KOGO NO KOKYO
Alternate Breathing

This is a very specific respiratory practice, used to stimulate the student's internal energy.

It can be practiced either standing, or seated on a chair, stool or bench, or in a crosslegged posture or in the seiza posture, or whilst reclining.

Choose a time and place where you are unlikely to be disturbed - initially 5 -10 minutes will be quite sufficient for practice - with time you may want to increase this.
Remove your shoes. And wherever you are doing this exercise - indoors or out, make sure (if standing, or seated on the floor) the floor/ground is both comfortable and warm. Do not practice this on cold floors/ground, do not practice in the cold, generally.
If you are doing this standing up, begin by standing with your feet about shoulder-with apart, arms by your sides.
If seated, sit up straight (comfortably so - no need for rigid military-style posture - this will only impede the technique). Rest your hands, palms down, on your legs.
If reclining, rest your arms by your sides.

Begin by 'hara-centering', and 'watching the breath': loosely focussing on the natural rhythms of your breathing. There is no interference with the natural process - no seeking to consciously breathe - merely to be aware that you are breathing effortlessly.

After a few moments, begin to consciously intervene in your respiratory process. Without straining, inhale a long, slow breath - until the lungs are almost (yet not quite) full, then immediately, smoothly, start to exhale at the same slow rate, continuing until the lungs are almost (yet not quite) empty; immediately and smoothly beginning again to inhale - almost to capacity, then exhaling again.

Maintaining a steady rhythm - continue this cycle of breathing, focussing on quality, pace, and smoothness of respiration for a total of nine breaths.

As the ninth exhalation is completed, immediately start to inhale once more, but this time the breath, though still smooth, and at the same slow rate, is only inhaled to the point where the lungs are approximately half-filled, then immediately, smoothly, exhaled again at the same slow rate, continuing until the lungs are almost empty once more. This 'half-capacity' breath is followed immediately by another long, slow breath - until the lungs are almost full, then exhaled at the same slow rate, continuing until the lungs are almost empty, followed by another 'half-capacity' breath.

And so the pattern continues - a long, full breath followed seamlessly by a short 'half-capacity' breath followed by a long breath followed by a short breath - and so on.

This breathing pattern can be continued for a short while - as long as you feel comfortable with the process. While this pattern involves controlled breathng, the aim is for this process to become an almost subconscious, effortless one. At no time should there be even the slightest degree of strain or forcing involved in the practice of this breathing pattern, and if at any time there is any sense of even the mildest discomfort, you should simply relax into your natural breathing rhythms once more.

Copyright © 2002 James Deacon