Breathe

Today’s Tai Chi Tip is actually a story about a little boy named Lo Ping, who lived in Ancient China.

Lo Ping was a very sickly boy, thin, constantly tired, who shuffled around to the point that all of the other boys called him “slow ant.”

His mother, Auntie Ho, was very worried about him. One day, she saw an old man walking down the street, who walked with a bounce in his step, moving along at a quick pace, despite the fact that he was pushing a heavy cart. The man had a sparkle in his eye, and a youthly demeanor, despite his age.

Something inside Auntie Ho made her run out and stop him. She said “Grandfather, my son is sickly, please help him.” For she knew this man must practice an incredible form of healing to be so spry.

The old man sat considered, and said “I will, but the boy must approach me, and ask me himself, for I can’t help anyone who doesn’t want my help.”

She agreed, and sent Lo Ping out with some lunch for the man. Lo Ping stood warily, eyeing the man from a distance as he ate, and finally the old man said “Lo Ping, look at the 4 bells hanging from my cart. One of them will grant you any wish you want, the other three do nothing. Will you ring one of these bells?”

Lo Ping, very cautiously, asked “But how will I know which one is the right one?”

The old man replied, “Look into your heart, and your heart will guide you.” He looked at the bells, and rang the tiniest of them. The man smiled and nodded, and said “You’ve chosen correctly, now what is your wish?”

Lo Ping answered “I want to be strong, and fast, and healthy, and smart, and rich. I don’t want to be sickly anymore.”

The old man took out an ancient brass ring, with a tiny frog engraved on it, and offered it to Lo Ping. He said “Take this ring, it’s a magic ring, and will give you everything you’ve asked for. But to make the magic of this ring work, you must do two things. First, you must never tell anyone about the magic of the ring. Second, you need to help the frog on it. You see, the frog can’t breathe for itself, so you will have to breathe for two while you’re wearing it.”

Lo Ping began to weep, and the old man asked him why he cried, and he answered “Because the ring is too big, it won’t fit on my finger.”

The old man smiled, and made the ring into a necklace for him to wear until he was big enough to wear it himself. Lo Ping, thus heartened, went back into his home, and he did exactly as the old man asked. He never told anyone about the ring, and each day, he breathed deeply, trying to breathe for the frog. Almost instantly, he began to change, his dull eyes replaced with sparkling ones, and he moved around faster than any of the other children, zipping along like a bee, and he lived a very long, productive, and happy life.

There’s a secret to this story – the secret of breath. Oxygen is one of the key ingredients in life, without it, we cease to exist. We often thing about feeding ourselves, and of getting enough liquids, but what about oxygen? The right breathing habits can make a difference in energy levels, and general mood.

It is not a mistake the proper breathing, and breathing techniques are so integral to so many different forms of exercise, martial arts, and meditation. Every breath in sucks in energy, every breath out disperses stuck energy in the body. Simply being aware of this can lead to great discoveries in any practice. Here are a few tips:

Professor Cheng Man Ching, who brought Tai Chi to America, describes it as “There are four words to bear in mind when thinking about the air going into the Tan Tien: the breath should be thin, long, quiet, and slow. It is like drawing the silk from a cocoon... it is not forcing the air down, it is keeping the mind focused on the Tan Tien that leads the air there.”

Like everything in Tai Chi, your breathing should be full, but not forced. Relaxed, and effortless.

Another technique which may help you slow your breath is to imagine that the air has the consistency of water. Each breath in is fuller, and slower. Each breath out causes the water to billow down the body like rain, or smoke, washing away tension.

Whatever techniques you use, apply them to your practice, and day. Breathe, and be filled with life.