Reverse Breathing

The second main breathing exercise is “reverse breathing,” that is, breathing opposite to the abdominal one. As you inhale, the diaphragm relaxes and the lower abdomen draws toward the spine. As you exhale, the lower abdomen expands and relaxes.

This is how a fetus breathes in the mother's womb. This exercise has the same beneficial effect as “abdominal breathing”.

1. Before you begin the reverse breathing exercise, perform three abdominal breathing exercises. On the last exhale, draw in your lower abdomen.
2. Inhale slowly, drawing your lower abdomen towards your spine. As you inhale, you will feel a pulling downward tension in the perineum of your legs (between the genitals and anus).
3. Squeeze your perineum and lower your diaphragm at the same time.
4. As you exhale, relax your genitals and diaphragm. Imagine that the exhalation occurs through the peritoneum and lower abdomen, expanding in all directions.
5. Perform the reverse breathing exercise at least six times.
Breathing exercises should be performed throughout the course offered in this book.

The main sources of qi (as energy) inside the human body are various fluids and hormones. These include blood, the lymphatic system, products of the glands, male and female hormones, products of the testes and ovaries. All of the above are united by the term “jing”. In English it is translated as "essence". For a deeper understanding, you can imagine a person in the form of a wet sponge; after squeezing it, something called jing is released. Jing should not be identified with qi. “Essence” is not yet energy, but a certain substance that turns into energy inside the human body.
During eating and digestion, food is converted into qi, which provides energy to the body. Thus, the two main sources of Jing are breathing and nutrition.

The “second treasure” exercises form the basis of the art of qigong (ki gong). If you are familiar with it or Tai Chi Chuan, then continue with these exercises. If this is your first time hearing about them, this book will help you master the basic qigong exercises. I would like to note that I tried to make this task as easy as possible for beginners. You will master various forms of static exercises (different postures), after which you can move on to the “third treasure” meditation exercises.

You may also want to explore dynamic qigong exercises. Studying Tai Chi Chuan is not necessary. For too long, Tai Chi was the only Taoist art known and practiced in the West. For many people, this set of exercises is too difficult, which makes it difficult to popularize qigong. Taoist yoga and qigong offer much more than tai chi chuan. If you are familiar with the art of tai chi, that's great, if not, then there's no big problem.