Autumn Qi Chats | Week 5
Wrap up the ribs!
This week’s Qi Time chat leads us to talk
about how to properly train for better breathing.
You house a grand source of energy. Are you properly accessing that drive?
In the torso of the body lies three areas often referred to as the San Jiao, or the ‘three burners.’ This energetic-organ system has a relationship to the breathing process. Often correlated to the hypothalamus, the San Jiao is in charge of our energy maintenance via mood, sleep and arousal, body temperature and more.
How can the Lung affect my energy?
When you breathe with purpose, you begin to awaken areas of the body that hasn’t been associated with the function of the lungs. Image the ribcage like an umbrella expanding outward and lifting upward during each inhale. Now image closing the umbrella during your exhale as you feel the ribs descend and come closer together. The rhythmic movement of the ribs, the better engagement of your respiration muscles create a neurological connection that can calm the nervous system & release tension of the body. That energy can now be reserved for function rather than protection.
Better breathing = better energy sourcing.
Neuro-Qi Tip o’the day!
Become more aware of the midline
Morning ribcage scrub (play with vibration, crude touch, light touch, temperature)
Wrap the ribcage or use weights on the torso
Massage the center of the sternum (Ren 17) to help with the following breathing technique.
Focus on slowing your breathing to the 6 breaths a minute. Count to 5 as you inhale then exhale for 5.
*Video posts every Friday by 11:30am MDT
