Before I go into details of explaining Tai Chi Breathing, let me share with you first what is Tai Chi. The word Tai Chi (太极 - taiji) means the Great Ultimate. The Great Ultimate refers to the earliest, the beginning and the starting of all things or events. The word Tai Chi is found in the Book of Change or I-Ching (易经). It formed the earliest meta-physical thinking and concepts in the Chinese culture. It stated that all things come forth from Tai Chi, with inter-opposing and inter-dependent elements yin and yang. Many deeply-rooted aspects of the Chinese culture have this idea of yin and yang. Using the name Tai Chi on martial arts began only around 305 years ago – based on reliable records and sources. Unlike claimed by many to be founded by a Wudang priest – Zhang Sanfeng, the word Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing) is coined by Wang Zhongyue in his “Classics of Tai Chi Chuan Theory” during the Ching Dynasty. Put the historical facts aside, what is more concern to us is that Tai Chi – that is used to refer Tai Chi Chuan, encompass a complete system of martial and healing arts. Tai Chi Chuan, as martial arts, has itself a wide range of movement sets covering on bare hand fighting, sword fighting, saber fighting, staff and spear fighting. In its unified way, Tai Chi Chuan requires proper breathing techniques – to facilitate its effectiveness as both martial and healing arts. The original breathing techniques are based on Chinese medical systems found in Huangting Jing (黄庭经), incorporated into the martial art systems by the founder of modern Tai Chi Chuan – Chen Wangting (陈王廷) The breathing techniques form the very important aspect of Tai Chi Chuan’s system. It is in fact very similar to the breathing techniques used by other forms of internal martial arts systems, Qigong and meditation. Internal martial arts systems focus on development of the Qi to enhance the effectiveness of its combat skills. I have personally learned these techniques and found them to be beneficial to my health and mental alertness. However, I have refined these techniques with my experience in various meditation forms and healing techniques to create a more effective breathing technique that brings forth greater benefits to your health and mental alertness in quickest possible ways. On top of that, I have adapted certain postures from my meditation practices into Tai Chi Breathing to enable you practicing it at the most convenient situations.

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I call this Tai Chi Breathing technique because the basic source is from Tai Chi Chuan’s breathing techniques. In this book, I will be introducing Tai Chi Breathing techniques in an easy step-by-step guide so that you can harness its great healing potential for the betterment of your health and mental alertness. What is Tai Chi Chuan?

Diagram 1: Tai Chi Chuan - Parting the Wild Horse’s Mare I have mentioned Tai Chi Chuan in the earlier heading. If you are not familiar with Tai Chi Chuan, you may ask this question, “What is Tai Chi Chuan?” Let me side step and briefly describe Tai Chi Chuan, so that you will have a clearer picture about this martial arts. Tai Chi Chuan, or Tai Chi Boxing, or Tai Chi Fist, is a complete system of martial and healing arts. The most popular one and most seen style is the Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan – with its unique slow and circular motions, moving constantly in perpetuity, and in a very relaxed manner. Its movement is as gracious as the ballet dance, yet in the same time, have the styles and stances of fighting skills. A Tai Chi Chuan practitioner will constantly shift from left to right, in circular and semi-circular movements – with the hands, legs, waist, head and eyes moving in concerto, with good balance and postures. There are 5 major Tai Chi styles passed on through different family lineage: 1) Chen Style (陈式) 2) Yang Style (杨式) 3) Wu Style (吴式) 4) Sun Style (孙式) 5) Wu Style (武式)

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Each style has its unique features and postures, and different sets of motion, usually referred to as forms. For example, in Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan, there are 84 Forms, 42 Forms, and 24 Forms etc. There are claims that Tai Chi Chuan was created by a Wudang priest, Zhang Sanfeng, though there is no concrete historical evidence to prove this theory. The more concrete historical evidence recorded stated that Tai Chi Chuan was systemized by the Chen family during the 17th century in China, by Chen Wangting. It has spread from the Chen family to the Yang and then to Wu, Sun and Wu (the fifth Wu) and then to all over China. Its popularity spreads now to all over the world because of its unique healing properties and its mild exertion on the body. There are some who modify and simplify the forms further to enable more and more people to learn this art. I’m one of them – attempting to make these unique healing arts more accessible to wider range of audience in the West. This book is part of my simplification process on the 24 Forms of Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan, which is now put under strict experiments and refinement. If it is completed, I will make it available in my next book “Quick & Simple Tai Chi for Better Health in 7 Days”. Tai Chi Chuan and Meditation Tai Chi Chuan has 3 levels of practices, that is: 1) The Forms (拳架) – on how to execute each forms and motions correctly. 2) Push-hands (推手) – on the martial arts application of each form in actual sparring. 3) Tai Chi Energy (太极功) – on the meditation of the vital energy and on character building. When a beginner starts learning Tai Chi Chuan, he will focus on the forms, postures, steps, and motions of the art and how to execute each form and motions correctly. This is the basics of the martial arts. This is in fact the most important part of the learning process. When practicing, it is essential that the practitioner ‘feel’ the motion and the ‘energy flow’ of each form. This is known as ‘feeling the energy’ (摸劲). Once you have mastered the Forms, you can then go on to put these forms into application in a real combat. The practice of putting the art into actual application through sparring is referred to as the Push Hand. Practitioners will team up in pair and spar to make them more sensitive and responsive to the opponents’ movements and reactions. Once you have mastered the application of Tai Chi Chuan, the next step is to harness the vital energy to make the application of Tai Chi Chuan more effective and efficient. It

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increases the alertness to better anticipate opponent’s intention in actual combat situation. Indirectly, these cause you to be healthier physically and mentally. In order to harness the vital energy, or commonly known as Qi (气), you have to progress into the 3rd level practice of Tai Chi meditation. One point to clarify here: this meditation I referred to is sitting meditation (静坐) – where you sit cross-legged, upright, with closed eyes and focusing on your breathing, and then to the major acu-points (acupuncture points). The acu-points are the vital points where the Qi will gather. Tai Chi Energy is by itself a meditation practice, different from what I’m going to share here. Meditation used to develop our vital energies, in general has 2 categories: 1. External Meditation (外功) 2. Internal Meditation (内功) External meditation or Moving Meditation, is practiced by standing in some forms or postures, or by moving around in certain postures. It uses the dynamic to develop tranquility. Meditation should result in quietness and tranquility. In external meditation, we use movements (dynamic) to achieve these results – quietness and tranquility. Hence, it uses the concept of using dynamic to develop tranquility. Many types of Qigong are classified under this. Tai Chi Chuan itself (the form practices) is one of them! Internal meditation, or Static Meditation, on the other hand, is practiced by sitting in some position, or by non-moving postures. It uses the tranquility to develop dynamic. Internal meditation by itself would its quiet and tranquil. It will focus on the development of Qi; the flow of Qi; and the movement of Qi along the various meridians throughout our body. The flow of Qi in static position is known as dynamic in tranquility. Though external and internal meditation can be categorized but in actual practice, the division between the two is blurred. This is because that in actual meditation practices, we have to achieve:

“Within motion, there’s stillness. Within stillness, there’s motion.” 动中有静, 静中有动

(dong zhong you jing, jing zhong you dong) “Within motion, there’s stillness” is represented by external meditation and “Within stillness, there’s motion” is represented by internal meditation. Most martial arts will begin with external meditation practices before moving into the internal meditation practices. Tai Chi Chuan is one of them – and when you reach the advance level of practices, there’s no distinction between external or internal meditation. In fact, if you examine Tai Chi Chuan closely, the first stage of form practices are closest to external meditation compared to any other martial arts systems. Hence, Tai Chi Chuan is known as the internal martial arts system (内家拳). And as you advance in the form

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practices, you will move on to practice the Tai Chi Energy, or sitting meditation, which is the internal meditation method. Thus, Tai Chi Chuan is a complete system of both achieving “Within motion, there’s stillness. Within stillness, there’s motion” – and can be considered as a complete meditation practice.

Diagram 2: The 2-Fishes Diagram of Tai Chi It is worth mentioning here that the principles of “Within motion, there’s stillness. Within stillness, there’s motion” has the similar principles with I-Ching’s “Within yang, there’s yin. Within yin, there’s yang.” This principle can be shown in the Tai Chi 2-Fishes Diagram (Diagram 2). In the black portion, there’s a white dot, and vice versa, in the white portion, there’s a black dot. The white is representing the yang element, which in the case of meditation – the motion aspects. The black is representing the yin element, which means the stillness aspects. And the core principle of Tai Chi Chuan is based on the teachings of I-Ching of yin and yang. Therefore, many pick up Tai Chi Chuan as it is a representation of both internal and external meditation, to form a complete meditation system for Qi development. Tai Chi and Qigong At times, Tai Chi is used to refer to Tai Chi Qigong (太极气功) – Qi (气) means vital energy and Gong (功) means method, practice, ability. Tai Chi Qigong is used to refer to a simplified method of practicing Tai Chi mainly to harness the potent vital energy, Qi, for the purpose of gaining better health and outlook. There are many types of Qigong. I reserve my comment about the other types of Qigong available because I do not know much about these topics. However, I do know that Qigong uses very similar basic concepts and methods – especially its breathing technique, and its meditative nature in order to absorb Qi into the

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body. There are various methods which focus on the breathing, postures, sensations and visualization of the Qi. Qigong can be referred to as a type of external meditation (外功). Since Tai Chi Chuan practices of the form is also an external meditation, it is in effect a type of Qigong. Thus, Tai Chi is also used to refer to Tai Chi Qigong. Tai Chi and Healing As mentioned in earlier heading, Tai Chi Chuan is a complete martial and healing art. The founder, Chen Wangting, included the concepts of Chinese medical science, especially those related to breathing techniques. Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art, and is itself a form of exercise. Doctors’ advice: Exercises are good for our health. Tai Chi Chuan is a form of mild exercise that gives you many health benefits, minus the injuries. There are many researches have proven that the practice of Tai Chi Chuan brings forth tremendous benefit to your health, with virtually no risk of injury, though many more researches are required to confirm this further. Tai Chi Chuan can improve your health. And improvement of health is a process of healing. Moreover, each of our body has itself the ability to heal. Because of our lifestyles, diet, stress, and insufficient rest and exercise, this built-in natural healing ability is affected. The body heals much slower. Thus, with Tai Chi Chuan, the exercise balances the yin and yang elements of your body so that the body can normalizes and recover by itself. Healing process will be sped up. Specifically now, we’re talking about Tai Chi Breathing. The breathing itself has great health benefits. That’s why I dedicated a book, or rather 2 books to discuss about the techniques themselves. The core principle of Tai Chi Breathing is very much based on the original Tai Chi breathing techniques found from Huangting Jing 305 years ago. I added with my experience in energy healing into the steps to make it more effective so that your body can heal even faster! This energy healing techniques is included in Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life. The Fundamental Four is added based on my experience in meditation postures, and is included in this book. The whole purpose of this book and the advance techniques is dedicated into improvement of your health – both physical and mental health. And as such, in this case here, Tai Chi is used specifically for healing purposes.

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Part 3:

Introduction to Basic Tai Chi Breathing

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Part 3: Introduction to Basic Tai Chi Breathing What is Basic Tai Chi Breathing? In this book, Basic Tai Chi Breathing, I will be showing you how to master Tai Chi Breathing through Tai Chi Breathing Practices. What are these Tai Chi Breathing and Tai Chi Breathing Practices? Well, I will be explaining this in next 2 headings: Tai Chi Breathing When I mentioned Tai Chi Breathing, I’m referring to the breathing technique itself. This is the very basic of Tai Chi Breathing that is essential to other forms of Tai Chi Breathing Practices, as well as for Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing). Tai Chi Breathing is without any forms or postures. It can be done anywhere in any situation – as long as we still breath, of course! I use the words like ‘habit’, ‘in our daily life’ to refer to doing Tai Chi Breathing as a habit or in our daily life, without the use of the Fundamental Four. Tai Chi Breathing Basic Practices In this book, when I use ‘practices’ in referring to Tai Chi Breathing, what I actually mean is the Fundamental Four – the 4 different practice postures to be used together with the Tai Chi Breathing. These postures require some additional techniques that will help you gain better health and mental awareness. The postures are close to one of the meditation practices that I have learned and practice, in a way. However for Tai Chi Breathing practices, the focus and purposes of practicing is different. Meditation practices are usually associated with spiritual or meta-physical objectives; or even towards achieving unity with the Creator; or achieving Enlightenment. For Tai Chi Breathing, the purpose is… you know it – for health, physically and mentally. I adopt the Fundamental Four postures from my Insight Meditation (Vipassana) Practices into Tai Chi Breathing as these 4 are our very basic postures in our life. My purpose of adopting these postures is mainly to enable us to begin practicing Tai Chi Breathing in our daily life – whether we are standing, walking, sitting or lying down.

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There’s a rhyme in Chinese: “Like a bell, we sit as firmly, we stand as erected as a tree named pine, like the wind, we move as swiftly, and in the shape of a bow, we shall recline.” 坐如钟 (zuo ru zhong) 立如松 (li ru song) 行如风 (xing ru feng) 卧如弓 (wo ru gong) Even in the Chinese culture – this 4 postures are considered as our very basic postures, and for each of these postures, the requirement for a gentlemen is stated in the rhyme: firm as a bell; erected as a pine tree; swift as the wind; and the last line means that we must not sleep flat on our back or stomach, but sideway, curved in the shape of a bow. Person who sleeps flat on the back or stomach is considered careless and lazy person! So, in the rest of my books, if I mentioned ‘practice’, I’m referring to the practice in the Fundamental Four plus Tai Chi Breathing, and considered individual practices session by itself. Once you have mastered the Fundamental Four, you can proceed to many other situations where you can practice Tai Chi Breathing in the next volume: Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life. In this volume, you can move away from the Fundamental Four to practice Tai Chi Breathing in more flexible and creative ways. In summary, Tai Chi Breathing means breathing technique only. Tai Chi Breathing Practices means Tai Chi Breathing + any postures in the Fundamental Four. In Basic Tai Chi Breathing, I will show you how to master these 2 aspects in step by step manner, starting with Tai Chi Breathing only, and then move on to incorporate Tai Chi Breathing into the Fundamental Four. Tai Chi Breathing for Better Physical Health Throughout the centuries, the Chinese medical science emphasize on breathing as a form of achieving greater health. Chen Wangting included these ideas in Tai Chi Chuan when he revolutionized the martial arts, and made it also a healing art. In other traditions like Yoga, Qigong and meditation, proper breathing technique is important. Those practiced accordingly will see significant improvements in their health condition. This is specifically the purpose of writing this book – for you to get better physical health.

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Most of us breathe incorrectly. Our breathing is short, shallow, fast, and rough, and usually exertion is on the chest. And because of that, we are only ‘surviving’, not ‘living’. With Tai Chi Breathing, hopefully (as my wish), that more and more people will be exposed to the correct ways of breathing and will gain improvement in their health conditions. Tai Chi Breathing is known and proven to bring benefits to those facing the following types of health conditions:

• Heart related illness • Lungs related illness • High blood pressure • Low blood pressure • Hyper tension • Mild Depression • High body heating • Indigestion • Insomnia

It will also increase:

• Blood circulation • Detoxification • Stamina • Recovery rate

The list above is what I came to know, and verified with actual practice and experience. Some of those are from my friends who tried Tai Chi Breathing and feedback to me their condition. In my heart, I know that the list should be longer, but I would prefer to include only those I have really seen with my own eyes. And if you have any significant improvement on your health condition after a period of time, please feedback to me too. Tai Chi Breathing for Better Mental Health On top of physical health, Tai Chi Breathing can also bring you better mental health. After a period of practice, most will find improvement in the following:

• Feel calmer, relaxed and have a sense of tranquility • Enhanced alertness • Enhanced awareness – more aware of the self and surroundings • Clearer thinking • Reduced stress and tension

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• Reduced conflicts • Better problem solving abilities • Lesser mood swings (for mild depression case) • Better emotions.

Similarly, I hope to increase the list further. Let me hear from you. Who can do Tai Chi Breathing? To this question, let me answer it with another question: Who does breathing??? Everyone! This means that everyone can do Tai Chi Breathing! Adults, children, senior people, pregnant women, working people, students, those who are physically active, or those who are not well, and you name it. Everyone can to Tai Chi Breathing, base on the simple fact that we all breath every moment of our life. In fact, researches have found out that majority (close to 98%) of the people in North America did not breath in proper manner. Their breathing are short, shallow, fast, and coarse, and usually using the chest. Breathing retention is neither full nor empty. In this book - Basic Tai Chi Breathing, I will not touch on breathing retention as it is for more advance techniques. What they need to do now is to change the way they breathe to Tai Chi Breathing by consistently putting conscious effort to practice and making it a habit. It doesn’t need any special requirement to do so – just practice until it becomes a habit. However, for certain group of people, there are some aspects of the practice that require attention. For this matter, I have added 3 special headings: one for senior citizens, one for children and one more for pregnant women, to highlight some key areas that they need to be aware of. If you are one of those in these 3 categories, you can still do Tai Chi Breathing, except that you have to pay attention to certain aspects of the practice, so that it will not have adverse effects on your well-being. Just need to pay attention to a few things, and you are on the way to better physical and mental health. In the step-by-step guide, I have also put in reminders for you, if you belong to these 3 groups, about the things you need to pay attention to so that you don’t have flip to and fro (or scroll up and down) when you practice Tai Chi Breathing.

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Tai Chi Breathing for Senior Citizens For senior citizens, Basic Tai Chi Breathing is mild and particularly helpful to make you more focus and alert, stabilize blood pressure, reducing heart related illness, and improve your overall health conditions. In fact, you can do Tai Chi Breathing as a habit. However, there are 2 points to note: 1) Tai Chi Breathing practice requires some exertion on the abdominal muscles, and it is advisable to senior people to do it gradually; starting with only slight exertion and once you feel comfortable, then you can gradually exert more and more force until you achieve long and deep breath – the Tai Chi Breathing techniques. Once you are used to abdominal breathing, then there’s not need for any more conscious exertion. You will do it naturally, as a habit. 2) Advance Tai Chi Breathing will inject a lot of Qi into our body. For senior people, especially those with certain illness like high-blood pressure, heart related illnesses, it is advisable to limit this practice to once in 2-3 days, and for the duration of less than 10 minutes per practice. Qi is good for our body, but because your body has aged to some extend, too much Qi is not good. It may cause an effect – in the Hindu term – the Kundalini effect. It is like taking medicine in large quantity and the effect of over-doses may have adverse effect on the body. Kundalini effect is only advisable for very advance meditation or Qigong practitioners. Well, as the adage going: Too much of a good thing is not good! However, if you don’t include the Visualization practice in the Advance Tai Chi Breathing, then it is absolutely alright to practice it very frequently. Visualization practice in the Advance Tai Chi Breathing is the core technique that will absorb and inject a lot of Qi into your body. So, for Visualization technique, do it less frequently, and also for shorter duration. To know more about Advance Tai Chi Breathing, read the next volume: Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life. But before you do so, please make sure you have mastered the fundamentals in the Basic Tai Chi Breathing. Tai Chi Breathing for Children For children, Tai Chi Breathing is equally mild and helpful to increase their concentration, focus, alertness and growth, and especially helpful in their studies and learning processes. If you are parents and wanted to teach them Tai Chi Breathing, yes, they can do Tai Chi Breathing every moment of their life. In fact, I started doing Tai Chi Breathing at the age of 10, and my studies improved tremendously – from being last in the class to achieving straight 5A’s in my Public Assessment Examination, when I was 11. I maintained the first 3 position in my class from then onward.

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I remembered sharing this breathing technique with a friend Andrew, who was a Wushu practitioner when both of us were 13. He taught me some Wushu techniques and I taught him Tai Chi Breathing. His results in studies improved tremendously too! I have been teaching these techniques to children who are 10 years old onward. Incidentally, I started practicing this at the age of 10! Frankly, I have to admit – I have yet to share this with children younger than that age cap. Most of those who came to my seminars, talks and camps were 10 years old onward. Thus, I have no track record to proof that those younger than 10 years old can practice and benefit from this – though deep in my heart I know that they will definitely benefit from Tai Chi Breathing. I have seen some instructors doing this for even younger children and the benefits these children get are tremendous! And another thing I have to admit – it is not easy to teach young children to practice Tai Chi Breathing! But once they are used to it – it is their way of breathing for the rest of their life! The health and mental benefits they will reap is unimaginable! Why did I say that it is not easy to teach young children Tai Chi Breathing. The reasons I’m going to state here are the areas that we need to pay attention to: 1) The one most important thing is we must inculcate the interest for them to learn and practice. Otherwise, this simple practice of breathing in and breathing out routine will soon bore them out, and they quit very quickly. Frankly, I’m not an expert in early childhood education, nor have I much experience in inculcating interest in children. All I can share is to tell them before hand what kind of benefits that they will reap if they continue practicing persistently, and making it a habit. Once it becomes their habit, they no longer need to do it consciously, and then we can be sure that they will continue doing it. 2) Children being children, they have shorter span of focus. Thus, I suggest that we started them of with short duration of practice, even as short as for 30 seconds, or about 6-7 breath only. Once they are used to it, increase gradually until about 10-20 breath. If they can stay focus for longer period, then go ahead, let them practice longer until it is their habit to do so. However, one point to make here – the practice must not be longer than 10 minutes per practice session. Reason? 3) Similarly to the case of senior citizens, the body at young age is not suitable for large amount of Qi, and Kundalini effects on young children may have very, very negative effect on their general well-being! Note: very, very negative!

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Therefore, Advance Tai Chi Breathing is a no-no for them, particularly the Visualization techniques. In fact, I would recommend only Basic Tai Chi Breathing for them until they are well over 18 years old or when they are over the puberty and growing stages, with more stabilize emotion and mentality. Secondly, Advance Tai Chi Breathing requires higher concentration and focus and proper Visualization technique is also very important to achieve positive result from the practice. Children’s focus is short spanned, and the risk of them practicing the Visualization technique wrongly is very high! I would not recommend this for them. Parent! Please take note! Tai Chi Breathing for Pregnant Women Again, same thing, Tai Chi Breathing is mild and beneficial for expecting mother, as well as the baby within. Same case as with children, Advance Tai Chi Breathing is a no-no case for pregnant women, especially if Visualization technique is used together. Advance Tai Chi Breathing with Visualization will inject a lot of Qi into your body, as well as to your baby’s body. To you, it is alright but not for the baby. Please take note. Other things to pay attention to are: 1) As Tai Chi Breathing requires abdominal breathing, which by itself is an exercise for the lower body. Slight and mild exercise on the lower body is good, but not too rigorous one. In the same principles, when doing Tai Chi Breathing, avoid over-exertion on the abdominal muscles, otherwise it may have effect on the baby. 2) Depending on the stages of pregnancy, find a posture (from the Fundamental Four) that is most comfortable for you to practice with. Even if you have to abandon the Fundamental Four and adopt a posture that is best for yourself, go ahead! Just feel comfortable will do. 3) For Tai Chi Breathing basic practices, just do it less than 10 minutes per practice session. You can continue the abdominal breathing in your daily life.

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Part 4:

Tai Chi Breathing – The 5 Steps

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Part 4: Tai Chi Breathing – The 5 Steps Tai Chi Breathing – The 5-Steps In Tai Chi Breathing, there are few elements to be practiced in the same time in order to get it right. I have divided each elements of Tai Chi Breathing as individual steps, which are arranged in a sequence that can be easily remembered and practiced as a habit. For each elements or steps, I will explain why that this step is necessary and why it has to be done in the way as described. There are altogether 5-steps. I suggest that you read through each steps carefully in order to fully understand the necessity of getting it done correctly. Don’t worry about remembering all the 5 steps or sequence at your first reading. However, there are exercises designed in each steps to enable you to master each of the steps in a progressive sequence. It is designed specifically for you to master each of the steps before going for the full practice. Follow the exercises closely and move on to the next exercise only when you have achieved the desired outcome for the exercise you practice. Each progressive exercise is built upon the skills that you have mastered in the previous exercise. Thus, it is not possible for you to skip, unless I specifically mention it in certain steps. At the end of each step, I put a boxed text to just describe what you need to do for that particular step. At the end of all the 5-steps, I dedicated one heading “Tai Chi Breathing – Step by Step Guide” as the full practice with suggested time and duration to do these 5-steps for different categories of people in different situations. Once you feel comfortable with Tai Chi Breathing, you can proceed with the Fundamental Four, which offers you more opportunities to reap the benefits of Tai Chi Breathing. At the end of the book, I have put the Summary Guide to help you remember each of the steps, which you can printout and stick it somewhere you can refer to easily anytime. All the exercises and practices, including the Fundamental Four, are each fitted into 1 single A4 page – you don’t need a big board or space to stick it on! So now, read through each of these 5 steps thorough, and do the exercises before beginning your complete practice.

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Step 1: Connecting the Channels In Chinese medicine, it is stated that our body has various meridians (经), and network (络) that carry our vital energy or life energy throughout our body. There are many meridians and networks in our body. All these together are known as the 12 Meridians and Networks (十二经络). Each of our body has all these 12 Meridians and Networks, which is divided as follows:

1. Meridians (经) which includes 3 Yin Hand Meridians, 3 Yang Hand Meridians, 3 Yin Leg Meridians, 3 Yang Leg Meridians, 12 Alternate Meridians, 12 Sinews Meridians, and the Weird Meridians of 8 Channels.

2. Networks (络) which includes 15 Networks, Floating Network, Sun Network and 12 Skin Networks.

Out of these meridians and networks, there are 2 which belong to the Weird Meridians of 8 Channels, are the most important one – which is known as Ren Channel (任脉) and Du Channel (督脉). I have seen authors translated Ren literally to Employment Meridian, and Du literally to Supervisory Meridian. Yes, it is the correct meaning of the characters. I prefer to use Ren and Du as it is in Pinying as, frankly, I’m not too sure of its actual meaning to render it correctly in English. The reason I use ‘Channel’ is to differentiate these from the meridians which is more accurate to describe its nature.

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Diagram 3: The Du Channel (Extracted from ancient text) Du Channel runs from the center of the lower part between the private part and the anus, up toward the spine until it reaches the topmost of the head, then come down through the forehead until it reaches the acu-point above the upper lips. Ren Channel runs from the inner part of the lower lip straight down towards the point two inches below the navel – name Zhongji (中极)

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Diagram 4: The Ren Channel (Extracted from ancient text) In meditation, the Qi travels from Dantian (丹田) or Qihai (气海) at the lower side of Zhongji towards the buttock, up through Du Channel towards the head, then back down to the upper lips, continues to Ren Channel and back down to Dantian again. The Qi gathers in Dantian, which is why it is also known as Qihai, literally the sea of Qi. In the Indian tradition – it is known as the Abdominal Chakra. The complete travel of the Qi through Du and Ren Channels forms a complete circulation cycle which is known as one Heavenly Circulation (一周天). Why do I take the trouble of explaining all this? If the Qi did not complete the Heavenly Circulation, and gathers at Dantian, then whatever Qi we absorb or collected will be lost or faded away. Therefore it is important for you to make sure that the Qi is able to travel through both Du and Ren Channels. These 2 are connected at the lower abdomen at Zhongji, but are not connected at the upper part – between the upper lips and the lower lips. In order to ensure that they are connected, your tongue has to touch the upper palate (upper part of your mouth, behind your teeth) when you are doing Tai Chi Breathing.

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Connected Disconnect

Diagram 5: Energy flow with and without connecting Ren and Du Channels With the tongue touching the upper palate, the gap between the two channels at the upper link is closed, and Qi can travel freely between the two channels. With this, the effect of your Tai Chi Breathing is far superior than if you do not connect them. In fact, in my experience on energy healing – which has another type of meditation to increase our healing energy, we are required to connect our tongue to the upper palate. And when we are doing the healing, we have to keep our tongue touching the upper palate throughout the duration of the healing process. And for additional sharing… besides talking, eating, reading or anything that I need to move my mouth, I will keep my mouth closed with my tongue touching the upper palate and do Tai Chi Breathing in my daily life. You too can make it a habit. In order for you to have a feel of raising the tongue to touch the upper palate, I arranged an exercise here to you to get use to it. Do practice it until you feel comfortable with it.

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Exercise 1-1: Tongue touching the upper palate

1. Close you mouth. There’s no way you can speak when doing Tai Chi

Breathing. 2. Breathe normally. Don’t worry about abdominal breathing yet. 3. Raise your tongue. You don’t have to force the tongue, but only raise it

slightly and touch the upper palate lightly. You may try touching the back of your upper teeth, or in slighter, or directly above – but most importantly is you feel comfortable.

If there is saliva, swallow it lightly – with the tongue still touching the

upper palate. For some people, it will take them a while to get use to it. What I’m more concern is that you can keep the tongue in that position most of the time so that you can habitually practice Tai Chi Breathing.

For children, it may cause them discomfort for them to touch their

tongues to the upper palate. If they feel uncomfortable to do so, don’t force them. I did not connect the channels when I started off as I felt uncomfortable to do so! Encourage them to do so only when they are older, preferably above 12.

So, to start off – please remember:

Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper palate.

Special Notes This step is perfectly alright for senior citizens, children and pregnant women.

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Step 2: Abdominal Breathing This step is the far most trickiest step. And it is the most important steps for the breathing techniques to work effectively for you. It is tricky because from my experience of teaching these breathing techniques, I found many whom I have taught before revert back to their normal, or I should rather say, their habitual breathing ways. I found out why – and now I have refined the methods. I did a lot of thinking and refinement and testing on my teaching approaches before writing this book. This is also why the Fundamental Four came into the picture. This is to add more opportunities to practice… or rather to remind you to practice these breathing techniques until it has been deeply engraved in your mind! Let me forewarn you: It is not easy to master this step! I have friends who learn meditation, yoga, Qigong and Tai Chi Chuan, and sadly, most of them did not pay attention to their breathing techniques. Not that the instructors did not teach them – but ‘bad’ habit is really hard to break! Yes, I dare say that most people’s breathing techniques is incorrect and it is a bad habit! A real bad one because it does not bring benefits to you! They either revert back to their former breathing ways, or they just ignore the importance of it. This is also why I did not write about my Tai Chi Chuan techniques yet, but put effort into writing these 2 books first. It’s for you to get the breathing techniques correct, so that when you do Tai Chi Chuan, it has already became a habit and you will gain the benefits of Tai Chi Chuan in less than 7 days! Frankly, I myself took almost 2 years to make this habitual but I was only 10 when I started out! Or starting young has its advantage??? Whatever it is, I’m sure you can do it in less than the duration I had taken! But on one condition – follow my steps closely, or should I say, religiously! And if you doubt that just a simple change in your breathing way can bring health benefits, or feel like brushing off this step as an important step – please stop reading now! Don’t go on! E-mail me and I refund you your money immediately! This is the same word I feel like telling my friends who ignore the importance of breathing techniques – stop practicing what they are practicing because they will not go very far! No point doing it! To practice Tai Chi Chuan, meditation, yoga or Qigong without paying attention to the breathing techniques is like practicing the form without the essence (有其行, 无其精), and it is not the form that gives you the benefits, but the essence. Tai Chi Breathing involves breathing with the lower diaphragm or the abdomen. Most people breathe using their chest, or the upper diaphragm. Breathing using the chest

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usually results in shorter and shallower breath. To fully benefit from your breathing, your breath has to be deep and long. I will cover this in Step 4: Deep and Long Breathing. One important concept in internal meditation and martial arts is – “Sinking the Qi in Dantian” (气沉丹田). This means that the Qi must go down to as low as possible in order to reach Dantian. Qi in this case means air. And by going down to Dantian, it will gather there. Once sufficient amount of potent Qi has gathered there, it will flow and move through the channels and meridians, removing any blockings or interruptions along the way, to create better balance in the elements and functioning of our vital organs. In order to achieve “Sinking the Qi in Dantian”, you have to breathing using the lower diaphragm. How to do this type of breathing? Have you ever given a sigh? Just before giving a sigh, you will take a deep breath all the way to the lower abdomen, isn’t it? Well, that’s how you do it…but I’m not asking you to sigh all the time! Now, if you agree with me about the importance of this step, then go on reading. There are certain people who will find learning this breathing technique easy. People who have been trained to breath using their lower abdomen for their specific purpose will definitely find this easier, or in fact they are doing it, particularly swimmers, singers, theatrical actors and actresses, and public speakers. Swimmers use abdominal breathing to float easily; singers, speakers and those in acting use it to articulate their voices. By the way, these are 2 benefits already, for mastering this step!

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Inhaling Exhaling

Diagram 6: Breathing with upper and lower diaphragm If you are breathing using the chest all the time so far, you will have to put in some conscious efforts to get this right. Most people are not aware of their breathing patterns, but don’t you agree that breathing is our one most vital function that we cannot live without? If we don’t breathe… well, what else can we talk about? I have spoken to many people, and they are not conscious about how they breathe. They just breathe! I don’t blame them because it is their brain that has been programmed to automatically breathe the way they breathe. Now, you have to unlearn it, re-learn and reinforce it with constant practice. So, the first step to get Step 2: Abdominal Breathing right is to be aware of your breathing ways. So, give a try on this exercise: Exercise 2-1: Testing of breathing ways The purpose of this exercise is for you to test out how you actually breathe habitually. Try doing it with your normal breathing ways – in other words, not because I have been stressing the importance of abdominal breathing, you do it on purpose to cheat the test. You don’t have to cheat anyone – the test is for you to know how you breathe habitually now.

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Picture 1: Hand on the chest 1. Hands over the chest. Put both your hands on the middle section of your

chest, as shown in the picture above. 2. Breathe. Breathe normally. 3. Feel your chest movements. If you feel your hand been pushed out while

inhaling, and sink while exhaling, then you are using the upper diaphragm for breathing.

So, are you aware now of how you breathe? If you are already breathing using the lower abdomen - good for you! You can even skip the next exercise and proceed straight to Step 3: Use the Nose, Close the Mouth. But if you are not doing it yet, it will take some practice to get use to it. I suggest you repeat the following exercises until you are comfortable and can do it spontaneously. There will be 3 exercises you should follow through. First, if you have never ever breathed using the stomach, go for Exercise 2-2 first. This exercise will let you start learning and practicing abdominal breathing with the help of your hand to consciously feel the movements of your stomach. If in case you find it confusing to do abdominal breathing with Exercise 2-2, not sure whether it is the abdomen movement or chest movement, then I have designed another exercise, which is slightly different from Exercise 2-2 but with the same purpose – using your hands to assist you getting the abdominal breathing done correctly. This is in Exercise 2-3. The reason for these 2 different methods is because from my experience, some can manage abdominal breathing with Exercise 2-2, but some needed Exercise 2-3 to get it right. I put both the methods here and it’s up to you to pick the one that can give you the right results.

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Once you can do abdominal breathing consciously without the need to feel the movements of your stomach, then you can proceed to Exercise 2-4. So, let’s start of with Exercise 2-3 first: Exercise 2-2: Hand-assisted practice – Hands over abdomen method For this exercise, don’t rush. Take you time and do it slowly. If you have not learned about abdominal breathing before, you will need time to learn to do it correctly. It can be confusing at first. Most people gave up almost instantaneously. Don’t worry! And don’t give up! Your brain has been trained to breathe the way you breathe for many, many years. You will definitely need time to re-program your brain to do this new breathing technique. If you could not get it right the first try, and been confused with your breathing, stop and revert back to your normal breathing ways. Stop the exercise for a while and start all over again. Should you feel dizzy, breathless, or feel strenuous. Stop immediately and breathe in your normal way for a while. Lie down and relax. Start the exercise all over again. So now, try out this simple Exercise 2-2 slowly until you can do away with the hands.

Picture 2: Hands over the abdomen – Front and Side

1. Keep your head and body straight. Keep your head and body straight

whether you are standing or sitting. The best if you can lie down flat on your back on a flat bed. This enable you to move exert your abdomen freely.

2. Relax. Yes, keep your body straight but relaxed in the same time. If you

lie down, you can relax the body better. You should not feel any tense or strain on your body.

3. Close your eyes lightly, if you like to. It’s optional, but preferred. Closing

your eyes can help you keep focus, especially now you are trying to break a ‘bad’ habit!

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4. Hands over the stomach. Put both of your hand over your stomach just

below the chest, as shown in the picture above. This is for you to feel the movements of your abdomen during the breathing process (Picture 2).

5. Exhale. Breathe out and keep the lungs empty to start off.

Picture 3: Hand assisted inhaling – stomach method 6. Expand your abdomen. Exert some force on your stomach muscles, and

let it push out while you breathe in. Feel that the diaphragm pull towards your lower abdomen. You should feel both your hands pushed out slightly by your lower abdomen.

Inhale slowly. Breathe in slowly and feel the abdomen expanding slowly

at the same time with your hands until you cannot exert further. Warning: Do not over exert. Use only little force to do it, and breathe as

naturally as possible. You should stop inhaling the moment you feel that you cannot exert further. There should not be any feeling of strain on your stomach muscles.

For senior citizen and pregnant women, please do not exert too much

force on your abdomen. For children, a change in their breathing pattern may result in dizziness in

them. Please watch out for signs of them not getting enough air during the practice. Do not push too hard.

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Picture 4: Hand assisted exhaling – stomach method 7. Shrink your abdomen. Consciously shrink your abdomen while you

exhale. You should feel both your hands sink in together with your lower abdomen.

Exhale slowly. Breathe out slowly and feel the abdomen shrinking slowly

at the same time with your hands until you cannot shrink anymore. For senior citizen and pregnant women, please do not exert too much

force to shrink your abdomen. For children, make sure that they place their hand lightly above their

abdomen, and not to use their hands to press the stomach down during the exhaling process!

8. Practice. Repeat No. 6 to No. 7 for few times until you can still do

abdominal breathing even though you put your hands away.

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Exercise 2-3: Hand-assisted practice – Hand over abdomen and chest If in case that you find it confusing with Exercise 2-2 – that is, not sure whether it is the abdominal breathing or chest breathing, then try out this exercise.

Right Left

Picture 5: Hands over the abdomen and chest

1. Keep your head and body straight. Keep your head and body straight

whether you are standing or sitting. The best if you can lie down flat on your back on a flat bed. If your body is straight, you can move your abdomen easily.

2. Relax. You need to keep your body straight but relaxed in the same time.

If you lie down, you can relax the body better. You should not feel any tense or strain on your body.

3. Close your eyes lightly, if you like to. It’s optional, but preferred. Closing

your eyes can help you keep focus, especially now that you are trying to break a ‘bad’ habit!

4. Hands over the stomach and chest. Put your left hand over your stomach

just below the chest, and your right hand over your chest, as shown in the picture above. This is for you to feel the movements of your abdomen with your left hand during the breathing process, and to ‘mentally’ press down your chest with your right hand.

5. Exhale. Breathe out and keep the lungs empty to start off.

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Picture 6: Hand assisted inhaling – stomach and chest method 6. Expand your abdomen. Exert some force on your stomach muscles, and

let it push out while you breathe in. Feel that the diaphragm pull towards your lower abdomen. You should feel your left hand pushed out slightly by your lower abdomen.

In the same time, you should ‘mentally’ press down your chest with you

right hand. ‘Mentally’ here means not to exert any physical strength to press it down, but rather to keep reminding you that the chest mustn’t move in the breathing process. You should exert mental strength instead.


at the same time with your hands until you cannot exert further. Your chest should move only slightly compared to the abdomen movements.

Warning: Do not over exert. Use only little force to do it, and breathe as

naturally as possible. You should stop inhaling the moment you feel that you cannot exert further. There should not be any feeling of strain on your stomach muscles.


force on your abdomen. Also do not press on your chest with physical force.

For children, a change their breathing pattern may result in dizziness in

them. Please watch out for signs of them not getting enough air during the practice. Make sure they do not press their chest with physical force.

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Picture 7: Hand assisted exhaling – stomach and chest method

7. Shrink you abdomen. Consciously shrink your abdomen while you

exhale. You should feel your left hand sink in together with your lower abdomen.

Exhale slowly. Breathe out slowly and feel the abdomen shrinking slowly

at the same time with your hands until you cannot shrink anymore. There’s only little movement on the right hand – which is over the chest.


force to shrink your abdomen. For children, same thing, make sure they do not press down their own

chest with force. 8. Practice. Repeat No. 6 to No. 7 for few times until you can still do

abdominal breathing even though you put your hands away.

Once you are comfortable breathing through your lower abdomen – in order word, you can do it without the need to feel your abdomen movements with your hands, then you can continue with the next exercise until you are comfortable and can do it spontaneously. Exercise 2-4: Normal abdominal breathing practice Once you can do abdominal breathing without the need to feel your abdomen movements, you can put away you hands for your further practices. This exercise is specifically arranged as a progression for you to continue your practice. I added Step 1: Connecting the Channels in this exercise. Practice this together so that each time you do abdominal breathing, you will remember to make your tongue touching the upper palate.

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1. Keep your head and body straight. Keep your head and body straight so

your abdomen can be exerted freely. 2. Relax. Keep your body straight but relaxed in the same time. You should

not feel any tense or strain on your body. 3. Close your eyes lightly, if you like to, to help you keep focus. 4. Tongue touching upper palate. Don’t forget your Step 1: Connecting

the Channels in Tai Chi Breathing! Children may skip this if they feel uncomfortable. 5. Exhale. Empty your lungs to start off.

Picture 8: Normal abdominal inhaling 6. Expand your abdomen. Exert some force on your stomach muscles, and

let it push out while you breathe in. Feel that the diaphragm pull towards your lower abdomen, with the air going towards your Dantian.


at the same time, until you cannot exert further. Warning: Do not over exert. Use only little force to do it, and breathe as

naturally as possible. There should not be any feeling of strain on your stomach muscles.


force on your abdomen.

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Picture 9: Normal abdominal exhaling 1. Shrink you abdomen. Consciously shrink your abdomen while you

exhale. Exhale slowly. Breathe out slowly and feel the abdomen shrinking slowly

at the same time, until you cannot shrink your abdomen any further. Again, a reminder for senior citizen and pregnant women, please do not

exert too much force on your abdomen. 2. Practice. Repeat No 6. to No. 7 for 10 to 20 times for each practice

session. For children, you may want to practice together with them in order to

motivate them to continue practicing.

How do you feel after doing abdominal breathing? You should feel more refreshed, calmer, relaxed and energize, aren’t you? You should practice this exercise until you can do abdominal breathing spontaneously. This is necessary, so that you can proceed with the next few steps in order to completely master Tai Chi Breathing Basics, which allows you to continue further with the Fundamental Four and subsequently to Advance Tai Chi Breathing. I suggest that you don’t proceed to the next steps until you can do this at anytime by conscious efforts. I’m not talking about making it a habit yet – where you can do it without any conscious effort!

Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen.

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Step 3: Use the Nose, Close the Mouth This is not exactly a step, but a requirement on your breathing. To get the best effect on Tai Chi Breathing, breathing must be done through the nose, and not through the mouth. This is because breathing through the nose can achieve long (长), slow (缓) and breathing with tiny flows (细). On the contrary, breathing with the mouth can only be short, fast and coarse. Long, slow and breathing with tiny flows is vital to achieve the calmer and relaxed body and mind. And allows the Qi to go as far as possible towards Dantian and achieve fuller retention there. Full and empty retention will be discussed in details in Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life. To achieve long, slow and breathing with tiny flows, I separate the exercises into another step; Step 4: Deep and Long Breathing for you to practice. For the time being, please focus only on your nose for the duration of Tai Chi Breathing practices. This means that you make sure that your mouth is close, and breathe through the nose. One more point to add - frankly, with your tongue touching the upper palate, there’s not way for you to breathe through your mouth! And this means you cannot do Tai Chi Breathing if you speak!

Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed

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Step 4: Deep and Long Breathing As mentioned in Step 3, the importance of achieving deep and long breathing in Tai Chi Breathing is necessary to achieve its full potential. Deep breathing is achieved through abdominal breathing which has been covered in detail in Step 2. The reason has been stated – to “Sink the Qi in Dantian” so that the Qi can be gathered until sufficient amount is achieved to facilitate its flow throughout the meridians and channels. Another reason for deep breathing is to allow longer retention of the air in the lungs to enable longer oxidization of the lung cells. Guess you have already known that after doing deep breathing, you will feel more refreshed and energized. To get deep breathing – it has to be long enough so to allow the Qi to travel all the way to Dantian. Thus, the requirement of Tai Chi Breathing is that every breath must be long (长), slow (缓) and with tiny flows* (细). Let me quote a statement found in a very old text that I still have with me:

“Each exhaling and each inhaling, it is desirably be long, slow and with tiny -flows” 一呼一吸，以长、缓、细为佳。 (yihu yixi, yi chang, huan, xi weijia)

This statement was made by Zhang Sanfeng, who was claimed to be the founder of Tai Chi Chuan by many. Though I attributed Tai Chi Chuan to Chen Wangting, I still respect the great wisdoms shown by Zhang Sanfeng when he quoted that statement in a very old text “Explanation of Internal Energy Sitting Meditation” (内功静坐解说), the first text which prompted me to start meditation practice at the age of 10. Long breathing means that the duration of each inhaling and exhaling takes a longer time than your normal breathing time. This can be achieved by breathing slowly, and in the same time, the flow of the breath should be small. These three requirements must be practiced in the same time. *With tiny flows is the best term I can get to accurately explain this requirement as described by the Chinese character (细). Tiny flows also means that the strength of the breathing is soft and breathing is almost effortless. Having said the requirements, I now designed another 2 exercises for you to practice long, slow and small-flowed breathing to achieve the desired results of Tai Chi Breathing. Start off with Exercise 4-1 to get the count of your normal breathing. Then proceed to Exercise 4-2 and practice it constantly. These exercises are natural progression from Exercise 2-4 in Step 2. If you have practiced Step 2 well, then I suggest that now you proceed to these exercises instead.

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This added another condition to your practice so that you can slowly and surely master Tai Chi Breathing Basics. Exercise 4-1: Your Normal Breathing Count Before going to the next exercise, it is important for you to have a go on this exercise first. This exercise is to gauge your normal breathing speed as your personal benchmark to assist you achieving longer breath in the next exercise. The reason I designed this is because every one of us has different breathing count – and unlike some other instructors I have came across who give a fix count for everyone across the board, I prefer you use your own benchmark to measure your breathing duration.

1. Keep your head and body straight and relax. Keep your head and body

straight yet relaxed in the same time. 2. Close your eyes lightly – optional. 3. Tongue touching the upper palate. Children may skip this. 4. Exhale. Empty the lungs to start off. 5. Abdominal inhaling. Inhale normally. Do not worry about the speed of your breathing in first.

Just focus on the whole process of inhaling and keep a mental count from the moment you begin breathing in till your abdomen reaches its comfortable maximum expansion. Mentally count ‘1, 2, 3, 4…’ and keep the count as a record.

For example, if you inhale in your normal speed, you counted from the

moment you begin breathing in, ‘1…2…3…4’, then you should make a mental note ‘4’ as your inhaling count duration.

Warning: By now, your abdomen should be flexible enough and you can

consciously control its expansion with ease. If not, take note not to over exert.

Same reminder for senior citizen and pregnant women, please do not

exert too much force on your abdomen.

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6. Abdominal exhaling Exhale normally. Breathe out slowly and keep a mental count on the

whole process of exhaling, starting when you begin breathing out. Same thing, make a mental record of your exhaling count duration.

7. Record your count. If you need to, write it down – each count for

inhaling and exhaling. Both should be about the same count. Meaning, if you have 4 for inhaling, you should get also 4 for exhaling.

Now, proceed to the next exercise. Exercise 4-2: Long and slow breathing with tiny flows

1. Keep your head and body straight and relax. 2. Close your eyes lightly – optional. 3. Tongue touching the upper palate. Children may skip this. 4. Exhale. Empty the lungs to start off. 5. Normal Abdominal Breathing. Inhale normally. Start off breathing in normally, and mentally count your

breath. The count should match your personal benchmark. For example, you have record a count of 4 for inhaling, you should reach

the maximum expansion at the count of 4, and then start the exhaling process.

Exhale normally. Breathe out slowly and mentally count your breath. The

count should also match your personal benchmark. Repeat 3-5 times. Repeat this around 3-5 times or until you are

comfortable to go slower. Tips: In case you lose count, try using your fingers to count the number of

breathing, while you are still mentally count the inhaling and exhaling duration.

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6. Add one more count. Add one more count onto your current inhaling and exhaling count. For example, if you have a count of 4, add 1 more count means you will now count to 5 instead.

7. Inhale slower. Slow down the abdominal expansion and mentally count to

your new number. You have to consciously slow down the expansion and inhaling process.

Feel the air. In the process of breathing in slowly, you should focus on

your nose. You should feel very small and long flows of air going through your nose into your lower abdomen.

8. Exhale slower. Slow down the abdominal shrinking and mentally count to

your new number. Also, you have to consciously slow down the shrinking and exhaling process.

Feel the air. In the process of breathing out slowly, you should keep focus

on your nose too. You should feel very tiny and long flows of air going out through your nose. The tiny flows of air going out should give you a sense of tranquility and peace. Smile, it will feel even better!

9. Repeat 5-10 times. Repeat No. 7 to 8 around 5-10 times or until you are

comfortable to go even slower. Tips: In case you lose count, try using your fingers to count the number of

breathing, while you are still mentally count the inhaling and exhaling duration.

10. Go even slower. Go back to No. 6 to add one more count and repeat No.

7-9 until you are comfortable to go slower and slower. You should be able to go twice the count of your normal breathing speed. If your initial count is 5, then you should be able to go as slow as 10.

However, do not force yourself. If you can go 50% slower, you should

also be able to achieve the long, slow, and small-flowed breathing for Tai Chi Breathing. 50% slower means that if your first count is 4, then you can go slower until 6 or even 7. That is good enough!

If you should feel dizzy or lack of air, revert back to your normal

breathing speed. Stop if you must. Start the whole exercise again when you feel alright.

In case the flow of the above exercise confuses you, please refer to the diagram below in order to get a clearer picture, starting with No. 5:

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No. 5 Normal Abdominal Breathing

No. 6 Add One More Count

No. 7 Inhale Slower, Feel the Air

No. 8 Exhale Slower, Feel the Air

No. 10 Go even Slower

s

Diagram 7: Flow of Exercise 4-2 Once you can go achieve 50% slower or more, you should feel verysense of tranquility and peace will set in. Your heart beat will slow dless stress, less tension, less nervous and will have a sense of harmmind should be refreshed and your level or alertness should be highe Constant practice of this exercise will further enhance the effects I mup to now, you have progressed to Step 4, and almost completed theBreathing.

Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inh

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No. 9 Repeat 5-10 time

relaxed doing it. A own. You would feel ony internally. Your r.

entioned above. So, training for Tai Chi

aling and exhaling.



Step 5: Constant Breathing Rhythm This step is again a natural progression from Step 4. Once you have achieved long, slow and with tiny flows breathing, the next challenge is to keep it constant. If you do Tai Chi Breathing with the Fundamental Four, keeping constant breathing rhythm is not a problem. Only when you are doing Tai Chi Breathing on its own, and carry on with your daily chores or work, to keep it constant is a challenge. Even for me personally, I find it difficult to maintain constant speed of my breathing, though I can always achieve slow, long and with tiny flows breathing easily. Again, this step is a requirement which you should strive to achieve once you have mastered Step 4. However, to assist you practicing, I designed one exercise here for you to practice in order to achieve constant breathing rhythm. Before going into the exercise, let me explain why this step is necessary. You understand that breathing should be slow. Slow here means slow throughout the breathing duration. Breathing in is slow, breathing out is slow. The next breathing is also slow. Now, can you see why it has to be constant? If breathing is slow, then fast, then slow, and then fast again… then your focus is not there. Or you are not relaxed enough to calm down. In either case, you should strive to slowly slow down your breathing. No puns intended here! Exercise 4-2 is meant to slowly slow down your breathing. There’s another saying in Chinese, which states why the breathing rhythm should maintain constant:

“If the breathing is not stable, then the mind cannot calm down” 息不定，心难静

(xi bu ding, xin nan jing) There’s the reason why your breathing should be stable. Stable here means: not little while fast, little slow and then fast again! Understandably, it’s not easy to do so if you are not seated down or lying down. Even so, to make the effort to achieve constant breathing is commendable! So, for the next exercise, I suggest that you find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. And remember, once you have achieved at least 50% slower, and have no intention to go even slower, then you should maintain the count for the duration of your practice. With this, you can achieve constant breathing rhythm. Notice I mentioned ‘constant breathing rhythm’? Not only your breathing should be constant, each of the inhaling duration should also match with the exhaling duration. For

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example, if you achieve a count of 8 for inhaling, then you should also count to 8 for exhaling. So, follow this exercise to get constant breathing rhythm. Exercise 5-1: Constant breathing rhythm

1. Keep your head and body straight and relax 2. Close your eyes lightly – optional. 3. Tongue touching the upper palate. Children may skip this. 4. Exhale. Empty the lungs to start off. 5. Normal Abdominal breathing. Inhale and exhale normally and mentally

count your breath. The count should match your personal benchmark and make sure that both inhaling count and exhaling count is the same.

For example, you have record a count of 4 for inhaling, you should have a

count of 4 for exhaling too. You should reach the maximum expansion at the count of 4, and started the exhaling process, and count to 4 before inhaling again.

Repeat 3-5 times. 6. Slower Abdominal Breathing. Add one more count. Add one more count onto your current inhaling and

exhaling count. For example, if you have a count of 5, add 1 more count means you will now count to 6 instead. Slow down the abdominal expansion and mentally count to your new number. You have to consciously slow down the expansion and inhaling process, as well as the shrinking and exhaling process.

Feel the air. In the process of breathing in slowly, you should focus on

your nose. You should feel very small and long flows of air going in and out through your nose.

Repeat 5-10 times.

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Go even slower. Repeat No. 6 and add one more count each time until you are comfortable with your maximum current count.

7. Maintain constant count. Continue breathing 20-30 times with the

current count. For example, if you have reached a count of 8 for both inhaling and exhaling, then continue breathing 20-30 times with the count of 8. There’s no need to go slower.

If you should feel dizzy or lack of air, revert back to your normal

breathing speed. Stop if you must. Start the whole exercise again when you feel alright.

Now, how do you feel? Better than before, isn’t? So, you have finally mastered the final steps, and that is:

Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm.

Congratulations! You have mastered the 5 Easy Steps Towards Greater Health and Mental Strength. You can now proceed to the next section for the full practice guide.

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Tai Chi Breathing – Step by Step Guide Congratulation! If you have came this far, you have mastered the exercises designed in all the 5 Steps. Now that you have completed all the prior exercises, you can now start to practice it fully as a complete Tai Chi Breathing Basics so that you can make it a habit eventually. The full practice guide is a summary of the exercises you have done so far, arranged in a more complete sequence. You can always refer back here, or you can print out the Summary Guide at the end of the book to refer to at anytime. Once you are used to it, I suggest you put away these reference. You should be able to make it a habit. Take note however, for normal person, senior citizen, children and pregnant women, please refer to the respective Practice accordingly. For example, if you want let your child practice, be sure he or she has already gone through the previous exercises, and then go to Practice 3, which is specially arranged for children. The list of practices for the different groups of people is as follows:

Practice 1 – Normal Person Practice 2 – Senior Citizen Practice 3 – Children Practice 4 – Pregnant Women

But before you go on into the practice, please read through the next heading to understand a little more about Qi. Maintaining the Qi In your previous exercises, I did not include the steps involving maintaining the Qi. For the full practice, maintaining Qi is necessary. What is this and why? Maintaining the Qi involves an additional step where you need to place your hands over the navel and rotate 36 times clockwise, spiraling outward from the center of the circle, and rotate 24 times counter clockwise, spiraling inward from the diameter of the circle. The spiraling movement is based on the fact that (Indian traditions) your chakra’s rotate clockwise when absorbing the energy and counter-clockwise when discharging negative energy. Dantian is considered as Abdomen Chakra. By doing so, you will enhance the absorption of the Qi by Dantian and to discharge extra and negative Qi from our body. Better absorption of the Qi means we would be able to maintain the Qi better in our body. Why 36 times? Why 24 times?

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Frankly, Mr. Quah, my Tai Chi instructor could not give me the answer too! So, I don’t know why. It has been passed on from generation to generation. The only reason I can think of is that the clockwise direction is more than the counter clockwise direction because clockwise direction helps absorption and counter clockwise is to discharge the extra. We have to absorb more than discharging in order to increase the amount of Qi in our body. For children, I did not include this step. It is not necessary for them to do it yet. But if you like to, yes, you can teach them. For pregnant women, I did not include too. You can do so, depending on the stage of pregnancy and whether you can put your hands over the navel comfortably. So, go to the appropriate practice to proceed.

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Practice 1: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Normal Person This is full practice for normal person. Normal person here means those are not in the categories of senior citizens, children and expecting mothers. This encompasses all the 5 Steps of Tai Chi Breathing Basics.

1. Keep your head and body straight and relax. Find a comfortable place

to sit or lie down. 2. Close your eyes lightly – optional. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper

palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing. Remember to start with normal breathing

speed. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus

on the nose and breathe naturally. Repeat 5 times. Tips: In case you lose count, try to using your fingers to count the number

of breathing, while you are still mentally count the inhaling and exhaling duration.

6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Slower Abdominal Breathing. Add one more count onto your current

inhaling and exhaling count each time after you have completed 10 breathings for each count.

7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. Once you

have reached your maximum count, continue breathing for 30 times. 8. Open your eyes slowly. Do not move your body or get up yet and

continue your breathing for another 5 more times, without counting. Let your breathing speed normalized. Remember, you still need to do abdominal breathing!

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9. Move your body slowly. First move your fingers and toes; then your hands and heels; then moves your elbow and knee slightly; and then move your waist, shoulders, and chest slightly.

Picture 10: Hands above the navel 10. Maintain the Qi. Put your both of your hands slightly above your navel.

Rotate your hands slowly above the navel in clockwise direction for 36 times. The rotation should start from the center of the circle, spiraling slowly outwards. Once you have reached the outer circle, start off again from the center. Please note that I did not flip these photos.

Left Right

Picture 11: 36 times spiraling outward in clockwise direction

Once you have done so, rotate your hand slowly above the navel, now in

counter-clockwise direction for 24 times. The rotation should start from the outside circle, spiraling slowly towards the center.

Clockwise direction from your view

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Left Right

Counter Clockwise direction from your view

Picture 12: 24 times spiraling inward in counter clockwise direction

11. You can get up or move your body now.

In any case you are unable to do the full practice, you can still carry out the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without these elaborated practice. For example, in your daily chores, you can still do the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without anyone noticing it!

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Practice 2: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Senior Citizen This is full practice for senior citizen. This encompasses all the 5 Steps of Tai Chi Breathing Basics. The difference here is the shorter duration per each practice session, and things to pay attention to.


to sit or lie down. 2. Close your eyes lightly – optional. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper


speed, and do not over exert. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus





inhaling and exhaling count each time after you have completed 5 breathings for each count. Remember to do it naturally.


have reached your maximum count, continue breathing for 20 times. No force is needed for exertion. Do it naturally.

8. Open your eyes slowly. Do not move your body or get up yet and


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Picture 13: Hands above the navel 10. Maintain the Qi. Put your both of your hands slightly above your navel.

Rotate your hands slowly above the navel in clockwise direction for 36 times. The rotation should start from the center of the circle, spiraling slowly outwards. Once you have reached the outer circle, start off again from the center. Please note that I did not flip these photos.

Left Right

Picture 14: 36 times spiraling outward in clockwise direction



Picture 15: 24 times spiraling inward in counter clockwise direction

Left Right

Counter Clockwise direction from your view

Clockwise direction from your view

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In any case you are unable to do the full practice, you can still carry out the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without these elaborated practice. For example, if you are watching television, you can still do the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without anyone noticing it!

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Practice 3: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Children This is full practice for children. This encompasses all the 5 Steps of Tai Chi Breathing Basics. The difference here is shorter duration, even shorter than the full practice of senior citizens, for them to maintain focus and interest in practicing, and things to pay attention to. Optional items need or need not be done – encouraged but not to be forced upon.

1. Keep their head and body straight and relax. Find a comfortable place

for them to sit or lie down. 2. Close their eyes lightly – optional. If close, ask them to close naturally,

not forcing their eyes close. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper

palate – optional. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing. Remember to start with normal breathing

speed, and do not let them over exert. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus

on the nose and breathe naturally. Repeat 3 times. 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Please make sure that they do naturally. Slower Abdominal Breathing. Add one more count onto their current

inhaling and exhaling count each time after they have completed 5 breathings for each count.

Tips: In case they lose count, ask them to use your fingers to count the

number of breathing, while their mind is taking note mentally the count of inhaling and exhaling duration.

7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. Once they have reached their maximum count, continue breathing for 10-

15 times. No force is needed for exertion. Do it naturally. 8. Open their eyes slowly. Do not move their body or get up yet and

continue their breathing for another 3 more times, without counting. Let

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their breathing normalized. Remember, they still need to do abdominal breathing!

9. Move their body slowly. First move your fingers and toes; then your

hands and heels; then moves your elbow and knee slightly; and then move your waist, shoulders, and chest slightly.

10. They can get up or move their body now.

In any case they are unable to do the full practice, they can still carry out the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without these elaborated practice. For example, if they are studying, they can still do the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without anyone noticing it!

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Practice 4: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Pregnant Women This is full practice for pregnant women. This encompasses all the 5 Steps of Tai Chi Breathing Basics. The difference here is the shorter duration per each practice session, and other things to pay attention to.


to sit or lie down. If you are near to delivery date, a reclining sitting position may be desirable.

2. Close your eyes lightly – optional. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper


speed, and exert softly. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus





inhaling and exhaling count each time after you have completed 5 breathings for each count. Remember to do it naturally.


have reached your maximum count, continue breathing for 15-20 times. No force is needed for exertion. Do it naturally.

8. Open your eyes slowly. Do not move your body or get up yet and


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In any case you are unable to do the full practice, you can still carry out the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without these elaborated practice. For example, if you are doing house works, you can still do the 5 Steps (No. 3 to 7) without anyone noticing it! Make it a Habit As you continue practicing Tai Chi Breathing Basic, you will slowly get use to breathing slowly and deeply through your abdomen, with your tongue connecting to the upper palate. This means you can consciously switch to Tai Chi Breathing at anytime and anywhere. Once you have reached this competency level in Tai Chi Breathing, the next step is to be able to do so at every moment of your life. This is what I mean – making it a habit. You can do Tai Chi breathing while driving. You can do Tai Chi breathing while walking. You can do Tai Chi breathing while watching television or movies. You can do Tai Chi breathing while sitting in front of your computer. You can do Tai Chi breathing while studying or reading. You can do Tai Chi breathing even before sleep! There are many instances you can do Tai Chi Breathing. And if you can do so without reminding yourself to do so consciously, it has not only become your habit – but also became part of your life. I understand the difficulty in achieving this target. I find it hard also – especially when there’s a need for me to move my mouth! Even as I’m writing this book, I can’t do it because it is my habit to read silently as I type! My mouth moves.

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For that reason, I arranged the Fundamental Four as a form of practice for you to start of. As I have mentioned in Part 3, as to why I designed these four practices. These postures are our basic postures. If you can do Tai Chi Breathing in these four basic postures, then you will be able to insert the practice into your other daily postures. However, I have to mention that there are some situations that require special attention in order for you to practice Tai Chi Breathing. One example – Tai Chi Breathing in sports activities. Do not try that, until you have read my next book - “Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life”. In this book, I will cover specific situations that require special attention to when practicing Tai Chi Breathing, on top of the other more advance techniques. If you find it comfortable to continue the practice of Tai Chi Breathing Basics alone, without thinking of going on further – it is absolutely alright. You can stop here. No problem! You will still gain the benefits of Tai Chi Breathing. However, just ask yourself: If for 10 minutes a day, you can get great benefits from Tai Chi Breathing. What if you do it almost every moment in your life? And also, my goal here is to share with you as much as possible so that you can gain better health, better concentration, less stress and so on, with more effective breathing techniques. Basically I like to share a lot, and I don’t like to short change people. But of course, how far you want to achieve in Tai Chi Breathing is entirely up to you. Enough here? Or you want to go further? So, if you are ready to go on further with Tai Chi Breathing – I suggest you go on to the Fundamental Four now, and then later, to the Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life, progressively one step at a time.

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Part 5:

The Fundamental Four

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Part 5: The Fundamental Four Tai Chi Breathing Basic Practices - The Fundamental Four The Fundamental Four, is sitting, standing, walking and lying down (or reclining). In the Chinese culture, these four postures are the measures of a gentleman. In the Buddhist meditation, these four postures are the four methods of training one’s mindfulness. In your daily life, you cannot run away from these four fundamental postures. In particularly sitting – which, if working in offices, is the most practiced postures in your life, isn’t? You sit when you work on a computer. You sit when you are driving or commuting. You sit when you are watching movie and television. You sit when you are having meals. Office workers are seated most of the time. This is the reason why health problems and issues are on the rise! When we sit down, the blood circulation slows down. Prolonged sitting may cause lack of oxygen. Energy is not been burnt and used – stored as ‘extra’ weights around our waist! Therefore, it is advisable to practice some forms of exercises when we are seated. Some recommended stretching exercises. Some recommended that you stand up and walk around a bit. Some recommended Yoga. Well, I would recommend Tai Chi Breathing. That’s why I share with what I do when sitting down to do my work in my office. In fact, I’m doing it now while stopping to think what to write next. Yes, it gives me inspiration and thinking abilities! Tai Chi Breathing will increase the Qi circulation – meaning also more oxygen is absorbed and circulated around the blood systems. The abdominal breathing is itself an exercise on the lower abdomen and the internal organs. According to the Chinese medicine principles – the five vitals and six organs (五脏六腑) must function properly in order to maintain good health. These five vitals are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys, and the six organs are the stomach, gall-bladder, big intestines, small intestines, bladder and the three systems (respiratory, digestive and eliminative). The concepts of five vitals and six organs are based on I-Chings’s yin and yang, plus “Internal Text of the Yellow Emperor” (黄帝内经). This means, if its yin and yang elements are balanced – all the internal organs and systems should function properly. And Tai Chi Breathing is to strike a balance of elements in our internal organs and systems. And the virtual of Tai Chi Breathing on our mental strength is helpful, especially if you are tensed up, stressed, or just need the alertness especially in the working environment. The next most practiced postures would be walking, unless if the person is handicapped. You walk some how, whether it is far or near. You climb the stairs. You walk to the gardens. You walk in the park. You walk to the bus stop or subways, or to the car park.

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And I found that most of us walk without doing much. Of course, some look around. Some walk while talking to the friend or mobile phone. Some walk, thinking what to have for dinner. Ask yourself – are you doing something most of the time while walking? If not, why don’t you use that time available to do Tai Chi Breathing, which will give you many, many benefits? Next, in my opinion, it can be standing or lying down. Most of us need to sleep, right? Well, frankly – I do Tai Chi Breathing just before falling into sleep. I have no way to check if I’m still doing Tai Chi Breathing when I’m asleep. So, what I can share with you is doing it while lying down. I will share what I do just before sleeping, but not while asleep! The point I’m trying to share with you here is just the fundamental postures. Of course, if you are creative, I believe you can come out with other situations where you can also do Tai Chi Breathing beneficially. I hope you do, and then share it with me! So, I will start out with sitting postures first, as it is mostly done in our daily life. Then I will go on to standing before to walking, and finally on lying down. These practices are designed as a practice session alone. I call them the Main Practice. I will also include steps for practices in our normal sitting, standing, walking and lying down so that you can incorporate them into your life. These are the Daily Practice, which are more flexible. The practices for the Fundamental Four as arrange under this headings:

Fundamental Four No. 1 – Sitting Fundamental Four No. 2 – Standing Fundamental Four No. 3 – Walking Fundamental Four No. 4 – Lying Down

So let’s go on!

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Fundamental Four No. 1 – Sitting Posture The sitting posture described in the main practice here is the basic and core posture that is important and required for the full practice. In the daily practice, the sitting postures are more flexible, though it is preferable to follow as closely as possible the requirements for the sitting posture in the main practice. Sitting Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice

Picture 16: Sitting Posture for Main Practice – Front & Side 1. Sitting Posture. Sit on a comfortable chair. Choose the chair with a

suitable height. Your feet must be firmly planted on the floor – flat on the floor. Your back must not lean on the chair - keep about one third of the distance from the back of the chair. Keep your head and body straight but relaxed. Do not arc your waist outward. Just straighten it naturally. Put both of your hands on your thigh with the palm facing upward. (See above pictures)

The palm facing upward is to ‘receive’ the energy or Qi from the

atmosphere around you. 2. Close your eyes lightly. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper

palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing Speed – to start off. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus

on the nose and breathe naturally.

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Repeat 5 times.* 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Slower Abdominal Breathing Speed. Add one more count onto your

current inhaling and exhaling count each time after you have completed 10 breathings for each count*.


have reached your maximum count, continue breathing for 30 times*. 8. Open your eyes slowly. Do not move your body or get up yet and


9. Move your body slowly. First move your fingers and toes; then your

hands and heels; then moves your elbow and knee slightly; and then move your waist, shoulders, and chest slightly. Put away your hand and let it hand on your side.

10. Maintain the Qi. Slowly, put your both of your hands slightly above your

navel. Rotate your hands slowly above the navel in clockwise direction for 36 times. The rotation should start from the center of the circle, spiraling slowly outwards. Once you have reached the outer circle, start off again from the center. While sitting, your rotation may be smaller. It’s alright.



11. You can get up now. * The count is based on normal person’s count. Please adjust the count

according to your category if necessary.

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Sitting Tai Chi Breathing – Daily Practice

Picture 17: Lean Sitting Posture for Daily Practice 1 1. Sitting Posture. Sit on a comfortable chair. Your feet must still be firmly

planted on the floor – flat on the floor. You may lean back and relax. If you do not lean back, then keep the body straight but relaxed. In whichever case, your head must be straight.

Picture 18: Lean Sitting Posture for Daily Practice 2 Put both of your hands on your thigh with the palm facing upward. (See

Picture 17) If there are people around and you feel awkward, then put both of your hands handing on you side, with the palm facing outward. (See Picture 18)

The palm, instead of upward, you can face it outward to ‘receive’ the

energy or Qi from the atmosphere around you. If it is also not convenient to put the hand as described, for example if you

are working on something, or there’s no space to do so, then put your hands in the most convenient positions.

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2. Close your eyes lightly. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper

palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus

on the nose and breathe naturally. 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. 7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. You can start of with slow breathing straightaway. Count your breathing if

necessary, but you can go on as long as you want to, but not longer than 15 minutes* of continuous sitting practice.

* For senior citizen, less than 15 minutes. For children and pregnant

women, less than 10 minutes. 8. Open your eyes slowly. There’s no need to normalize your breathing, but

you can do it if you want to. 9. You can get up now. You can get up straightaway.

For the daily practice, your sitting postures can be flexible – but the head must always be straight. The reason is that the Qi can be absorbed through our head at the Baihui acu-point. In the Indian tradition, they call is the Crown Chakra. And if you are working, then keep your eyes open, and do only the 5 Steps of Tai Chi Breathing Basics. It is still possible and beneficial. Armed with these, I’m sure you can now find many other sitting positions to continue your Tai Chi Breathing practice at your most convenient time and situation.

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Fundamental Four No. 2 – Standing Posture The standing posture described in the main practice is the basic core posture that is important and required for the full practice. In the daily practice, the standing postures are more flexible, though it is preferable to follow as closely as possible the requirements for the standing posture in the main practice. Please note that the standing posture is also required for the walking practice. That’s why I started with standing first, instead of going into the walking straightaway. Standing Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice

Picture 19: Standing Posture for Main Practice (Eyes closed) 1. Standing Posture. Find a comfortable place to stand on. Your feet should

be shoulder-length apart. They must be firmly planted on the floor. Keep your head and body straight but relaxed. Do not arc your waist outward. Do not arc your chest outward. Just straighten it naturally. Put both of your hands on your side with the palm facing outward. (See Picture 19)

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Picture 20: Standing Posture for Main Practice (Eyes opened) I do not stress on standing with the feet side by side as most instructors

will (See Picture 20). If you do not close your eyes, then it is fine. But if you want to close your eyes, then it is better to stand with the feet at shoulder length apart as in Picture 19. From experience, your body will tend to sway left and right or front and back slightly, giving you a feeling like going to fall down, if you stand like the above picture plus closing your eyes.

It would be better if you can just concentrate on the breathing, instead of

preventing yourself from ‘falling’ down! 2. Close your eyes lightly. – should I say optional??? 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper

palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing Speed – to start off. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus

on the nose and breathe naturally. Repeat 5 times.* 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling



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have reached your maximum count, continue breathing for 30 times*. 8. Open your eyes slowly – if you close them in the beginning. Do not

move your body or get up yet and continue your breathing for another 5 more times, without counting. Let your breathing speed normalized. Remember, you still need to do abdominal breathing!


hands and heels; then moves your elbow and knee slightly; and then move your waist, shoulders, and chest slightly.


navel. Rotate your hands slowly above the navel in clockwise direction for 36 times. The rotation should start from the center of the circle, spiraling slowly outwards. Once you have reached the outer circle, start off again from the center.



11. You can move now. * The count is based on normal person’s count. Please adjust the count


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Standing Tai Chi Breathing – Daily Practice

1. Standing Posture. Stand in a comfortable position. Both of your feet must

still be firmly planted on the floor. If possible, keep the body straight and relaxed. If not, at least keep your head straight.

Picture 21: Free Standing Posture for Daily Practice Put both of your hands on your side with the palm facing outward. If there

are people around and you feel awkward, then put both of your hands handing loosely on you side, without the palm facing any specific direction. (See Picture 21)

If it is also not convenient to put the hand as described, for example if you

are holding something, or you just can’t do so, then put your hands in the most convenient positions – maybe in your pockets.

2. Close your eyes lightly. – This is really optional. Who want to be seen

standing with their eyes close??? 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper



and exhaling. 7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm.

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You can start of with slow breathing straightaway. Count your breathing if necessary, but you can go on as long as you want to, but not longer than 10 minutes* of continuous standing practice.

* For senior citizen, children and pregnant women, less than 5 minutes. 8. You can move on now straightaway.

For the daily practice, your standing postures can be flexible – but in whichever way, your head must always be straight. Same reason, it is for the absorption of the Qi through our head at the Baihui acu-point. And if you are doing something standing, like listening to the telephone, or wait for the lift, inside the lift or waiting in a queue, you can still do your practice! Again, I leave it to you to come out with other more creative postures to continue your Tai Chi Breathing practice at your most convenient time and situation!

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Fundamental Four No. 3 – Walking The walking posture described here is a progression from the standing posture. There is the main practice which is the core posture for you to do so as a full practice by itself. For the daily practice, it is a simplified version of the main practice so that you don’t look awkward walking among crowds, or with people around. Two things to note before going into the practice. In the walking process, when you lift your leg, make sure you lift you heel first. And when you put down your leg, make sure that the heel touches the floor first. This is simplified design based on original Tai Chi Steps, and vipassana walking meditation methods. The reason is that the heel is considered as the root of our body, and that it has to touch the floor first before the rest touches the floor, and lift first before the others are to be lifted.

Lifting the Heel Putting the Heel

Picture 22: Lifting and Putting the Leg with the Heel. On top of that, when you turn your legs (rotate the leg), your heel should remain rooted (still touching the floor). You only lift the front part of your left and turn.

Picture 23: Turning the Leg with the Heel. The second thing to note here is that the shifting of the body weight. When you want to move your right leg, you have to shift your body weight onto your left leg. Vice versa, if you want to move your left leg, you have to shift your body weight onto your right leg. Again, this is based on the yin and yang concepts in Tai Chi Steps. When the weight is on the leg, the standing leg – this is solidity (实) or yang. When the weight is not on the leg – meaning that is the moving leg – this is emptiness (虚) or yin. The reason why I include this here, is so that you can have a feel to start off with Tai Chi Chuan basic concepts of the Steps (太极步法). Before starting – warning: The Walking Practice is the longest among the others. Take your time to study and practice, and don’t feel panic and give up after you go to the next page! You can do it!

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Walking Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice

Picture 24: Preparatory Standing Posture – Front

1. Preparatory Standing Posture. Choose a place with a distance of about 5 meters long. Stand comfortably with your feet shoulder-length apart. They must be firmly planted on the floor. Keep your head and body straight but relaxed. Do not arc your waist outward. Do not arc your chest outward. Just straighten it naturally. Rest both of your hands on your navel. (See Picture 24)

I do not suggest that you close your eyes in this only Fundamental. Unless

you can walk with you eyes closed, without bumping into things or people!

2. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper



and exhaling. Slow Abdominal Breathing Speed. Start your abdominal breathing at

your slowest count straightaway. 6. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. Repeat your

breathing for 10 times.

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Left Right

Picture 25: Shifting Weight to the Left Leg

Left Right

Picture 26: Lifting the Right Leg

Left Right

Picture 27: Extending the Right Leg

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Left Right

Picture 28: Putting the Right Heel

Left Right

Picture 29: Stepping with the Right Leg

7. Right Leg Starts. Slowly shift your body weight to your left leg (Picture

25) and slowly lift your right leg, with the heel upward. (Picture 26) Extend it forward at the distance of your normal walking (Picture 27), slowly put it down, heel downward. (Picture 28). Step in full (Picture 29)

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Left Right

Picture 30: Shifting Weight Forward to Right Leg

Shift your body forward, and put your body weight on your right leg

(Picture 30).

Left Right

Picture 31: Lifting the Left Leg

Left Right

Picture 32: Extending the Left Leg

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Left Right

Picture 33: Putting the Left Leg

Left Right

Picture 34: Stepping with the Left Leg

8. Left Leg Moves. Slowly lift your left leg, with the heel upward. (Picture

31). Extend it forward at the distance of your normal walking (Picture 32), slowly put it down, heel downward (Picture 33). Step in full (Picture 34)

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Left Right

Picture 35: Shifting Weight Forward to Left Leg

Shift your body forward, and put your body weight on your left leg. 9. Right Leg Moves. Slowly lift your right leg, with the heel upward. Extend

it forward at the distance of your normal walking, slowly put it down, heel downward. Step it full. Shift your body forward, and put your body weight on your right leg.

10. Continue Walking. Continue walking (repeat No. 8 and No. 9) until you

have came to the end of your walking distance. Continue your Tai Chi Breathing all along the way. Remember to walk slowly as it will have affect on the speed of your breathing.

Stopping Standing Posture. To stop at the end of the walking, just place

whichever of your leg from the back to just beside the front leg – shoulder length apart. For example, you left leg is now in front, lift your right leg, bring it to the side of your left leg, and put down at shoulder length apart.

The Stopping Standing Posture is the same as the Preparatory

Standing Posture. This is also the stopping standing postures at the end of your walking

practice just before the step involving Maintaining the Qi. 11. Stop and Turn. You can stop here. If you stop here, then go to No. 13. If

you want to continue, turn your body slowly and stand with the Preparatory Standing Posture and begin all over again.

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Picture 36: Turning – Shifting Weight to the Right Leg

Left Right

Picture 37: Turning – Lifting the Left Leg

Left Right

Picture 38: Turning – Turning the Left Leg

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To turn, slowly shift your body weight onto the right leg (Picture 36).

Slowly lift your left leg with the heel still rooted (Picture 37), turn your left ankle inward, toward as far right as possible (Picture 38).

Left Right

Picture 39: Turning – Shift Weight to the Left Leg

Left Right

Picture 40: Turning – Lift the Right Leg

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Left Right

Picture 41: Turning – Turning the Right Leg

Left Right

Picture 42: Turning – Stepping with the Right Leg

Then, shift your body weight onto the left leg (Picture 39). Then lift your

right leg with the heel still rooted (Picture 40). Then turn your right leg outward (Picture 41), towards the right until your right leg is facing the return direction (180º) and step down fully (Picture 42).

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Left Right

Picture 43: Turning – Shift Weight to the Right Leg

Left Right

Picture 44: Turning – Lift the Left Leg

Left Right

Picture 45: Turning – Bring the Left Leg to the side of the Right Leg

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Left Right

Picture 46: Turning – Final Position

Shift your body weight onto the right leg (Picture 43). Lift your left heel

(Picture 44) and, swing your left leg and in the same time, turn your body towards the direction of your right leg (Picture 45), and put your left leg into your preparatory standing postures (Picture 46).

Remember to maintain your Tai Chi Breathing during the turning process. 1. Continue the walk. Start all over again to continue your walking. I

suggest at least three rounds for a 5 meters walking distance. (One to and one fro is one round)

For pregnant ladies nearing delivery date, or those with walking

inconvenience, you may try one round per practice session. For children, they may find it boring to walk up and down too often. Try getting them to do it only one round, or even half a round. If they are willing, then get them to do at least three rounds.


navel. Rotate your hands slowly above the navel in clockwise direction for 36 times. The rotation should start from the center of the circle, spiraling slowly outwards. Once you have reached the outer circle, start off again from the center.



3. You can move on now.

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Walking Tai Chi Breathing – Daily Practice

1. Preparatory Standing Posture. Seriously, in our daily life, when we

walk, there’s seldom a preparatory standing posture. In the case of Walking Tai Chi Breathing in our daily life – there’s no need for a preparatory standing posture.




and exhaling. Slow Abdominal Breathing Speed. Start your abdominal breathing at

your slowest count straightaway. 6. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. 7. Walk. Walk in your normal pace. Remember to lift your heels first, and

put them down first, and shift your body weight accordingly. Frankly, you can do this only after you have done the main practice many times and got used to walking in this manner. Otherwise, you may try to walk slower.

Maintain Tai Chi Breathing at all times.

8. Stop and Turn. There’s no requirement for stopping and turning. Just

maintain Tai Chi Breathing in the process. And the shifting of body weights accordingly and heels up and down first.

From my own practice experience, you can only maintain Tai Chi Breathings if you walk slowly as your normal walking pace. If you walk in large strides, fast paced or quickly, it is quite difficult, but you can still maintain connection of the channels and abdominal breathing.

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Fundamental Four No. 4 – Lying Down (Reclining) The lying down posture described in the main practice here is the basic posture that is important and required for the full practice. In the daily practice, the reclining postures are more flexible, for example reclining on a lazy chair, though it is preferable to follow as closely as possible the requirements for the lying down posture in the main practice. For most of the time, I do this practice just before sleeping. So, I will include here a separate practice for doing this, unlike the previous postures where I state an alternative practice where you can do so in your daily life. I will leave it up to you to find your most comfortable reclining postures. Also to note that, even though in the Chinese rhyme stating that “…and in the shape of a bow, we recline.”, I don’t suggest that you do Tai Chi Breathing in that way – lying on your side with the body curved like a bow. Just lie down straight as described in the practice. Lying Down Tai Chi Breathing – Main Practice

Picture 47: Lying Down Posture for Main Practice – Hands on Navel 1. Lying Down Posture. Lie down flat on your back on a flat bed (surface).

Your back must be as straight as possible. Your head can rest on a pillow, but make sure that the pillow is not too high. You should get a slightly straight line from the head, neck and body. Be relaxed. Put both of your hands on your navel (Picture 47), or put your hands on your side with the palm facing upward (Picture 48).

If you put your hands over your navel, please make sure that your hands

are naturally placed over the navel, and you can do abdominal breathing with ease.

Picture 48: Lying Down Posture for Main Practice – Hands on the Side 2. Close your eyes lightly.

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3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper palate.

4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing Speed. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Focus

on your nose. Repeat 5 times.* 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling




have reached your maximum count, continue breathing for 30 times*. 8. Open your eyes slowly. Do not move your body or get up yet and

continue your breathing for another 5 more times, without counting. Let your abdominal breathing speed normalized.


hands and heels; then moves your elbow and knee slightly; and then move your waist, shoulders, and chest slightly. If you put your hands on your side, move them now over the navel

10. Maintain the Qi. Slowly, rotate your hands slowly above the navel in

clockwise direction for 36 times. The rotation should start from the center of the circle, spiraling slowly outwards. Once you have reached the outer circle, start off again from the center.



11. You can get up now. * The count is based on normal person’s count. Please adjust the count


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Lying Down Tai Chi Breathing – Before Sleep

1. Lying Down Posture. Lie down on the bed in your usual comfortable

position. As sleeping position is a matter of habit for individual, I don’t suggest any requirements over here. Why? Well, I have tried to observe the requirements, as in the Main Practice, just before sleep – I couldn’t doze off! You can try out, but if you find yourself sleepless, then I suggest you don’t follow the Main Practice before sleeping.

Hands? No requirement too. Just put them at your most comfortable

positions. 2. Close your eyes lightly. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper



and exhaling. 7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. You can start of with slow breathing straightaway. I suggest no counting

at for this. Just let your breath continue naturally until you fall asleep. * For senior citizen, children and pregnant women, also the same. 8. When you wake up. The next day when you wake up, if you have the

luxury of the time, I suggest you lie down there for a while instead of getting up straightaway. Do Tai Chi Breathing with your back flat on the bed for about 10-15 counts. Yes, follow the posture suggested in the Main Practice.

This is particularly good for senior citizen, and those with high-blood or

low blood related problems. It helps to normalize your blood circulation after slowing down for the night’s rest. For those needing alertness for the day, I recommend this too. It will increase Qi intake and oxygen absorption to your brain. I do this every morning before getting up.

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Part 6:

Conclusion

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Part 6: Conclusion Conclusion I have come to the end of this book, and just to add on a note – these practices has been my experience accumulated over the last 23 years. I added, modified, re-arranged my Tai Chi Breathing techniques with meditation practices, healing arts and with my researches in I-Ching, Buddhism and now, with a some knowledge on acu-points massaging techniques and Guasa (刮痧), and with a bit of knowledge in Chinese medical systems and concepts. I am using these practices and techniques myself. I have shared with my friends these techniques. And I will continue to share with whoever interested in the techniques. Some of them incorporate my ideas into their own breathing techniques and meditation methods. I encourage you too, to incorporate these breathing techniques into whatever system you have learned. And I certainly like to hear from you how you did it so that I can also learn from you. I have also stressed with those I have shared these techniques with – it is not easy to break a bad habit. And it requires conscious and continual efforts to be able to reap benefits from these. Those who are consistent proved to themselves that their efforts are worthwhile! Frankly, you have not seen the last of me yet… because I will be working on the next book “Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life”. A short note as to why I separate the techniques into two separate books. I did mentioned earlier that some people are not suited to do the advance techniques, didn’t I? Therefore, I put these techniques into two separate books so that you can choose to do the practice according to the individual books, base on your situation. However, I still encourage you to read up the next volume because some of those techniques can still be used for majority of people. Anyway, the book came together with this as a package – no harm reading it, isn’t it? On top of that, I will be writing “Quick and Simple Tai Chi Chuan for Better Health in 7 Days”, which will be also using the Tai Chi Breathing techniques described in these two books, as the essence to complement the forms. I will start writing it after I have completed the advance techniques. At the last page of this e-book, there’s information about my contacts and how you can provide me with online feedbacks. I will appreciate if you can spend 5 minutes of your time and give me the feedback by clicking the link to an online form so that I can continuously edit and re-edit the book to make it better for you, and for others. Thank you and may the Energy of Tai Chi always be with you!

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Part 7:

Summary Guide

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Part 7: Summary Guide Summary of Practices The following pages are the summary guide for all the practices that have been described earlier. Each of the practices is fitted into 1 A4-size page. You can scroll through each individual guides and print out the page that you need to refer to when practicing. Of course, when I mention it is a summary guide, don’t expect too many information on it. It serves as reminder with keywords of each step to remind you which and which steps next. You will still have to read through the description in order to understand what each of these keywords and steps mean. And of course, if you can do away with this summary guide – it would be even better. This means you have ‘internalized’ as part of you, and you can practice off hand without referring to anything! Use these guides to help you starting off.

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Practice 1: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Normal Person

1. Keep you body straight and relax in a comfortable position 2. Close your eyes lightly. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper

palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing Speed. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Repeat 5 times. 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Slower, Slower and Slower Abdominal Breathing Speed. For each speed, repeat 10 times. 7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm.

On slowest breathing speed, repeat 30 times. 8. Open your eyes slowly.

Normalize breathing with 5 breath. 9. Move your body slowly. 10. Maintain the Qi.

36 outward clockwise spiral and 24 inward counter clockwise spiral 11. You can get up or move your body now.

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Practice 2: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Senior Citizen




On slowest breathing speed, repeat 20 times. 8. Open your eyes slowly.

Normalize breathing with 5 breath. 9. Move your body slowly. 10. Maintain the Qi.

36 outward clockwise spiral and 24 inward counter clockwise spiral 11. You can get up or move your body now.

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Practice 3: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Children




On slowest breathing speed, repeat 10-15 times. 8. Open your eyes slowly.

Normalize breathing with 3 breath. 9. Move your body slowly. 10. You can get up or move your body now.

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Practice 4: Tai Chi Breathing Basics – Full Practice for Pregnant Women




On slowest breathing speed, repeat 15-20 times. 8. Open your eyes slowly.

Normalize breathing with 5 breath. 9. Move your body slowly. 10. You can get up or move your body now.

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Fundamental Four No. 1 – Sitting Posture

1. Sitting Posture. Sit on a comfortable chair. Choose the chair with a suitable height. Your feet must be firmly planted on the floor – flat on the floor. Your back must not lean on the chair - keep about one third of the distance from the back of the chair. Keep your head and body straight but relaxed. Do not arc your waist outward. Just straighten it naturally. Put both of your hands on your thigh with the palm facing upward.


palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing Speed 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Repeat 5 times.* 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Slower, Slower and Slower Abdominal Breathing Speed. 7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. 8. Open your eyes slowly. 9. Move your body slowly. 10. Maintain the Qi. 11. You can get up now.

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Fundamental Four No. 2 – Standing Posture

1. Standing Posture. Find a comfortable place to stand on. Your feet should be shoulder-length apart. They must be firmly planted on the floor. Keep your head and body straight but relaxed. Do not arc your waist outward. Do not arc your chest outward. Just straighten it naturally. Put both of your hands on your side with the palm facing outward.

2. Close your eyes lightly. – optional. 3. Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper

palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing Speed. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Repeat 5 times.* 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Slower, Slower and Slower Abdominal Breathing Speed. 7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. 8. Open your eyes slowly. – if you close them in the first place. 9. Move your body slowly. 10. Maintain the Qi. 11. You can move now.

102



Fundamental Four No. 3 – Walking

1. Preparatory Standing Posture. Choose a place with a distance of about 5 meters long. Stand comfortably with your feet shoulder-length apart. They must be firmly planted on the floor. Keep your head and body straight but relaxed. Do not arc your waist outward. Do not arc your chest outward. Just straighten it naturally. Rest both of your hands on your navel.


palate. 3. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. 4. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. 5. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Slow Abdominal Breathing Speed. 6. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. Repeat your

breathing for 10 times. 7. Right Leg Starts. 8. Left Leg Moves. 9. Right Leg Moves. 10. Continue Walking. Stopping Standing Posture. 11. Stop and Turn. You can stop here. If you stop here, then go to No. 13. If

you want to continue, turn your body slowly and stand with the Preparatory Standing Posture and begin all over again.

12. Continue the walk. Repeat No. 7 to 10. 13. Maintain the Qi. 14. You can move on now.

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Fundamental Four No. 4 – Lying Down

1. Lying Down Posture. Lie down flat on your back on a flat bed. Your back must be as straight as possible. Your head can rest on a pillow, but make sure that the pillow is not too high. You should get a slightly straight line from the head, neck and body. Be relaxed. Put both of your hands on your navel or put your hands on your side with the palm facing upward.


palate. 4. Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen. Normal Abdominal Breathing Speed. 5. Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed. Repeat 5 times.* 6. Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling

and exhaling. Slower, Slower and Slower Abdominal Breathing Speed. 7. Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm. 8. Open your eyes slowly. 9. Move your body slowly. 10. Maintain the Qi. 11. You can get up now.

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Contact Information I have websites as follows: http://www.TaichiBreathing.com http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com http://www.TaichiExerciseForHealth.com You must have gotten this e-book from one of the above sites. To contact me, you can e-mail to: [email protected] For those with Bonus Online Consultation, please refer to your Tai Chi Breathing Membership Card for the high-priority contact details. For those getting this as Complimentary Copy as my subscribers, please give me your comments and feedback at: http://www.TaichiBreathing.com/feedback.htm You will get a copy of “Advance Tai Chi Breathing: Tai Chi in Your Daily Life” for free after I have received your feedback, and of course, when the book is completed, by end of August 2005. Of course, if you just feel like giving me your comments and feedback, you are welcome at:

http://www.TaichiBreathing.com/feedback.htm My other online publications and blog are as follows:

http://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com/article1.htmhttp://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com/article2.htmhttp://www.TaichiForYourHealth.com/article3.htmhttp://www.cguansoo.blogspots.com

And finally, May the Energy of Tai Chi blesses your day with great joy and happiness, and with great health and prosperity! Yours truly,

C. Guan Soo

105

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