Lung parts and breathing in IMA

[dre_doggX]

The Lung iis divided into 8 parts, right. breathing from the 2 lower back and 2 lower front, and breathing for the two upper front and two upper back, gets you maxium air is this correct??

[Repulsive Monkey]

What on earth are you on about? I do internal martial arts and I don't quite comprehend what you're talking about.

[Laughing Cow]

I am not too sure either what he wants.
:(

[Shooter]

I can't recall the source, but it's been noted enough to be significant that most people stop using the full capacity of their lungs as they get older. From what I read about this once, the lower lobes in the vast majority of elderly people are as pink as a child's lungs, but they're atrophied from lack of use.

There are some specific chi kung exercises which keep the lower lobes active in regular respiratory function. Moderate submersion swimming encourages the same utilization of total lung capacity, but I'm not certain that it carries over very readily to regular breathing, as the chi kung does.

[shaolinboxer]

Inhaling is controled by the diaphragm, the intercostals, the expansionary constuction of the rib cage and partially by the muscle of the neck during extreme exertion. Exhaling is controlled by the intercostals (excuse the poor spelling), the abdominals and the natural elasticity of the chest wall. The lungs themselves are passive. There are 16 biforcations of the air passage prior to the first layer of membranes thin enough for gas/liquid exhange. In a typical breath, 1/3 of each inhale is caught in the dead space of these 16 biforcations (of 23) and is not at all used. At rest we use approx 5% of our total lung capacity, and about 25% of the total of fully oxygenated blood is used. During deep breathing, a larger portion of inhaled air circulates into the exchange area. However, very slow deep breathing requires a great deal of cellular energy (ATP) and can actually lead to exhaustion. That's one reason why breathing meditation builds strength....you are actually working very hard on a cellular level. The lungs, for some reason are VERY overdesigned. The membrane for gas gass exchange (the famous alveoli) are only 8 microns thick...much thinner than a blood cell. As my philosophical physiology professor would say "it's so thin it only has one side" :).

[Ma_Xu_Zha]

I have had a pakua teacher and a Yang taiji teacher both teach a lung exercise where you hold as much air in your lungs relaxed for one minute. In the exercise you are suppose to expand all parts of the lungs and chest. lower, front, back, top, upper, everything! then exhale slowly.

the theory behind it is, you have to strengthen the lungs for qigong. even though in ima you do lower dan tien breathing, the lungs are what take in the qi from air and expell toxins like carbon dioxide.

[Esteban]

Hi,

http://www.sciencebob.com/lab/bodyzone/lungs.html

A little more complicated than it was put, but the lung does have lobes. I've never heard that the filling of them was not autonomic. Well, closing off one nostril wouldn't work. It has to be below the bronchial junction. Of course, a part of a lung --any part-- can be damaged and restrict air flow. While continued air flow is necessary, it's the mysterious passage of oxygen from the air to the blood that's important. I.e., it's not just how well you breathe; it's how well you get the oxygen into the blood and to the rest of the body. Anyway, as far as "upper and lower" lobes, it doesn't make much difference. If you look at the pictures, you'll see that they're not that big. Using all of them all of the time is best, no?

What do you think Dre?


http://www.oup.co.uk/oxed/children/yoes/pictures/humans/lungs/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/thehumanbody/lungs1.shtml

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/Circulation.html


Respects,
Esteban