Formosa Neijia

32 responses so far ↓

• 1 Q // Jan 24, 2007 at 8:59 am

  Well, maybe there are some subtlties/caveats to doing it safely. From what I was told and read, reverse breathing is supposed to happen naturally once you’ve practiced enough (at least in Chen), not something you should train to do intentionally. Pushing it down forcefully sounds really strange. Chi kung is one of those things that’s pretty dangerous if you’re not learning from a pretty good instructor, and worse if you’re overzealous.

• 2 Hermann Bohn // Jan 24, 2007 at 11:35 am

  Reverse breathing, without any doubt, can be dangerous, if combined with downward pushing of the Dantian. And at least, it’s not improving, but reducing the qi circulation on Renmai-Dumai circuits, if done without proper instruction.
  As in our mouth (before and behind upper teeth), we also have a ‘bridge’ between anus and privat parts, connecting both circuits. To close this gap and bridge it, there is the neigong exercise of Tiqiao 提竅 (lifting the gate), under proper instruction also to be carefully combined with reverse breathing.

• 3 Casey // Jan 24, 2007 at 11:37 am

  No offence, but I think you were doing it wrong. Did you ever learn any qigong from Zhou Laoshi? His preferred method of breathing for almost everything, be it relaxed meditation or martial arts is “bei-shi huxi” or “back breathing,” which is basically a modified type of reverse breathing. On the inhale, the dantian contracts slightly as the chest expands with emphasis on expanding the back of the lungs and rib cage. On the exhale, the dantian expands, but using as little force as possible, more like youre letting something heavy drop slowly into it rather than consciously exerting muscular force.

  The inhale uses virtually no tension at all with emphasis on a feeling of letting the air flow in and up the spine. The exhale uses a little force, but as little as possible, creating the sinking feeling as if letting liquid drip down a tube to graduall fill a balloon.

  I think hemorrhoids and acid reflux are both a result of using too much force, not reverse breathing per se. As for blood pressure, Ive been breathing in this way for probably hour a day for the past several months, not to mention the non-back reverse breathing I practiced before that and have never seen a change in my blood pressure, which I have had measured a couple times on various doctor visits. Whether using natural or reverse abdominal breathing, when breathing with your lower abdomen you must exert a little pressure in the lower abdomen either on the inhale or on the exhale. The only difference is that it comes more naturally to do so on an inhale, making people use too much force to try to expand their dantian area on the exhale in reverse breathing.

  My qigong practice has recently gotten really interesting and enjoyable, but in a way that has made me realize all the more the asolutely paramount importance of total relaxation as the number one principle of qigong. The benefits you can reap from qigong seem to increase exponentially as practice progresses, but so too does the potential to really damage yourself if you do it wrong. IMO, excess tension and use of force is probably the number-one culprit for the vast majority of “qigong casualties.”

• 4 Chad // Jan 24, 2007 at 12:53 pm

  Dude, I’m sorry but it sounds like you had food poisoning or a virus. Two days of diarhea and vomiting would knck you out and make you feel like shit. After two days you did a little excercise which kick started your metabolism and you felt better.

  Acid reflux is a due to the pyloric sphincter not closing all the way. If you have it, its not due to and motions you may do with your abs. If that was the case, belly dancers would have to lay off the kabob all the time.

  If you are getting hernias or hemeroids you are putting waaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy to much effort into things.

  Blood pressure has nothing to do with the pressure on organs or the air in you body. It has to do with the amount of force produce durring systolic and diastolic phases of the heart. Great effort in the abdomen area actually lowers blood pressure. You bottom out with to much strain. If you have high blood pressure its a problem with you heart relaxing and veins constricting or otherwise being clogged or narrowed. During excercise your blood pressure goes up temporaily but then returns to normal. If excercise doesn’t lower you blood pressure, you have cardiovascular problems above any particular movement you are doing.

  As far as the guys with blood in the urine, I doubt the story is anything but hyperbole. Or if they did all have blood in their urine, it was due to something else- not any weird movement they were doing with their abdomen. The risks you ourline here are not, to my knowledge, even possible causal strings. If there are studies done on this, or you have clinical documented evidence to the contrary, I would be interested in seeing it.

  I don’t know what your method of reverse breathing requires, but the contraction of of abs during inhalation is a natural way the body produces greater stability and force. Power lifters do it all the time, as well as many other sports. But even violent manipulation of the abs would be hard pressed to cause any of the conditions you outline.

• 5 chessman71 // Jan 24, 2007 at 2:12 pm

  Q,

  Good points. We were doing it intentionally and with force. Letting it happen naturally may avoid some of the problems I mention.

  Casey,
  I can’t address your comment directly. let’s just say that I was doing exactly what I was told to do.

  Chad,
  These effects have been noted by people other than me. B.K Fratzis noted the dangers of some types of qigong training in his books. Dr. Yang Jwing-min also noted the dangers of revese breathing in his “Root of Qigong” book. For a second opinion, see this site:
  http://taichiworkout.net/class.html

  They have many of the same warnings about reverse breathing that I have here.

  You won’t find any kind of clinical documentation on this because most of the people that do this type of training don’t live in the West. The kind of evidence you’re looking for wouldn’t exist in that format.

  BTW, acid indigestion/reflux is common in many people.

  Finally, I know that this is the type of breathing used by weightlifters — I used to lift to. And I have also seen pictures of a guy that had his large intestine come out the back from lifting too much in a squat and pushing down (exactly what i describe above) way too much.

  I realize tht most of you don’t have experience with this, but that doesn’t mean that these hazards aren’t real. I ckecked this out with several TCM docs when it happened. These negative effects are very possible in this type of training.

• 6 chessman71 // Jan 24, 2007 at 2:20 pm

  Here’s a good quote (Root of Chinese Qigong, p. 130):
  “In the reverse training, when you inhale the diaphragm moves down while the abdomen is withdrawing. The drawing in of the abdomen geneates presure UPWARD (emphasis mine), which makes it harder for the diaphragm to move down…This pressure below the solar plexus may cause problems such as stomach ache, diarrhea, or even chest pain. The tension and pressure may cause the heart to beat faster.”

• 7 wujimon // Jan 24, 2007 at 9:28 pm

  I’ve quit trying to force things, reverse breathing, dantien rotations, fajing, etc.. I am already starting to feel better!

  Thanks for sharing the warnings on reverse breathing!

• 8 Chad // Jan 24, 2007 at 9:46 pm

  Dr. Yang is a physicist, not a medical doctor. B K Frantiz is not a medical doctor. In fact from what I have read of either of them, they have very little understanding of human physiology. They write a good book on martial art, but they aren’t exactly who I would reffer to for medical advice.

  Herniation is common in weightlifters because of placing too much resistance and contracting to hard. But it is rare to see a human who can cause herniation of the rectus abdominous without resistance in an isometric contraction. The golgi response is to strong and will release the muscle before it happens. You are also talking abt a sustained contraction, not a rythmic one. But, anytime you exert you technically risk herniation (muscle rupture).

  Acid reflux is definately a common ailment. But it is not caused by compression or palpitation of the stomach. If you have it, poor posture can agrivate it to be sure. But it can’t cause it in the first place.

  Any exertion makes the heart beat faster, that the entire point of cardio-resprotory excercise. The palpation of organs has been shown to IMPROVE organ function in the digestive tract. Whether you are inhaling or exhaling is immaterial.

  Pressure in the abdominal cavity is not a cause for the raising of diastolic blood pressure. High blood pressure is a cardiovascular disorder, not a musculoskeletal one. Upward or downward pressure cannot cause high blood pressure. Hig colesterol, too much sodium in the diet, and lack of excercise can cause it and do at an alarming rate.

  I have practiced reverse breathing in bagua for 5 years now. I have pediatric asthma, and a digestive tract that has been ravaged by harsh drugs through most of my childhood. I have had no problems whatsoever and my doctor is consistantly amazed at my continued improvement.

  A freind of mine was a belly dancer for 30 years in her youth. She is 70 now and hard rock hard abs and is healthier than any person has a right to be at her age. She can still do crazy things with her abs.

  The claims of the dangers of reverse breathing are at the best exageratted and at worst old wives tails. Myths about the human body abound; we only use 10% of our brain,cracking joints will cause arthritis, stretching will weaken you etc. Etc. Most of these are simple “post hoc ergo prompter hoc” mistakes. Just because one thing follows another it does not mean that they have a causal relationship.

  I’m sorry, but it just isn’t supported by medical knowledge of the human body. There are real risks involved in excercise, especially martial art, but the danger of reverse breathing would be limited to hyper or hypo ventlhation, not gastral, vascular, or muscularskeletal. I suppose if you have your abs contracted and exert A LOT of force, you may risk a bit of herniation, but the risk is minimal without the application of resistance.

• 9 chessman71 // Jan 24, 2007 at 10:26 pm

  Chad,
  I’m sorry but your not getting the point. The point is that pushing downward forcefully ala reverse breathing is bad for your health. Instead, you’re bringing up lots of tangential stuff that doesn’t really address the main concern.
  We aren’t talking about normal abdominal muscle contractions. Reverse bearthing isn’t the same as doing situps. If you think what I’m addressing here is just normal exercise, then we aren’t on the same page.

• 10 Graham // Jan 24, 2007 at 10:57 pm

  Chessman,

  Just to interject for one moment. You say:

  “The point is that pushing downward forcefully ala reverse breathing is bad for the abdomen. ”

  It would seem to me that you’re making the assumption that everybody on this thread who says they are doing ‘reverse breathing’ is ‘pushing downward forcefully’.

  I think it’s highly likley that they aren’t.

  I do reverse breathing myself, and I don’t ‘push downward forcefully’ - in fact, to do anything ‘forcefully’ with your breathing is a big no-no as far as I can see - unless for a specific reason (for example taking a big 5-chamber breath trying to fill up all of the lungs) - even then you just do that as a one-off breath, not all the time.

  Good point about ‘Dan Tien Rotation’ - whatever the hell that means - I think it’s just a buzz word that makes people sound like they know a lot. There could be something in it, but if there is then I haven’t come across it yet. I mean, of course the Dan Tien rotates as you do a Tai Chi form, for example, but so does the whole torso.

  ‘Spinal wave’ is another popular offender - I mean, sure - power from the ground can be see to move in a wave-like model. But once you hear the words ’spinal wave’ I imagine people think it means you actually put a physical ‘wave’ into your spine - that sounds like the quickest way to put your back out known to man!

• 11 Chad // Jan 25, 2007 at 12:36 am

  I’m not missing the point. There is no medical or physiological support for abdominal contraction raising blood pressure, causing hernias, putting blood in the urine or anything else that you have descibed. And I mean ANY abdominal contractiong pushing down, explosive, or isometric. There just is no link.

  You have not supported your argument with anything that can be observed in the human body. Blood pressure goes down with sustained strain not up. The diaphragm contracts to push air OUT of the lungs, not pull it in. Inhalation is ecentric. There just in no medical reason other than conventional risks that reverse breathing even when done forcefully is necesseily bad for your health.

  None of these things are tangental. You claim it causes high blood pressure. Evidence suggests the opposite. You claim you run the risk of hemeroids. Again evidence suggests otherwise. Risk of herniation is not significantly higher than any other forceful or explosive movment. Blood in the urine, acid reflux, indigestion, none of these thing can be caused by even the most powerful of abdoninal contractions.

  If you are going of the premsie that compression of the abdominal cavity is harmful because of the compression on the organs and the vicera, that compression is temporary and is released as soon as you exhale or other wise relax. To rupture that abdominal wall you would need a tremendous amount of force. The majority of people (including martial artists) do not have the ability to do this to themselves without external forces opposing them.

  So, in direct answer to your statment; is reverse breathing dangerous or bad for your health? I have not seen any evidence to support that.

• 12 Chad // Jan 25, 2007 at 3:20 am

  Correction: the stament “The diaphragm contracts to push air OUT of the lungs, not pull it in” shold read the “ABDOMEN” not the “diaphragm”.

  My appologies.

• 13 chessman71 // Jan 25, 2007 at 7:40 am

  I think this thread of comments shows very clearly the problems with Western medical science. It a priori rules out connections that don’t fit the paradigm, then naturally dismisses evidence of those connections since those connections were ruled out to begin with.

  It’s a nice little circle.

  BTW, not all truth shows up through double-blind controls and gets published in peer-reviewed journals.

• 14 Chad // Jan 25, 2007 at 8:11 am

  I’m sorry man, that doesnt make any sense. What priori are you talking about? That if there is no evidence to support something, you should accept it?

  This isn’t a paradigm thing. Your conclusions don’t fit the facts of the matter, regardless of the paradigm in which those facts are interpreted. Blood pressure and the behavior of it is an objective fact. There is no eveidence whatsoever that compression of the abdomen is at all linked to high blood pressure. And, again, it is the opposite. You have not offered any connections of any sort much less evidence of those connections. You are attributing certain events to erronious ideas about human physiology. There is no circular argument there. If you make a claim, back it up with evidence or your thoughts. If the facts do not support your conclusion, the problem is in your argument not the argument that contradicts your conclusion.

  If you were talking about TCM as Q was and I was dismissing it based on psyiology, you would have a point. But I am not. You are explaining it using actual physiological processes like blood pressure, hemeroids, and hernias. These are things that are defined by the western medical paradigm, so by you invoking them, you are submitting to placing these effects with the scope of knowledge that that represents. Unfortunately, these things do not behave the way you are describing. There nothing anyone can do about that.

  Again, if you have any evidence that supoorts your conclusion the compression ofthe abdomen can cause the things you are claiming, please present it. So far you have given nothing but anectdotes.

  if you like to discuss faulty reasoning, lets start with appeals to authority, post hoc, ad hominem, and special pleading.

• 15 Thomas // Jan 27, 2007 at 4:14 am

  So there I was in the doctor’s office, waiting for the physician with a blood pressure cuff and a nurse handy. Why not check out whether forcible reverse breathing of the kind Dave describes can affect my blood pressure either way? Standing, resting: 110/74, pulse 66. 10 forcible reverse breaths over 90 seconds: 122/82, pulse 69. Rest, recover, 112/78, pulse 68. 20 forcible reverse breaths over 3 minutes: 130/88.

  Some reading:

  “While regular exercise is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure, it has to be the right kind. Isometric exercises in which you clench and hold, such as weight lifting, should be avoided, says David Spodick, M.D., director of clinical cardiology at St. Vincent Hospital at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. That’s because heavy weight lifting can cause blood pressure to temporarily skyrocket, especially if you hold your breath while lifting (as most people do).” http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/48/112.cfm
  ********************************************
  http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v24/n7/full/0801234a.html
  “CONCLUSION: Increased IAP from progressively inflating an intra-abdominal balloon in dogs was associated with significant increases in systolic and diastolic BP that resolved with balloon deflation. Increased IAP may be a cause for systemic hypertension in central obesity and pre-eclampsia.

  International Journal of Obesity (2000) 24, 819-824″

  *******************************************
  http://faculty.css.edu/tboone2/asep/Gotshall.html

  “The blood pressure increase above resting values during weight lifting is variable and can be of considerable magnitude (1-4). Direct intra-arterial recordings of blood pressure (3-6) have shown that blood pressure changes variably during the concentric and eccentric phase of a weight lifting exercise, and that the magnitude of the blood pressure response increases with each successive repetition. Peak systolic pressures in excess of 300 mmHg have been recorded by this method during the double-leg press exercise (2,6), especially when a Valsalva maneuver is performed during the lift.”
  ***************************************
  http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2004/explanatory-reporting/works/story2.html
  ***************************************
  http://sfuk.tripod.com/articles/breath_strangle.html
  ***************************************

  Bob Loce is a common-sense teacher of Chen taijiquan, training under Ren Guangyi. I’d follow his observation about reverse breathing and Chen taiji:

  “Hernia - The downward cycle of reverse breathing can stress the lower abdomen. Reverse breathing is best taught with many cautions concerning downward force that is excessive or sudden beyond the capability of your body. If you have a tendency toward herniation or feel any odd sensation or concern about your lower abdomen, back off and perform the downward cycle softly, focusing on sinking your “qi” rather than applying pressure. Or, simply don’t perform reverse breathing.
  High Blood Pressure - The pressure created by the upward cycle of reverse breathing must be contained in the abdomen otherwise the pressure in your head can rise to a dangerous level. Be very careful if you have high blood pressure. Perform this part of the cycle softly, inhaling to the kidneys without forceful packing, or don’t perform reverse breathing.”
  http://taichiworkout.net/class.html

• 16 Formosa Neijia - Exploring Taiwan’s Martial Arts » Thomas on dangers of reverse breathing // Jan 27, 2007 at 4:41 pm

  [...] Dangers of reverse breathing qigong [...]

• 17 Chad // Jan 28, 2007 at 8:01 am

  Thomas,

  You are absolutely correct. Isometric contraction does temporaily raise blood pressure. I was never denying that fact. Perhaps I should have been clearer but I did state that blood pressure does temporaily raise blood pressure. This is borne out in the studies you have cited and is a well known danger of any strenuous excercise. But, in a normal healthy adult, blood pressure returns to basline after rest. What I am denying is that strain in the abdomen during a workout will cause chronic hypertension, it will not. However, if you do already have hypertension, any type of strenous excercise should be avoided until you get it under controll. Risk of stroke increases as intensity rises.

  The ballon study showed that constant pressure on the internal cavity was found to contribute to vascular constriction but was releived when the balloon was deflated. In reverse breathing the pressure is temporary and therfore released after the workout. That particular study was to link yet another danger of obesity in adults. The extra bulk of fat can externally aggrivate vascular constriction.

  The chen instructors advice is good and should be applied to all excercises, not just reverse breathing. Just as even a healthy adult should not allow their head to go below their heart when their heart rate is elevated, so too should one be cautious when you feel anything weird during excercise.

  Very nice post, good citation. Bravo. But, again that wasn’t what I was arguing against.

• 18 Revisiting “Dangers of Reverse Breathing Qigong” « Taiji@Stagmont // Feb 7, 2007 at 5:14 pm

  [...] February 7, 2007 Posted by zenmindsword in General, Health, Upper Body. trackback Formosa Neijia’s post “Dangers of Reverse Breathing Qigong”(http://formosaneijia.com/2007/dangers-of-reverse-breathing-qigong/) has thrown up some interesting feedback from someone I know (let’s call him X).  [...]

• 19 Formosa Neijia - Exploring Taiwan’s Martial Arts » A victim of reverse breathing? // Feb 8, 2007 at 7:18 am

  [...] A victim of reverse breathing? By chessman71 This is a recent post from Taiji@Stagmont: Formosa Neijia’s post “Dangers of Reverse Breathing Qigong” has thrown up some interesting feedback from someone I know (let’s call him X). X who is in the medical profession has been practicing some san shou which is made up of xingyi, shaolin and what have you for a few years from a teacher who teaches shaolin and taiji. He was taught to do reverse breathing when performing the techniques… [...]

• 20 SteveR // May 23, 2008 at 10:01 pm

  My Tai Chi instructor encouraged me to try a little reverse breathing to naturally facilitate a rise in the body from a back “sit” when inhaling. We suck in the gut, inhale up the back, then rleax, imagining the air sinking down the front of the body, and imagining the dan tien rotating the same way. I think the difference between this practice and the harmful practices is the relaxing on the exhale — not forcibly pushing down on the exhale.

  Anyway, I’m doing it cautiously, every now and then, gradually doing it a little bit more. But when I do it, the body rise feels very easy and natural (no muscles used). Also, I did it once while doing Zhan Zhuang, and felt an immediate tingle in my left hand … for what it’s worth.

  My point is: I think there is some value in this practice, but with more “letting things happen” and less “making things happen”. In short, no forcing things.

• 21 David // May 24, 2008 at 1:14 am

  Wuwei is one of the main philosophical principles in Taiji. This should clear up any issue regarding reverse breathing.

• 22 josh // May 24, 2008 at 1:31 am

  I was shown a method of reverse breathing in qigong once by a Taiwanese monk. I was in my early twenties at the time and he told me that it was generally not recommended for people over the age of 30, although he didn’t go into specific details as to why that was so.

• 23 YMAA.com // May 24, 2008 at 2:50 am

  To clarify this from Dr. Yang’s perspective: he does state those warnings for people frequently, so they understand that when practiced incorrectly, those negative effects can happen.

  Take it or leave it: here is one more humble opinion.

  Reverse abdominal breathing is really not that dangerous, or that complex. It is entirely natural as well.

  Sorry, I must side with Chad and Casey, who both give excellent detailed corrections on how to practice R.A.B. safely.

  Hemorrhoids, acid reflux, etc = self-inflicted wounds. You did it wrong, and/or there was an unrelated additional factor to your reaction. Hundreds of ancient documents warn: do not “strain” the grain path (anus). The movement of the abdomen and huiyin are VERY gentle. Subtle lifting and lowering to stimulate Qi circulation there, that’s all.

  Acid reflux is more likely related to eating unnatural foods (preservatives? artificial food coloring? MSG? Those do not belong in a human body.)

  And, after 8 years of regular RAB I was recently shown to have below average blood pressure. Your blood pressure, by the way, is more likely linked to your mind than abdominal pressure. If your Yi is below the diaphragm, blood pressure goes down. if you are straining during qigong or meditation, your blood pressure will go up. If you are calm, it will go down. When you breath more slowly and completely, it will go down. If you are breathing weird and heavy, it will go up.

  Yes, total relaxation is key.

  Every time you have a strong intention to do something, you use RAB without realizing it. When you push a car? As you exhale, you draw in the abdomen. It is our natural way of manifesting more power.

  Therefore, when you practice Taiji for health, normal abdominal breathing. When you practice with martial intent, reverse.

• 24 meow // May 24, 2008 at 4:11 am

  why not just breath naturally? in order to exert force you have to have some intrabdominal pressure, when moving, you dont want to be tense.

  chad there is obviously a connection between the various systems in the body if weight lifting etc increases blood pressure, are you a doctor? do you have any qualifications to comment on this?

• 25 Chad // May 24, 2008 at 4:58 am

  Meow,

  I am certified Corrective Excercise specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Increases in the BP during activity is nomal and needed. If your BP did not rise during exercise, you would pass out due to lack of O2. The connection btw the sytems of BP and the production of force and movment is well known and documented. There is some debate into specific mechanisms during particular activities, (recruitment of particular muscles, draw in or brace) but no one thinks you can give yourself GERD through a breathing method during activity. Reverse Breathing is actually very natural when exerting force.

• 26 wayne hansen // May 24, 2008 at 5:20 am

  chad
  you got it right about tan tien rotation.
  what i see most people who talk about this doing is raising and dropping the body,or floating.
  its easy to shoot a turkey when it sticks its head up.
  i learnt 4 types of breathing with the form,3&4 were reverse.
  firstly i learnt no breath matching then 2 natural and 2 rev.
  you dont need to go beyond method 1.
  rev breathing is about using the abdominals to further strengthen the diaphram.
  if you do it too soon or are not dilegent in your internal awareness it can have the opposite effect.
  at least half of the 8 ba tuan chin i learnt use rev breathing.
  in other noi gung i have learnt rev breathing happens by itself and is extreamly powerfull when it happens.
  make sure when practicing that you are not just using your abdominals and neglecting the diaphram.

  7

• 27 wayne hansen // May 24, 2008 at 5:26 am

  sorry for the double post.
  regarding yamaguchi ,my friend bob caputo lived with him for 6 months.
  each day they would have long yoga sessions with pier winter.
  bob only talked about how healthy and relaxed the cat was,and how all his students failed to appreicate his approach to softness.

• 28 meow // May 24, 2008 at 4:55 pm

  hey chad, ive studied sport sci, and we did a bit of gait analysis, but not too much, ive been looking into studying corrective exercise (with relation to posture etc) any books you would recommend?, what is GERD?, and why does blood pressure increase? i would have thought heart rate would have increased to supply O2

  wayne, i can honestly say im a beginner when it comes to internal awareness etc (i had a teacher who told me to look into nei kung when i was younger (and he made it sound as though it was diff to chi kung), although i havent been able to find much (and my current teacher wont tell me yet :P) can you please explain it more

• 29 Chad // May 24, 2008 at 11:12 pm

  Meow,

  GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease. caused by the improper contraction of the lower esophageal sphincter that closes the stomach from the esophagus thus letting stomch acid rise up causing a burning sensation aka: heartburn or acid reflux.

  Probably the best book on biomechanics in relation to corrective exercise is “Low back disorders” by Dr. Stuart McGill . He is the one who has done all the really groundbreaking research into spine health and the mechanics of the back and core recently. His stuff is absolutely key. Otherwise, the best bet is to go through one of the cert. organizations like NASM or ACSM.

  When your heart rate goes up, so does your blood pressure. The reason your heart rate goes up is to increase BP to deliver more O2 to the muscles that need it for metabolism and work. Anyone who actually has hypertension will tell you that the only time you can get a 99% accurate BP reading is the moment you wake up in the morning. As soon as you take a few steps, or even stand up, your BP starts to rise. Actually your BP fluctuates all over the place during the day.

  It is very easy to artificially raise your BP. Just hold your breath and strain, make your face go red and clench all your muscles. The effort it takes to do that, the constriction of blood vessels will cause your BP to climb quickly. During strenuous exercise, one can reach a level of 200mmHg systolic.

  If you are studying sport science, I am surprised that you haven’t covered this in basic physiology.

• 30 wayne hansen // May 25, 2008 at 7:26 am

  chi gung/noi gung/oi gung all have different meanings to different people.
  noi/nei gung basically means internal training it differs from teacher to teacher and school to school.
  chi gung has such a wide range of understanding today that i have seen people teaching aeorobics and calling it chi gung.

• 31 Busta // May 26, 2008 at 6:25 am

  Nice post guys. Some interesting information.

  Casey: Good point about ‘back breathing’. Almost got it in a nutshell there.

  Just a tip - Read ‘Awareness Through Movement ‘by Moshe Feldenkrais

  He explains what reverse breathing is and when it is used. The key is to use minimum effort when exercising your diaphragm.

• 32 Richard Friedel // Sep 30, 2008 at 8:29 pm

  There is not mention of the respiratory pump in the discussion. It is established that there is not only suction in the chest during inspiration but also a rise in pressure (IAP, intraabdominal pressure) in the abdomen. This is important for circulation, see Japanese sources such as “Oriental Breathing Therapy” by T. Nakamura and seems to be accepted in the West, at an academic level.

  The theme of reverse breathing should surely not be approached without thinking about the effects on IAP. Overly relaxing the abdominal wall on inhaling for reverse breathing might interfere so much with IAP as to lose a proper feeling for healthy breathing. This might be cause for so many dire warnings.

  As pointed out by Ludwik Fleck, who greatly influenced Thomas Kuhn with his paradigm shift thing, a true interpretation of facts may have to be a cultural one. Breathing mostly means blowing and sucking air for Europeans and for the Orientals it tends to mean hemodynamics as well. Regards, Richard Friedel

Leave a Comment