# How can I improve my expiration time ?



## taiqiqong (Mar 25, 2016)

When I am breathing, I cant expire with the nose for too long(maximum 3 or 4 seconds), then I'm not capable to 
accompany the slow tai chi moviments . 

Errr... Sorry for my bad english, that's not my primary language ...


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## Xue Sheng (Mar 25, 2016)

Don't worry about breathing anything but naturally at first. Learn the forms, breathing will come


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## Kung Fu Wang (Mar 25, 2016)

taiqiqong said:


> When I am breathing, I cant expire with the nose for too long(maximum 3 or 4 seconds), then I'm not capable to accompany the slow tai chi moviments .


You may do your Taiji form too slow. Your Taiji form speed should be dominated by your breathing speed and not the other way around. Try to coordinate each move of your Taiji form as either "one inhale or one exhale".

For  example, when you do your Taiji form, if you have just

- finished fast 1 mile running, your Taiji form speed should be faster than your normal speed.
- got up off bed, your Taiji form speed should be slower than your normal speed.


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## oaktree (Mar 25, 2016)

Without knowing if you have any type of breathing problems with lungs or nose I can't say might want to consult with a doctor considering your lung capacity. 
However I would not be focusing on breathing with the forms, focus on the form and the mind will be centered and relaxed.then the will also be relaxed.


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## mograph (Mar 25, 2016)

What does your teacher say?


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## mograph (Mar 26, 2016)

This is your challenge: you find conflicting advice on the internet. What do you do?


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## Kung Fu Wang (Mar 26, 2016)

mograph said:


> This is your challenge: you find conflicting advice on the internet. What do you do?


If the OP wants to train Taiji for

- health, he can "separate" breathing away from his body movement.
- combat, he has to "coordinate" his breathing with his body movement.



taiqiqong said:


> I'm not capable to accompany the slow tai chi moviments .



You should do your Taiji according to your breathing speed. May be you should do your Taiji a bit faster. You should not just "do Taiji slow".


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## Tez3 (Mar 26, 2016)

I clicked on quite worried someone was about to die. However having been assured that the OP isn't dying can I point out, _kindly_, that to 'expire' is to die as in be dead?
_Inhale_ is to breathe in, _exhale_ is to breathe out, _expire_ is to die.


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## Xue Sheng (Mar 26, 2016)

Tez3 said:


> I clicked on quite worried someone was about to die. However having been assured that the OP isn't dying can I point out, _kindly_, that to 'expire' is to die as in be dead?
> _Inhale_ is to breathe in, _exhale_ is to breathe out, _expire_ is to die.



True, but in our somewhat skewed American English "expiration" also means "exhalation of breath"...


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## Tez3 (Mar 26, 2016)

Xue Sheng said:


> True, but in our somewhat skewed American English "expiration" also means "exhalation of breath"...



Oh dear no, really? We have expiration dates on food etc, when people here experience expiration means they've snuffed it, died, kicked the bucket, gone for a burton, popped their clogs...................................... cue Monty Python of course


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## Xue Sheng (Mar 26, 2016)

Tez3 said:


> Oh dear no, really? We have expiration dates on food etc, when people here experience expiration means they've snuffed it, died, kicked the bucket, gone for a burton, popped their clogs...................................... cue Monty Python of course



The irony here is that when I read your post on expire, my very first thought was "The dead parrot sketch"


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## oaktree (Mar 26, 2016)

Actually when I read it I also thought he wanted to increase his life expectancy.
I did actually teach breathing with a form how ever it was a way to explain an exhale to relax during the opening and raises of the arms. I find any type of control of breath to be artificial which can be good to eventually get the rhythm and the rhythm eventually relaxes the breath think panic attack and breath counting. In my opinion, in some cases focusing on breathing can cause problems because if you are overly conscious of say an overly relaxed breathing which your breathing is so slow you may panic that you are not breathing well and this can cause problems. It is essential that breathing practices be supervised with a teacher. I also want to say do not go beyond your capacity it can result in dizziness and possibly fainting. Breathing exercises are for the most part safe and used in psychological and physiological prescribe settings, however, most do not know or tell possible sensations or side effects or adverse effect they may have in the negative. To the op, consult a doctor to test your lungs are clear a breath test May show an underlying factor that may be contributing to your exhale problems.


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## mograph (Mar 26, 2016)

Xue Sheng said:


> True, but in our somewhat skewed American English "expiration" also means "exhalation of breath"...


Yeah, and "inspiration" means "inhalation of breath."

"Beautiful plumage."


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## Xue Sheng (Mar 26, 2016)

mograph said:


> Yeah, and "inspiration" means "inhalation of breath."
> 
> "Beautiful plumage."



Well *to* tell the truth those are *two* words that you *too* noticed.... American English can be funny that way...... care to have me tell you about Mandarin 

Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it!


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## Kung Fu Wang (Mar 26, 2016)

To coordinate your body movement with your breathing is important. Here is an example. When you do your Taiji ending move, you should:

- inhale when both arms raise up and separate (lung open).
- exhale when both hands drop down next to your legs (lung shrink).
- inhale when both arms raise up (lung open).
- exhale when both arms drop down (lung shrink).

If you do in any other way, your breathing will be against your lung open/shrink function.


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## oaktree (Mar 26, 2016)

When you do the closing form if you are sung, and focused on the form the breath will also condese down when your arms go down no need to synch it artificially. Where the mind is the breath is, where the breath and mind are united with out force there is no stagnation and the qi will follow accordingly.


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## oaktree (Mar 26, 2016)

To further add on breath,
Breathing should be
1.natural and normal
2.slender and fine
3.relaxed and with our effort to inhale or exhale
4.regulated
5.smooth
6.long not short.
Jwing ming yang has written more about the qualities of examine the breath that really help, in some classics say the breath should be so delicate that not even a feather can be blown away by it


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## Tez3 (Mar 26, 2016)

Lung shrink? If ever there was a subject that demanded precise wording I think this is it, the lung deflates not shrinks, that's a terrifying thought! the lungs inflate not open. We will be giving people the wrong idea here.


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## yak sao (Mar 26, 2016)

Not really a tai chi man, just play with the form some as an aside, but my understanding is it should be relaxed and smooth first and foremost, As for slowing your breathing, I agree with what the others were saying, but one thing you can do is place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind the teeth where it indents upward, this helps to regulate breathing...at least for me.
But then again, I'm just a dumb ol' wing tsun guy, take my advice with a grain of salt.


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## Xue Sheng (Mar 26, 2016)

yak sao said:


> Not really a tai chi man, just play with the form some as an aside, but my understanding is it should be relaxed and smooth first and foremost, As for slowing your breathing, I agree with what the others were saying, but one thing you can do is place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind the teeth where it indents upward, this helps to regulate breathing...at least for me.
> But then again, I'm just a dumb ol' wing tsun guy, take my advice with a grain of salt.



PFHHT!! Wing Chun guys, what does anyone who does (or did) wing chun know 

Now before every Wing Chun guy on MT and across the country gets offended and tries to hunt me down for a good ole fashion Wing Chun Pummeling..... I did wing chun for a bit too, and I liked it... (puts on groucho glasses and goes and hides in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying beware of the leopard.)


You are correct, and don't sell Wing Chun short, I feel that Siu Nim Tao is an excellent Neigong exercise, one of my favorites actually.


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## oaktree (Mar 26, 2016)

It is true the tongue touching the top connects the two channels among other things.


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