Using Whole-Body Breathing as Your Ally

Focusing on the breath in our belly (tan tien) can be calming. Just as the surface of the ocean tends to be choppy when the wind is blowing, the mind tends to be reactive and agitated when the outside environment is not calm and peaceful. In the case of the ocean, if you go down ten or twenty feet, there is only a gentle swelling; there is calm even when the surface is agitated. Similarly, when we focus on our breathing from our center, we are tuning to a region of the body that is below the agitations of our thinking mind and is intrinsically calmer. This is a valuable way of reestablishing inner calmness and balance in the face of emotional upset or when we “have a lot on our minds.”

When we touch base with that part of our mind that is calm and stable, our perspective immediately changes. We can see things more clearly and act from inner balance rather than being tossed about by the agitations of our mind. We see things with a larger perspective, and with this awareness comes a feeling of having more room to move, of having more options, of being free to choose effective and appropriate responses in stressful situations rather than losing our equilibrium and sense of self as a result of feeling overwhelmed.

This all comes from the simple practice of paying attention to our breathing when we practice Whole Body Breathing regularly while going through our T’ai Chi movements. The standing Wu Chi position (closed or open) is a perfect way to focus and memorize this new style of breathing. The movements of the T’ai Chi Solo form were brilliantly designed to safely, progressively open new areas of our bodies in tandem with our improved strength and conditioning. Amazingly, we will discover we can direct our breath with great precision to various parts of our bodies to penetrate and soothe regions that are injured or in pain, while simultaneously calming and stabilizing our thoughts.           

Your tan tien is literally the “center of gravity” of your body, far below the head and the turmoil of your thinking mind. For this reason, we need to befriend the belly right from the beginning as an ally in establishing a sense of peace, stability, and inner healing.

Compiled and edited from “Full Catastrophe Living” by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Added commentary by Emily B. Smith, Certified T’ai Chi Instructor

Grasshopper Healing Arts, Edgerton, WI 53534

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c All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced without written permission of Emily B. Smith,

Grasshopper Healing Arts, Edgerton, WI 53534