Qigong Meditation

In Chinese Qigong practices, there are 2 basic methods for contracting the abdomen to deepen the breath.

First of all, it is helpful to keep the throat free of constrictions. In the diversity of breath training, such as Pranayama from India, sometimes the throat or other parts of the body are ‘locked’ to force air into various areas. The Chinese approach, in contrast, is to let the breath like silk: smooth, soft, quiet, gentle, and relaxed.

Easing the breath through the throat has multiple benefits, where it:

• Immediately induces mental calm
• Avoids potential headaches or hypertension
• Reduces the widespread tendency for sleep apnea, an unconscious constriction that occurs while sleeping supine (face-up).

Getting quality bodywork to free neck tension can help, along with practicing neck stretches and self-acupressure. These are the major focus of Turtle Part 2, a standing meditation more neck stretches than any other movement, along with the Turtle Massage form. Chanting and singing are universal ways of freeing the throat, along with the whole body.

Freeing the neck and throat fits in with a general strategy I observe in Qigong forms, such as Turtle: Our hard head and neck needs some softening, while the lower body needs some invigoration with healthy, regular movement to avoid aging. For example, The Inner Classic of acupuncture identified the energetic tendency at about age 60 for the lower half of the body to decline and be empty (in Simple Questions Chapter 4, Line 9).

All breathing practices agree that breathing needs to be deeper, more abdominal. Just watch a puppy or an infant breathing while relaxed to see the difference, how loose their bellies and diaphragms can be.

Chinese approaches have 2 simple approaches to this: contracting the lower abdomen on the exhale, or contracting on the inhale. The latter is shared at later stages of practice and is more challenging. One can try each one to see which can work for you now, but for the great majority of people, contracting on exhales will be more comfortable and appropriate. It will also clear the lungs more of stagnant air that tends to collect in its lower, unventilated areas.

To go a little deeper into theory, contracting on exhales is called ‘post-natal breathing’ in Chinese traditions, while contracting on inhale is termed ‘pre-natal.’ This terminology comes from the oldest book in human record, the Yi Jing or ‘Classic of Changes.’ This book and its layers of interpretation over the centuries used 2 lenses to observe reality: the pre- and post-natal, before and after one is born.

In acupuncture, we experience this theory with 2 approaches:

• The post-natal reality is what everybody shares, after they are born. The 12 primary channels associated with the organs are examples of this. The clinical concerns may be something like hip pain or quitting smoking.
• The pre-natal state we experienced in our mother’s womb. This includes our DNA, and a type of Qi we call Essence that is associated with the Kidneys. In acupuncture, the 8 Extraordinary channels relate more to these primal energies. Various types of astrology using one’s birth date are an attempt to fathom what we are born for. In acupuncture, the pre-natal aspect may have relevance to something like chronic hip pain if the tissues or channels were damaged in utero, or a pathology inherited from family history.

I think of meditative practices like Qigong as an opportunity to re-experience a pre-natal state, where cares and worries are temporarily set aside. A sense of nourishment at the umbilicus, where all our food and oxygen was originally supplied, is also possible to re-experience as a kind of memory during meditation. We naturally know how to do it, because we’ve all been there.

A Practice-

When trying to do a post-natal abdominal contraction on the inhale these days, I immediately get a headache and feel uncomfortable in the chest.

However Turtle uses this in its self-massage form, when the arms are raised up vigorously, and the pelvic floor is contracted on the inhale. This is an example of how this form can expand one’s range for receiving various types of Qi, through inducing meditative calm with natural movements.

In general, I enjoy contracting my lower abdomen on exhales while walking, sitting, or even driving. It seems to replace the need for exercises like sit-ups, which can be damaging to the lower back.

I like to combine it with paced breathing, described on another post on this site. For this, I breathe in about halfway, and then internally count out a nice, slow exhale. This might be for about ten steps or heartbeats, or a bit more if relaxed.

All this is done through the nose. Breathing day and night through the nose changed my experience with sinus allergies that are growing more common with climate change. A little self-massage around the nose, combined with not breathing through the mouth at all, has made a good change for my sinus health. Allergies that so many suffer with don’t bother me at all now.

Making this gentle contraction lowers my energetic center and breathing. It bridges meditative practices into more normal states of activity, bringing more calm and focused attention. It can also help induce a deep and enjoyable meditative state.