# Having trouble with dan tien breathing



## Milquetoast (Jan 14, 2003)

I have noticed lately that while doing standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang), I have a very hard time with trying to make my breathing consistently smooth. The weird thing is, if I am lying on my back, it is very easy for me to breath smoothly, from the dan tian. While sitting, it is somewhere in between.

On inhalation, it feels like I am forcing it, i.e. unnecessary motion or tension in abdomen. If I do not "tug" the breathing at all, it feels too "shallow" (not coming from deep enough).

If I'm on my back, I have none of these problems!

Does anyone have any pointers??? Should I stay with "relaxed breathing", even though it does not seem to originate from deep enough?


----------



## yilisifu (Jan 15, 2003)

Don't worry about it.  Make sure your standing posture is correct first.  Especially make sure that you are not leaning forward at all, especially from th neck.  "Push" your crown (of your head) upwards, as if pushing against a low ceiling (but without making it stuff).
   Then just...breathe.  Don't worry about whether it's deep enough or not.  Just do it as you've been taught.

   What art are you studying and what kind of breathing are you using?


----------



## Milquetoast (Jan 16, 2003)

Thanks for the reply. During my qigong practice yesterday, I tried what you suggested (although, I didn't see your reply until later), and it worked well. It was shallow at first, but it remained smooth, and it got deeper on its own accord.

Incidentally, I am starting to be able to completely relax/open up my muscles while just standing around. I can almost feel the fibers in the fascia open up. My normally tense and ropy shoulders have become more supple and soft to the touch. Amazing.


----------

