The Principle of Breathing

The Principle of Breathing
The exchange with the world around us
"Practice at the heart of the society"

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Breathing is par excellence an act of exchange. One goes to every instant to establish a relation with the world and the environment, by the simple inhalation of the air that surrounds us and the exhaling of personal air. When we inhale - we take the O2, the oxygen, and when we exhale - we reject the CO2, the carbon dioxide. The difference between the two is that the carbon dioxide possesses one carbon besides the oxygen, the C. The carbon is therefore a particle of matter; to every expiration we add a little part of ourselves. We do recover these carbons in food. Therefore, the saying that we are what we eat is literally true. Before you eat without thinking what you have on your plate - consider every time the fact that this food will constitute your new body, one that is in perpetual evolution. The two main sources permitting the acquirement of energy are the breathing and food. To know how to breathe is fundamental to not wasting all exchanges we make with the world.

The practice of the Chi Kung is the test of voice. A scream, which often results from this practice, is only the outcome of the internal work. Thanks to precise stances and specific work, we force the breath out and a sound will result from that. One does not shout just to shout, but only to recover the sensation of the hurled down air exiting our body. This can be tough for the students who have difficulty expressing energy. The regular practice permits the expression of our fears and frustrations and the affirmation of ourselves. It is very invigorating and makes for the defensive energy around the body; a very quick practice of lots of Yang.

In meditation, we are going to learn to increase the raw material that is called breath. Therefore, we are going to begin to concentrate energy - what we call "the compression of the breath". We are going to learn to press a certain spring, by means of a particular meditative and respiratory state, to condense the vital breath when exercises that ask for more energy are being done. It is a method that requires a teacher to be constantly present; he will make sure the pupil does not become a victim of blockage or stagnation of energy. It is a very interesting meditative stage, because the ensuing increase of energy brings the churchgoer to surprising realizations and visions. As an outcome of this practice, one can feel an increase in his strength and resistance and pulmonary capacity.

This awareness of exchange with the world is very important. The breathing is a way to be close with our environment but at the same time a way of being detached from it. Let us take a closer look at this very Taoist paradox. By the action of normal breath, we exchange with our direct environment. In the same way, when we want to separate ourselves from a stressful environment, we can accomplish that while decomposing the respiratory movements. For example, before a marvelous landscape, one will want to inspire a big puff of air as if one wanted to take a piece of this landscape inside oneself. On the other hand, when facing a stressful situation one will make a big inhalation/exhalation to calm down. Breathing is a regulator of emotions. When one laughs, the expiration is superior to inspiration. It is an action Yang, positive. When one shouts or pushes something heavy, it is again an action Yang because the expiration is bigger than inspiration. When one cries, afraid or startled - it is an action Yin, the inspiration is more important than expiration. Understanding this, one can play on the emotions by the means of breath control. The control is never the idea of a practice. It is in the sphere of understanding the emotional mechanisms that one is able to live well.

It is also the concept of not isolating ourselves from the world around us. The breathing recognizes the constant daily exchange with the environment; therefore, we become aware, because our practice and work are done in the world and not an isolated place in a cellar. This Taoist school requires certain periods of isolation but the outcome of that is the sharing with people in the world. It is easy to be a big master of meditation isolated from all civilization but more difficult to keep our calm when we hardly miss being run over by a taxi