www.Longfei-Taiji.co.uk	Longfei Taijiquan Association of Great Britain
		Longfei Newsletter Volume 9 Issue 1

Every Breath you Take

In the last newsletter I mentioned in an article the need to recognise the adoption of good postural habits (Couch Potatoes and Slummocks). It concluded with the observation that the study of taijiquan and many other eastern inspired exercise systems embraced the notion of correct posture as a requirement of and contribution to well being. This incorporates the avoidance of muscular and joint problems, a healthy spine and all the benefits implied therein. I really think good postural habits should be a part of all children's education. In much the same way eastern systems of exercise and health cultivation all emphasise the need to pay attention to their different forms of breathing exercise.

During the 1950s some of my judo training was at the Central London YMCA. On one such occasion I met an Indian teacher of yoga. We discussed some mutual subjects of interest: exercise, meditation, relaxation, breathing habits, yoga and judo. We were to share conversations on these topics on a number of casual meetings. It was obviously a long time ago but casting my mind back I do not think I had ever given a moment's thought to the mechanics of breathing.

This Yogi recommended I purchase a yoga book about good breathing: The Hindu Yogi Science of Breathing by Yogi Ramacharaka. This book while embracing the more esoteric aspects (Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Gnani Yoga) had a very easy-to-understand, practical approach to changing and improving one's breathing habits.

The book presents the merits of four levels of breath: high (upper chest); mid (thoracic cavity); lower (diaphragmatic); and a combination of all three, "The Complete Breath". I have adopted (or at least my interpretation of) the complete breath since first reading this book in the 1950s.

The efficacy of deep breathing as a calming and relaxing method is deeply ingrained in eastern philosophy and meditation techniques. Some more enlightened aspects of western health practice can also embrace the concept. However, among my own circle of friends and associates I have yet to hear of a GP recommending the idea of this form of self help. It's much easier to prescribe a course of pills. I can recall that "Philosan would Fortify the Over Forties" or take this tonic for tired blood. Excuse me, surely its oxygen that fortifies the blood? So the more we can inhale of the stuff the better it is for us, surely? If you observe your close ones breathing you may sometimes get the impression that they have stopped altogether. The high breath (upper chest) is the predominant method of breathing among us humans.

There is no intention here to introduce a good breathing exercise or indeed the complete breath. I feel this is better approached on a one-to-one basis. However I am constantly surprised, nay flabbergasted by the information available on the Internet. So I put in Ramacharaka and "Hey Presto" there is a mass of information on the man and his books, and they are still available. I lent my earlier copy to a friend some years ago, alas never to be returned, but I will be obtaining a new copy.

Ramacharaka

Finding the website on the man proved to be so instructive, especially in view of the fact that back in 1950 when I was in my 20s I found my erstwhile concept of the contents, while mystical and dealing with the occult, psychic healing, the Bhagavad Gita and The Upanishads, reasonably understandable.

From the website Ramacharaka's ethnic background is far from clear. I need to read his story over and over to come to some clear conclusion. It appears he could be of Indian origin or English or a citizen of the USA. It is apparent that a said William Walker Atkinson, a possible theosophist of his time, practiced Yoga with his teacher Baba Bharata and Ramacharaka was the pseudonym of their collaboration in publishing certain works. There are counter claims that Ramacharaka was born in 1799 and his disciple was Baba Bharata. In his later years, at the end of the 19th century, Baba Bharata became acquainted with William Walker Atkinson, an English author who had written works of esoteric nature published by LN Fowler & Co Ltd. The two men collaborated, with Bharata providing the know how, and Atkinson the writing talent. As a result of the collaboration the books were attributed out of respect to Bharata's teacher the said Ramacharaka. This is not the whole story presented on the website and I have only highlighted some aspects because it explains to some extent why I found the content of the Science of Breathing easy to assimilate. The now obvious influence of William Walker Atkinson and his knowledge of matters esoteric plus his presentation to a western audience is quite laudable. I was not aware of these facts when I began this article. With this new information I would certainly recommend the Science of Breathing to anyone. Finally it really is worth reading the Ramacharaka story for its intrigue and a lesson in not taking everything at face value.

Now back to good breathing habits. I think all the readers of this newsletter have some training in what the yoga people call Pranayama (breath control). The Pranayama website describes it as: "the breathing technique of Yoga that works wonders in increasing physical and psychological performance". Apparently it is a Sanskrit word meaning "lengthening of the breath".

In our taiji studies and of course in Daoyin Yangsheng Gong we are urged to keep our breathing natural and avoid the use of too much effort. In my own approach to the complete breath I always separate the exercise from any form of physical routine.

However the practice of breathing exercise for 50 years makes it quite natural to be on automatic pilot with the breath when practicing forms. With regard to Professor Zhang Guande's work, the practice of "Yiqi Yangfei Gong" affords a good opportunity to include a more pragmatic approach to our breathing.

In an earlier issue of our newsletter there were a couple of articles on "Zhan Zhuang" (currently repeated in the TCUGB magazine, Tai Chi Chuan). The training of Zhan Zhuang (Pole Stance) is a first class way to include a breathing discipline, but please bear in mind that the very word discipline implies a form of struggle and all effort is to be avoided. If the standing exercise is too strenuous a good sitting posture can be an alternative, sitting upright with the back free of support. The main requirements for success are: (1) relaxation of body and mind (2) slow, gentle and even inhale and exhale. Let the exhalation be as prolonged as possible, providing it remains comfortable. At the same time there should be visualisation of internal relaxation but maintaining good skeletal structure.

It would appear there is a synonymity between the Sanscrit words Prana and Pranayama and the Mandarin words Qi, Qigong and Tuina: exhaling and inhaling.

Prana: breath

Pranayama: lengthen the breath, breathing exercise.

Qi: vital energy, breath

Qigong: cultivation of vital energy and breath.

I would avoid overstating the correlation between the two because they are both deeply philosophical subjects but they do both emphasise the need to regulate and cultivate good breathing habits.

And to return to the point of departure, would our children benefit from some enlightened information on good breathing habits in their schooling in the same way as adopting good postural routines? And are we not fortunate that we taiji/daoyin nuts are on the right track.

Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you. Only kidding!

Richard Watson

Longfei Newsletter Volume 9 Issue 1 Table of Contents