Tai Chi Breath

[Judge Pen]

How many of you are taught a specific breathing pattern for your Tai' Chi forms? How many are taught to breathe naturally during the form? I've been told, and read both ways and I'm curious as to what the popular opinion is?

[brody]

I've been taught a specific breathing pattern while doing my form, but find that it is hard to stay relaxed. However, I also practice my form while breathing natually and find that I'm relaxed and can feel myself rooted to the ground. I guess the more I practice with the specific breathing partern, the more I will adapt and eventually become relaxed. However, I'm afraid of developing bad habits while trying to adapt (or adjust). Does anyone else feel the same way?

[Judge Pen]

That's what I'm wondering because I was specifically not taught any special breathign patters. "Just breath naturally and stay relaxed. The breath will work itself out."

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

With the discipline of structured breathing one develops a more beneficial natural breath.. breathing with abdominal muscles, reverse abdominal breathing, coordinated breath with movement, all are disciplines that mature into natural patterns.. with such attention to detail of movement isn't it likely that the support system (breath) should be trained for optimum performance as well.. many people discard the breathwork due to its complexity, i sense that this is a mistake..

Be well...

[bamboo_ leaf]

(That's what I'm wondering because I was specifically not taught any special breathing patters. "Just breathe naturally and stay relaxed. The breath will work itself out.")

This is the best advice until your practice reaches a point where this will be a factor. Many things need to happen first, opening the body, really experiencing what sung is, manifesting it, whole body movement ect.

If you rush it, with forced berathing patterns and ideas it will tend to create tension and stagnation in the body, in the mind it will lead to wrong ideas (in the sense that they will not help you) of breath work in taiji.

[sayloc]

for the yang style 108 movement I teach natural breathing untill they can complete the set on the left side as well as the right. I feel it is to hard for a student to focus on their breathing untill the form they are practicing is second nature. I teach basic chi kung sets and basic breathing exercises untill they are ready to apply the breathing to the form.

I am not that great with Chen. I am following the same porocess for myself with that system. Hope it works out for me.

[Nexus]

sayloc,

Another teaching style is to teach the students Yang in segments, and as they become more comfortable with each segment, allow them to work on the breathing in that segment. Allow them to naturally breathe in anything that is new, and encourage them to try and implement the tai chi principles they know to the segments they are more comfortable with.

Great job so far it sounds like, good luck with Chen, it will give a lot of power to your yang style.

[bamboo_ leaf]

(Great job so far it sounds like, good luck with Chen, it will give a lot of power to your yang style.)


:rolleyes: ?

[blooming lotus]

Originally posted by Judge Pen
How many of you are taught a specific breathing pattern for your Tai' Chi forms? How many are taught to breathe naturally during the form? I've been told, and read both ways and I'm curious as to what the popular opinion is?

haven't read the rest, but have studied various taiji branches and bulk qigong. As far as I'm I'm conerned , the most effective taiji breathing is the qigong breath I use anytime I do just about any exercise , but I guess it's a matter of what pattern you find comfortable.......ninjutsu has some and so do a handful of others. try on some otyher arted systems and find something you can do habitually and not be distacted from your movement trying to concentrate on.or reversedly, that will allow you to relax enough that you will become distracted enough from your movements for them to flow easily.

[unixfudotnet]

At my school, we are taught to do the form, then once we have that down pat, move on to breathing, and once that is done, move on to something else (i don't know what is after that, heh) , as it all should be second nature. It is a gradual process. (from what a sifu at the school told me, that has been doing taijiquan now for 20 years, who now seems to be mostly chen orientated, i am not 100%, from a novice, it is hard to judge, but definitely he does chen a lot).

It is very hard to relax when you are trying to do so many things "right". I am a perfectionist, and it is hard to relax if i overcomplicate and over think things. I find it simple to relax my mind and then body by focusing on one thing. What is the point of it all if you can't relax, eh? :) Though the process of relaxing seems to be something that is going to take a while to get down pat, but it is ok :)

Note: we are taught the Yang family system at the school.