Mnemonic Breathing

起吸落呼，開合有度

Rising while inhaling, dropping while exhaling; opening and closing (will be) balanced.

蓄勁如開弓，發勁如放箭

Gathering strength is like drawing a bow; releasing strength is like shooting an arrow.

Directional breathing, even though a large part of one’s training from the beginning, is not often mentioned in old practice sayings, maybe because of its versatility. Indeed, from the simple need to find proper relaxation to have the body form the right angles or even tense it, inhaling and exhaling can both be used as powerful mnemonics.

Hearbeats And Dyspnea

如意抽絲，綿綿不断

Like drawing silk from a cocoon, continuous and unending.

綿綿瓜瓞，呼吸悠悠

Like the continuous growth of spreading vines, the breath flows long, deep, and serene.

吸如抽絲，呼如吹灰

Inhale like drawing silk from a cocoon; exhale like gently blowing away ash.

Those three quotes follow the usual trend one can witness as far as breathing techniques are concerned in old practices. Still, this rule, which often makes someone unable to see the forest for the trees, represents a tendency. Indeed, if taken too strictly, limited to such breathing, one would miss, for the least, the gulping/regurgitation and apnoea techniques. As always, this depicts an oxymoron that has already been solved in this blog.