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By Root 664 0

course, have spoken for thousands of years about the polarity of yang and yin, of up and down, of heaven and earth. As living organisms, we depend not only on chemical and electrical polarities within our bodies, but also on the electromagnetic polarity of the earth and atmosphere. As conductors within this electromagnetic field, our bodies manifest a potential difference in voltage between head (positive) and feet (negative) that increases in relation to the degree of our verticality. Other important factors include our location, the purity of the air, the climate, and so on. In a closed space with polluted air, for instance, the potential difference is virtually zero.

Figure 23

It is my belief that when we are able to breathe through our whole body, sensing our verticality from head to foot, we are aligning ourselves with the natural flow of energy connecting heaven and earth. This vertical flow may help to explain the great healing power of both tai chi and chi kung, especially when they are done, as recommended by Taoist masters, in fresh air and open spaces.

THE BENEFITS OF WHOLE-BODY BREATHING

In addition to bringing us into a more harmonious relationship with the energies of heaven and earth, whole-body breathing has a number of benefits at both the physiological and psychological levels. At the physiological level it not only increases our intake of oxygen and helps to promote efficiency in the entire breathing mechanism, but it also helps—through the internal massage it provides—to revitalize all the cells, tissues, and organs of the body, and to clear the body of any toxins. At the psychological level, whole-body breathing helps us relax enough to begin to experience ourselves from the inside out, to discover an inner attention that can take in more accurate, complete impressions of the whole of ourselves and our functioning. As this occurs—as our breath expands into hitherto unconscious parts of ourselves—our attitudes and emotions start to change and our self-image begins to release its stranglehold on our lives.

PRACTICE

Sit down and go through as many of the previous practices as time permits. When you finish these practices, let your awareness embrace the whole of your sensation. You will feel this sensation—including your skin, your tissues, your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, your organs, and your bones—as varying intensities of vibration, some denser, some finer. See how many levels of vibration you can discern.

1 Sensing the outer movements of breath

Now, within this field of sensation, begin to follow the movements involved in breathing. As you inhale, see if you can sense the downward movement of the air and your diaphragm. See if your belly expands as you inhale. If not, gently put your palms over your navel, and sense how the warmth from your palms begins to attract your breath and open your belly. As you exhale, see if you can sense the upward movement of the diaphragm and the inward movement of your belly. As you continue following these movements, notice how far they reach in your body. As you inhale, for example, see how far down the movement actually goes. Does the movement reach your pelvic floor? As you exhale, see how far up the movement goes. Does it reach your head? Don’t try to “do” anything. Simply watch as your breath begins to take in more of your body. Work in this way for 10 minutes or so.

2 Sensing the inner movements of breath

As you continue to sense these upward and downward movements in the tissues of your body, include the movements of your “breath energy.” As you inhale, see if you can sense some kind of energy, of vibration, rising upward into your head. As you exhale, see if you can sense this vibration moving downward through your whole body. Give yourself plenty of time. Using our inner attention to follow these movements is not something we are accustomed to doing. The key is to let go of any unnecessary tension and just keep “listening” to your sensation.

3 Making contact with your head and feet

Next, sense your feet resting firmly