Breath

[federico]

Hi everyone,

Today during a taekwondoclass i got a question from one of the students, why should we be breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth when doing breathing/ki excercises...
The first thing I thought of were that it would make a circular motion. What are your opinions on this matter? Any other explanations? As she asked me I was a little astonished over myself for not asking myself this question earlier as I've been breathing that way during those excercises for so long :duh:

 

[DavidCC]

So you can smell the fear of your opponents.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

Today during a taekwondoclass i got a question from one of the students, why should we be breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth when doing breathing/ki excercises...

Depends on what you are doing depends on your inhaling and exhaling. In the popular 6 sound Qigong exhale is done through the mouth. Why? Because this allows you to make the sound. Exhaling thru the mouth and Exhaling thru the nose both have their functions. However I think of exhaling thru the mouth more of a force like when you push a car. Both practices have their place and with each exercise.

 

[Hawke]

Years ago I was told:

We kiya (sp?) through our mouth when we yell, so we always breathe out.

Qigong sounds are also done through the mouth.

We do not inhale through the mouth because our mouth will dry up faster.

I am interested in others answer to this question as well.

 

[Fiendlover]

So you can smell the fear of your opponents.

Now that's my kind of answer! lol!

 

[Empty Hands]

We do not inhale through the mouth because our mouth will dry up faster.

True, although mouthguard induced slobber helps me with this problem. More generally though, I find it difficult to get enough air inhaling through the nose while doing heavy exercises, particularly sparring. The nasal passages are smaller, forcing you to perform long, deep breaths to get the same amount of air. Thus, I mostly use this breathing for relaxation type exercises rather than heavier stuff where breathing needs to be quicker.

 

[jks9199]

On a pragmatic level -- it's simply healthier to inhale through the nose as a general rule. The nasal passages are designed to moisten and filter the incoming air before it gets into the lungs; inhaling through the mouth dumps whatever is in the air right into your lungs with minimal filtering.