The Wonderful Breathing

Welcome to today’s session. We will explore a bit about breathing. If you have practiced Qigong before, you’ve probably heard teachers say: breathe in when you raise up, breathe out when you lower, breathe in when you open, breathe out when you close. But as humans, we are not the same every day. Sometimes you come to a Qigong session feeling stressed, and the breathing feels shallow, like there isn’t enough space in the lungs. When there’s a lot on your mind, it may not feel natural to take long inhalations or long exhalations. This is exactly what Chinese medicine and Qigong teach: the most important thing is that your breathing feels natural. Even if a teacher says, “breathe in as you raise your arms,” you can follow that — but you can also breathe out if that feels right. Breathe in and out where it feels natural. Over time, your body will find its own rhythm. Some women prefer to match the breathing pattern closely with movement, and that’s fine too. The key is not to force the breath. Qigong is about listening — finding space inside, turning attention inward, and helping the body release what it doesn’t need so that energy, or Qi, can circulate naturally. Generally, upward or outward movements go with inhaling; downward or closing movements go with exhaling. Let’s try two simple movements to explore this. Feet parallel, knees slightly bent. When you stretch up, the knees straighten a little but never lock. When you move down, bend the knees and relax the hips. Soften the lower abdomen and lower back, drop the shoulders, and let the breath settle. Start by making a large circle with your arms. Breathe in as the hands rise. Breathe out as they come down. Inhale as the arms move outward and upward. Exhale as they return. Feel the lungs expanding, then releasing. One more — inhale, exhale, inhale — following the midline down. Now, a second movement. From your center, open the arms forward and to the sides, palms turning outward. Then close back, palms turning downward, bringing the hands down. Let’s coordinate that with natural breathing. Breathe in as you open, a small exhale along the way. Inhale again as the chest expands. Exhale as you close and bring the hands down. Once more — inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale — then drop the hands gently. As a general rule, breathe in and out through the nose. Breathing through the mouth is useful when you want to release tension or emotion, when you need to let go. But for subtler regulation of Yin and Yang, breathing through the nose keeps the flow balanced and calm. To finish, bring your hands together in front of the chest. Take a slow inhale, then exhale. Let the fingers drop, open the palms, and place them over the lower abdomen, thumbs near the navel. Take a few gentle breaths in and out. When you feel ready, slowly come out of the posture. Thank you for this session.