Breath problems in Bagua

[Eight Diagram Boxer]

I've been having trouble with my breathing while walking the circle. I find that my breath rises and I get out of breath and sometimes dizzy or lightheaded. I've tried to slow down and walk the circle slowly, concentrating my mind on my dantien to keep my breath there, but still I feel tension in my chest.
Does anyone have any advice on what I should do to keep the chi from rising up into my chest and making me off balance and out of breath?
Thanks

[fajinpower]

Lower your chi, and breathe naturally, and Always try to relax the dan tien - Never harden your dan tien. Relaxation sink you chi.

"Within stillness is movement, within movement is stillness; your body is a circles."

[Eight Diagram Boxer]

thanks for the response. I know I need to lower my chi, but I'm having a problem doing that. I think I'm contracting my stomach muscles too much maybe trying to breath. Should I try to breath naturally or reverse breath (with my stomach contracting as I inhale and expanding on exhale)? I have been using reverse breathing, but maybe that's the problem, I might not be ready for it.

[Daniel Madar]

People place too much emphasis on reverse breathing. Breath naturally and walk. One day you will find that you simply have begun to use reverse breathing and not noticed it.

Merciless is Mercy.

[RAF]

You may have mild or moderate exercised induced asthma. Your GP can do a simple pulmonary test but it often misses the borderline cases.

The full blown test is done by inducing asthmatic conditions and must be conducted under a pulmonary hospital team and interpeted by a pulmonalogist.

Its just one option to check out.

[Eight Diagram Boxer]

That's something I didn't even consider, but it might be the case. I've been learning bagua since last September, but it's only been a couple of months since I've had this problem. Maybe I do have asthma; I had it when I was little, but haven't had to use an inhaler since the 6th grade. Time for a checkup I guess.

[RAF]

A lot of things regarding asthma have changed over the last 3 or 4 years.

Something as simple as singular or an inhaler before exercise might do the trick along with pots of green/oolong/red tea.

Hope it isn't the case but if it is, it is not difficult to manage.

[Fu-Pow]

You should not be focusing on the dan tien. It may cause Chi to stagnate there. Dan tien movement should come as a result of good form. At least that's what I've been told.

Fu-Pow

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[Sam Wiley]

I think that your problem lies in, as you yourself said, that you are not ready for reverse breathing. Reverse breathing before you are ready leads to lifting the chest, which means you are breathing with the upper third of your lungs and not the whole lung. If you walk the circle and keep your shoulders relaxed, your waist collapsed, etc, and use natural breathing where your abdomen expands on the in breath and contracts on the out breath, you should be fine. Reverse breathing should not be attempted until at least three years have gone by.

And don't try to focus on your dantien. Keep your hands and everything else aligned like you have been shown, look at your palm, and stop thinking. Don't think about nothing, just stop thinking. It won't happen overnight, but when it happens you will know it.

Okay, as for off balanced... You are probably letting your shoulders rise with the breath, or else you are just holding them up from tension. Try walking the circle with your arms just hanging by your sides loosely, just doing your foot movements. Let them flop if they want to. Remember to breath with the natural breath and don't let the shoulders rise. When you can do this and change directions in both manners without feeling like you are going to topple over, then go back to raising your arms. And remember to keep your elbows down. If your upper body is relaxed, you will not be off balanced.

If you are lifting weights immediately before practicing your circle walking, stop. Try doing that kind of thing later on or an hour or two earlier.

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