BREATHING METHODS AND CONTROL IN TAIJIQUAN
Sifu Jeffrey Segal progressing from “you wei” to “wu wei” in this Cosmic Breathing exercise
A lively debate in our
Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum results in some invaluable posts by Sifu Jeffrey Segal on the breathing methods and control we use in our Wahnam Taijiquan.
1. Entering the Tao
Soon some of us started to sway “involuntarily”. Sifu encouraged us to let go and “go with the Tao”. I remember him saying, “Taiji originates from Wuji, and this is what we are experiencing now”. That was a most memorable experience. I felt free, joyful and also energised.
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2. Platinum Card Kungfu
High level Kungfu, Sifu explains, enables you to use just one technique, and sometimes any technique, to develop a variety of skills for many different purposes. In keeping with one of our tenets that training should also be fun, Sifu uses the term platinum card Kungfu. Many Wahnam Taijiquan practitioners find this to be one of the dimensions of our art that makes training Taijiquan fun.
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3. Breathing Structures
Depending on the purpose at hand and the various levels of attainment, students employ a variety of breathing methods. Initially, when the emphasis is on correct form and reasonable force, they use one breath per pattern. Later on, when the emphasis is on fluidity and speed, but without sacrificing correct form and force, they may use one breath for a series of patterns.
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4. How Not to be Out of Breath after Hours of Sparring
This deep, long rate of breathing is maintained even when the movements become fast and vigorous in sparring or certain sections of our Taijiquan sets. This is one of the main reasons that we do not become out of breath even after sparring for hours, like for example, at Sifu's intensive courses in Taijiquan or Shaolinquan.
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5. Breath Control During Combat
A practitioner who has effectively applied Taijiquan techniques in sparring or fighting would not ask how the breath is employed. They would simply execute the techniques as well as all other aspects of combat, including breathing methods and control, spontaneously. There is no time to consider which physical or breathing techniques to use.
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7. Personal Experiences of Breathing Methods
Let's take for example the "Lohan Asks the Way" set: I am at a stage where I start to get comfortable with the form, and don't have to think too much to perform the set. Also, my breath has become longer, thanks to stance training. As a result I can start to focus on reducing the number of in-breaths.
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8. From You Wei to Wu Wei, from Control to S;pontaneity
In Wahnam Taijiquan as in Shaolin Cosmos Qigong we use the term visualization but in practice it is more like "gently thinking of". The progression between visualization and realization and back is very fluid. It's a fascinating aspect of training. Sometimes "gently thinking" of an energetic process gives us the chance to realize and notice something that is already taking place.
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Breathing Methods and Control in Taijiquan
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Entering the Tao
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Platinum Card Kungfu
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Breathing Structures
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How Not to be Out of Breath after Hours of Sparring
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Breath Control During Combat
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Combat Sequences and Breathing Structures - Hypothetical Scenarios or Direct Experience?
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Personal Experiences of Breathing Methods
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From You Wei to Wu Wei - From Control to Spontaneity
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