The mode of expiration that the author suggests does manage to put strength in the lower belly or tanden. This happens to me when I place a finger on 2-3 inches below the navel and focus on there, in addition to expiring as suggested.
I have made a mistake in my early expiration practices in relation to the expiration method suggested. The mistake was simple: I did not read the instructions located somewhere in the paragraphs.
The author equates stopping breathing and almost stopping breathing with bringing the muscles of diaphragm and abdominals into opposition, with former of necessity creating the latter, the opposition of the muscles. I attempted to bring the muscles into opposition not by stopping breathing only but also by directly trying to do so. The author suggests this so in page 58, on the last paragraph.
The method of expiration suggested in the chapter is simple one: all you have to do is contract your abdominal muscles, after taking proper posture of course, until you expel the entire expiratory reserve volume, about 1100 milliliters, that is expel as much air as possible, but don't exhale air, except few right away, and then exhale slowly, unless there is in urgent reason to do so. Doing so of necessity brings abdominal and diaphragm muscles into opposition and this is what puts tension in the lower abdomen, or tanden. Tensed tanden stabilizes body and mind and does many other good things.
The reference has to be something that is easy to apprehend relative to which it serves as its reference.
Horizon of breathing is less clear reference because It refers to the end of a process that is outside of human awareness, normal breathing.
As a result, the two methods of inspiration suggested appear to be less clear.
If one considers expulsion of expiratory reserve volume process and subsequent slow expiration as what constitutes below the horizon until one runs out air to expire from his conscious point g view, then one may be able to understand the first phase of inspiration.
If so, inspiration below the horizon is simply achieved by taking air in and by inflating, simultaneously, the lower abdomen or belly.
Simple inspiration below the horizon of necessity involves relaxation of some respiratory muscles, such as abdominal and diaphragm muscles.
I generally do inspire or expire whenever I urgently need either of these forms of breathing, otherwise I expire slowly, since that is what is crucial to meditation as far as this book is concerned.
Above the horizon, that is when one finishes expiring and there is no much air left to expire, the mode of inspiration is not simply to inspire and inflate lower abdomen, as it the case below the horizon is, but to tense abdominal muscles to inflate the abdomen.
The author here, page 58, does not say tense the abdominal muscles to inflate the lower abdomen or belly, but seems to be doing so, because he says perform active abdominal inspiration, in the same paragraph, and abdominal inspiration as explicated in page 54 refers to filing or inflating lower abdomen.
One notes ambiguities as one carefully reflects on the materials in this chapter, Breathing in Zazen but this is to be expected since this discussion refers to principles not applications. Subsequent chapters will avail breathing method, as promised in the chapter.
I have made a mistake in my early expiration practices in relation to the expiration method suggested. The mistake was simple: I did not read the instructions located somewhere in the paragraphs.
The author equates stopping breathing and almost stopping breathing with bringing the muscles of diaphragm and abdominals into opposition, with former of necessity creating the latter, the opposition of the muscles. I attempted to bring the muscles into opposition not by stopping breathing only but also by directly trying to do so. The author suggests this so in page 58, on the last paragraph.
The method of expiration suggested in the chapter is simple one: all you have to do is contract your abdominal muscles, after taking proper posture of course, until you expel the entire expiratory reserve volume, about 1100 milliliters, that is expel as much air as possible, but don't exhale air, except few right away, and then exhale slowly, unless there is in urgent reason to do so. Doing so of necessity brings abdominal and diaphragm muscles into opposition and this is what puts tension in the lower abdomen, or tanden. Tensed tanden stabilizes body and mind and does many other good things.
The reference has to be something that is easy to apprehend relative to which it serves as its reference.
Horizon of breathing is less clear reference because It refers to the end of a process that is outside of human awareness, normal breathing.
As a result, the two methods of inspiration suggested appear to be less clear.
If one considers expulsion of expiratory reserve volume process and subsequent slow expiration as what constitutes below the horizon until one runs out air to expire from his conscious point g view, then one may be able to understand the first phase of inspiration.
If so, inspiration below the horizon is simply achieved by taking air in and by inflating, simultaneously, the lower abdomen or belly.
Simple inspiration below the horizon of necessity involves relaxation of some respiratory muscles, such as abdominal and diaphragm muscles.
I generally do inspire or expire whenever I urgently need either of these forms of breathing, otherwise I expire slowly, since that is what is crucial to meditation as far as this book is concerned.
Above the horizon, that is when one finishes expiring and there is no much air left to expire, the mode of inspiration is not simply to inspire and inflate lower abdomen, as it the case below the horizon is, but to tense abdominal muscles to inflate the abdomen.
The author here, page 58, does not say tense the abdominal muscles to inflate the lower abdomen or belly, but seems to be doing so, because he says perform active abdominal inspiration, in the same paragraph, and abdominal inspiration as explicated in page 54 refers to filing or inflating lower abdomen.
One notes ambiguities as one carefully reflects on the materials in this chapter, Breathing in Zazen but this is to be expected since this discussion refers to principles not applications. Subsequent chapters will avail breathing method, as promised in the chapter.
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