"When practicing the First Form, you should not try to control
your breathing except when issuing. Simply breathe naturally through your
nose. When issuing, exhale through the nose as you punch, then abruptly
close off the exhalation when your waist terminates your travel. The
closing is instantaneous; your breathing should continue normally immediately
afterward."
- Mark Chen, Old Frame Chen Family Taijiquan, p. 90
- Mark Chen, Old Frame Chen Family Taijiquan, p. 90
"Breathing in Taijiquan form practice may
follow a pattern, such as to inhale with this movement or exhale with that, but
it is not rigid. A breathing regimen may be helpful to regulate breath,
but strict adherence can become a hindrance as one has to adjust readily to a
change of tempo. Breath changes according to the pace and execution of
movements. Naturally, one breathes heavily when short of breath. But
in heavy breathing, the body heaving up and down affects form and internal
balance. Heavy breathing may in natural in the circumstances, but it is
not the natural breathing of Taijiquan. The rationale of natural breathing
in Taijiquan practice is for the breath to follow the fangsong relaxation
of nurturing qi. The rule is for breathing to follow the demands of
practice, rather than for the practice to be dictated by the demands of a
breathing regimen. In throwing a punch (a fajin), breathing out is
natural with the action, sometimes accompanied with a cry of exertion, like a
kiai in karate. So, one breathes out in executing a power action and
breathes in to gather energy - xu xi fa hu (inhale in collecting energy
and exhale when discharging power. Also, generally, one inhales in rising
and exhales in lowering, and breathes in to open and breathes out to close."
- C.P. Ong, Taijiquan: Cultivating Inner Strength, p. 259
- C.P. Ong, Taijiquan: Cultivating Inner Strength, p. 259
"The importance of naturalness and
spontaneity (zi ran) in breathing cannot be overemphasized. The
Chinese term zi ran literally means "own nature"
― that which occurs by
following the rules of its own character. ... A common mistake is to
put too much emphasis on trying to control the breath during movement.
Left to itself, the body will adjust the breathing to accommodate the activity
such as running or swimming, as they put in greater effort, the breath naturally
responds to the body's needs. ... When normal breathing is being employed,
the stomach expands as the practitioner inhales and contracts as he exhales.
The breathing method of Taijiquan follows certain principles, such as: inhaling
when "closing" or bringing in, and exhaling with "opening" or extending;
inhaling when storing or gathering energy, exhaling when emitting energy;
inhaling when rising up, exhaling when dropping down. However, even within
these requirements breathing may vary depending upon the circumstance."
- Davidine Siaw-Voon Sim and David Gaffney, Chen Style Taijiquan: The Source of Taiji Boxing, p.82
- Davidine Siaw-Voon Sim and David Gaffney, Chen Style Taijiquan: The Source of Taiji Boxing, p.82
When practicing the Laojia Yilu Taijiquan Form, "Keep the
mouth closed."
- Chen Zhenglei, Chen's Tai Chi Old Frame One and Two, p. 111.
Chen Taijiquan Old Frame First Form (Laojia Yilu)
- Chen Zhenglei, Chen's Tai Chi Old Frame One and Two, p. 111.
"The basic breathing of Tai Chi Chuan uses
the nose only, not the mouth. This differs from the common people who use the
nose to inhale and exhale through the mouth. The beginner does not have to
concentrate upon this breathing technique, but concentrate instead on the forms
for the correct movement and postures. The only requirements for beginners are
slow movements, natural breathing, and a relaxation of the entire body.
The beginner should let the breathing be natural and not emphasize the breathing
technique. The details of the intermediate method are: when practicing the
forms, one exhales when extending the arm and inhales when withdrawing the arm;
one inhales when rising and exhales when sinking; to lift is to inhale, to lower
is to exhale; when opening up, one inhales, when closing, one exhales.
When turning the body and in between movements, there should be a "little
breathing". A "little breathing" means taking short breaths quickly and
has the quality of relaxation and stoppage. Generally, breathing is used
to lead the movement. The movement must be coordinated with the breathing.
The body opens up and the chi closes. The chi opens up and the body
closes."
- Master Chen Yen Ling, Tai Chi Chuan Method Of Breathing and Chi Direction
- Master Chen Yen Ling, Tai Chi Chuan Method Of Breathing and Chi Direction
Chen Taijiquan Old Frame First Form (Laojia Yilu)
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