by TenTigers » Wed Oct 10, 2007 7:33 pm
back to breathing-I've posted this on several forums, I should save it because I keep re-writing my own words...anyway..
Breathing serves to release tension, so it should never be a forced breath, or one that causes your body tshut down, or cause a stroke!
The type of strike determines the breath and the sound it makes. T
Take your hands and place them palm down on your chest,one at the heart, the other closer to the stomach. Then say," Hmmmmmmmmmm," going from a high pitch to a low pitch (about two or more octaves?) You will feel the vibration travel from your chest down to your stomach and dan-tien. Higher pitched sounds vibrate higher in the chest,neck, lower pitched sounds vibrate deeper into the body at the lower abs. This is similar to positive and negative bouyancy in breathing in the water. If you are doing a back float, and breath to the stomach/dan-tien, your body will be suspended in a vertical position. If you breathe high into the chest, your chest like a balloon, will rise to the surface, placing you in a horizontal position.
Strikes that are quick, and snappy, require breathing to match, so you would use a quick,'Hite" sound that registers higher in the chest/solar plexus area (middle dan-tien). Strikes that use full body power and rooting, require you to breathe from the lower dan-tien, and the sound is 'Hah!" or"Huh! ", or the sub-audible,'Hnnh" sound.
Jumping requires height, and oddly enough, the "Hite" sound is used-again, remember the bouyancy experiement. You cannot breathe deep into the dan-tien, which sinks your hei, and expect to jump, or perform some quick movement.
Kicks, also use the "Hite" sound. Try using,'Huh!" and you will feel the difference.
Crane uses a short "Huhp!" some say 'op," sound for a quick release. Tiger uses "Wah," but for a different reason. In the Hei-Gung, and Noi-Gung that I was taught, different sounds are used in conjunction with visualization techniques designed to open up the centers (chakras) in the body and meridians.
The solar plexus is the seat of emotion-particularly, anger. This is why your stomach gets in a knot when you are upset. Vibrating the "wah" sound in the solar plexus, while using the correct visualization techniques, allows you to release pent up anger and tension. Stress causes heat in Chinese medicine, and creates blockages in the organs and meridians, so there is a therapeutic benefit to this.
Tiger is associated with the emotion of Anger, and using the "wah" sound whild doing the Tiger techniques releases this energy, or better yet, harnesses it.
You can also see how learning incorrect breathing methods can also cause tension where it should not be. A heavyset, overweight person tightening up his throat and saying a constricted,'Ite!" while throwing a powerful ping choy, is a recipe for disaster.
'My Gung-Fu is MY Gung-Fu. It may not be YOUR Gung-Fu"
Gwok Si, Gwok Faht