In Korea and
Japan the word Do means “the way” and Ki means ones vital energy such as Kendo
the way of the sword, Aikido the way of unifying with life energy or Kido the
way of energy. The term breathingdo means the way of breathing. We all know
that breathing is the foundation of life; yet most of the individuals that I
see at the Harlem Ki Energy Center, breath incorrectly. The first step in
learning how to self-heal is the way of breathing correctly or “Breathingdo”.
Breathing
incorrectly is partly due to social programing, we learned to breath correctly
while in our mother’s womb. The expansion of our stomach allowed for
nourishment to enter our body through the Umbilical Cord, we then contracted
our stomach to remove waste. If you watch a new born infant’s breathing only
the stomach moves. As we grow older social programing creates the bad habit of
raising our chest to take in oxygen.
If your
chest moves when taking a deep breathe you are breathing incorrectly.
Abdominal
breathing or baby breathing is an ancient method used by Taoist and martial
artist to detoxify the lungs. I was taught this many years ago by my sensi
Great Grand Master Leon “Major” Wallace, while studying Goju Karate under him.
His favorite Kata and what became my favorite Kata was Sanchin also known as
the breathing Kata. Master Wallace would always say “Sanchin will make you
strong and keep you healthy; it took me many years to truly understand his
wisdom.
During
Autumn Taoist healing strategies focus on the detoxification of the lungs, one
of the reasons for this article and the deep breathing exercises that I teach
in the Fall during the Wednesday evening Ki training sessions at the Ki Center.
Abdominal breathing exercises are natural ways to reduce stress and stress
related health issues like high blood pressure and depression.
Stress
develops from an imbalance in our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The ANS
controls the body’s involuntary actions; it influences the functions of our internal
organs. Our breathing, our heart beat, our body temperature, and all of our
cellular interactions are regulated by the ANS. The primary control center in
our brain that allows the ANS to send the right signal to the right organ at
the right time without our conscious knowledge or effort is called the
hypothalamus.
Learning the
correct way to breathe can bring balance to the ANS, next week we will discuss
how this happens and why many of our health problems can be address naturally
by relearning how to breathe like a baby.
