Taiji is The Power of Breath

One of the most essential ingredients for performing at your best is to understand the proper and most efficient way to breathe. Whatever you do from walking to more vigorous activities, proper breathing is essential for success. Taiji and Qigong incorporate this necessary ingredient through full deep abdominal breathing and knowing when to inhale and exhale for each movement. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to breathe correctly.
 
Look at babies for the correct method of breathing, babies are not taught how to breathe at birth, it just happens. Their little bellies are pumping away giving them optimal energy. Their arms and legs move freely with ease. As we get older, many people tend to restrict their breathing. People begin shallow breathing from their chests only. This limited kind of breathing puts a limit to our bodies' natural potential. Breath is life! The value of deep abdominal breathing as we practise in Taiji is essential for increasing your quality of life more than you would believe.

Through improved breathing and gentle movement comes stimulation of the circulation and as we breathe: the body becomes energized due to the increase in oxygen to the lungs and continuing the journey, through to every cell of our bodies. Click here to learn Optic Atrophy in TCM.

As our blood carries oxygen around our bodies and through deep Qigong breathing our lungs are working more efficiently. It is easy to see that this alone justifies why we should practise Taiji. Taiji nourishes our bodies and will improve the quality of your life if practiced regularly.

Correct diaphragmatic breathing can also improve back pain due to the fact that the diaphragm has connective tissue to the lumbar spine and correct breathing can cause one to relax the muscles in the back.

Due to the very nature of relaxed controlled breathing, the practitioner will find themselves in a state of both mental and physical relaxation, which, in turn, can help regulate blood pressure as stress levels reduce. Breath is Life!

In fact, the rhythmical movement of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles during correct breathing could be said to massage the internal organs, such as the intestines, liver and stomach, and therefore keep the internal organs healthy. Click here to learn Scleritis in TCM.