zen-bear

Hi Boreas, I'm glad you've completed your treatment and have resumed your FP Qigong practice. Here are answers to your questions (in bold): 1) Should I keep a gentle focus on the lower abdomen while doing opening 3 breaths and during breath formulas? • Yes, it's always optimal to breathe diaphragmatically, expanding the lower belly on the inhalation. And for most practitioners, that calls for a gentle focus on the tan tien (dantien)--not only during the 3 priming breathes, but also during the performance of the breath-control formula. And this is true especially for those who do not have a kung fu or Tai Chi background already. 2) Regarding formula part in itself, after inhaling my 100% and exhaling X%, do I need on the next inhale to breathe in same X% and exhale 100% at same speed? Said another way, should I keep "counting my potatoes" ? Or do I just breathe in and out calmly without counting? • Yes, after you exhale X%, you then inhale the X% for the same duration (at the same speed). The exhale 100%, inhale 100% --both at the same speed-- and the the next percentage exhalation. yes, keep counting "potatoes" with each full (100%) breath and each X-percentage breath exhalation and X-percentage inhalation. You're most welcome. Happy New Year. Sifu Terry https://www.taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html terencedunn.substack.com