3-STAGE BREATHING

Stage 1 

• As you stand in the Horse Stance posture or sit in a chair, begin to intentionally notice and control your breathing. You can also practice breathing lying down, which makes it easier to feel the expansion of the different parts of the body.
• The first stage is to focus your attention on the abdomen, which is called the Lower Burner or dan tien.  Focus about three inches down from the navel and two or three inches inside.
• Place the hands on the abdomen and inhale. You want to feel the abdomen expand outward so that it is big. Now exhale and feel it relax.
• Again. Inhale and feel it expand. Exhale and feel it relax.  Once more. Inhale, exhale. Repeat several times. Good.

Stage 2

1. Now for the second stage of breathing. Place one hand on each side of the body, just above the waist and inhale, filling the ribcage so it expands outward. Now exhale and feel it relax.
2. Once more. Inhale and feel it expand, exhale and feel it relax.
3. Now begin with the first stage and then proceed to the second stage. Inhale into the abdomen and then into the ribcage on the same inhale. Exhale from the ribcage first and then exhale from the abdomen. Repeat this sequence a few times.

Stage 3

1. Now for the third stage of breathing. Place the hands on the upper chest (Upper Burner) just below the level of the armpits. In this stage, you do not want to draw the shoulders upward or tighten them. Rather, with the shoulders relaxed, gently lift the sternum to make room for the expanding upper lungs.
2. Practice inhaling into the chest and lifting the sternum, then exhaling and relaxing the chest. Do this quietly and calmly a few times.

Full three-stage breathing

1. Now put it all together. Slowly inhale into the abdomen, then the ribcage, then the chest.
2. Then exhale the chest, the ribcage and finally the abdomen.
3. Repeat five times, being sure to expand sequentially upward and then release the breath sequentially from the chest down to the dan tien.

Use this breathing during standing and sitting meditations. As you become more adept, you will use this breathing naturally and easily while doing the New Creation movements.

Now we are ready to apply these basic principles to the movements of New Creation Tai Chi-Qigong. As you develop your regular practice, these basics will become more natural and integrated and will overflow into your daily life, energizing and refreshing you throughout the day.

MICRO-COSMIC ORBIT

Sounds for Microcosmic Orbit

Ha     La    Ah  Oh  Breath

Haola--Chinese

Hao means "All" in the most complete sense 

The Universe and All before the Universe

Used as a greeting and sharing of goodness in all circumstances

Lah means "All is well and getting better" or "All is well so be it!"

Hallelu, Hallelujah--Hebrew

Means "Praise God"

Great joy!

Ecstatic utterance

Allah--Arabic

The One God

Aloha--Hawaiian

A greeting--and used in all circumstances

The relationship between parent and child

Love, compassion, sympathy, kindness

A force that holds together existence

An ethic of care and respect for all people and all elements of the land is wrapped up in aloha; it is a way of showing connection and reverence. Queen Liliʻuokalani is known to have said, “Aloha is to learn what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable.”

Another way to interpret aloha is as an energy exchange — the giving and receiving of positive energy is the spirit of aloha. As we create positive thoughts and interactions, they ripple out into the world and are merged and multiplied with the actions and energy of others. Aloha has been described as the coordination of the heart and mind to foster connectivity and peace.

Hola!