|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Ten Chakras
USA
6 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 23 2010 : 11:00:28 PM
|
I don't have much experience with AYP spinal breathing, however, I remember having a ton of trouble with some of the Daoist practices that involved 'breathing into the dantien' and then moving that breath down to the perineum, and then up the spine. Or even tougher, move it down through the legs to the ground, and then up from the earth, and then up the spine.
How can the breath do this? There aint a hole at the bottom of my lungs... lol
Anyway, A lot of old texts can be pretty vague and not consistent with scientific 'fact'. Eventually, I realized that the pressure in the lungs (which can be measured in pounds per square inch -PSI) is very similar to the the pressure of gravity on the body. In fact, when proper breath mechanics are engaged, (sinking the diaphragm on inhale, rather than expanding the chest), the psi pressure in the lungs pushes down into the abdomen, and joins the biomechanical 'path of least resistance' for the weight of the body. With much practice (like that in Iron Shirt Qigong), the pressure can be controlled to an amazing degree. In Mantak Chia's Iron Shirt Chi Kung, the entire abdominal cavity is pressurized with what he calls 'packing process' breathing. This includes pressurizing up the spine at some point as well. When the practitioner is quite skilled, the 'breath' (pressure actually) can travel up the spine, and back down the front passage in just one inhalation. This requires opening of the path of least resistance, combining psi pressure from the lungs with ground the reaction force, and a sh*t-ton of time master it.
Personally, I like to visualize the pressure acting on the electrons in my body, forming an electrical current.  I don't, however, recommend aggressive practices like Iron Shirt Qigong for most people, however, the basic principles can still be applied to other practices.
Like Cosmic said, breathing naturally and putting attention on the spinal nerve can do a lot. If, however, you are finding problems with doing this, and that your breath just keeps conflicting with your visualization, then you may need to work on either your visualization, or your breathing skill. ..or both... Specifically, if you're visualization is following the air, as it fills the lungs from bottom to top, then your mind will go up the front. If you are following the pressure generated from lungs as the diaphragm sinks, however, then you will go down, and then up the spine.
More specif AYP-brand advice would be beneficial. I'm very interested myself. Even though I can make the full round in one inhalation easily, on a good day, I could be missing something too  |
|
|
YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 05:30:10 AM
|
Well, why not both movements? A cricular movement of up and down, in both inhale and exhale? (you see, we tend to see this unidimensionally, but at subtler levels, paradoxical, opposing things can - and do - happen at the same time ).
What I mean is this - during inhale maybe there are movements happening in an upward and downward direction at the same time (I think so). Maybe prana rises from the bottom of the spine, while a donward movement (air, etc. - which is also prana in another form) happens at the same time on the front of the body. Why not? The reverse woudl happen in the exhale.
In nature everythign is perfectly balanced. There is no movement forward without a balancing backward movement happening cocominantly. (think of an ocean wave) It is obvious it is so, although we (our minds/conditioning) tend to look at only one side of it. Seeing holistically means that - the whole, both sides of the same coin. There is no upward movement without a balancing downward movement, even if we are not aware of it.
Hope this helps!
(On the breath in the spine you may also want to see the post I wrote this morning:
http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....OPIC_ID=7130)
Enjoy! |
 |
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
Daoist Breathing vs AYP Spinal Breathing
