Five Organ Breathing

Introduction

Five Organ Breathing is a basic and fundamental exercise that treats the entire body with healthy Qi. If you were to learn only one exercise for life, this might be it.

Five Organ Breathing focuses on the liver, heart, spleen/stomach, lungs, kidneys and body-fluid system. By doing this exercise, we are enlivening all of our body. By focusing our attention and care on each organ system, we were enlivening that organ system and bringing forth the natural health within that system.

Each organ system exercise is done six times, with six cycles of inhaling and exhaling before moving to the next exercise. However, you may focus more exercise and breaths on one organ system if you are having a problem with that particular organ system.

Warm Up

With hands down at sides, bring back of hands close to each other, not touching. Pull them up and out until arms are shoulder height, forming a line horizontal to the ground with palms up. Then reverse the movement with hands and forearms rotating around the elbows and pushing the Qi back down into the ground. In your mind, see yourself pulling the Qi up out of the ground, feel the Qi pushing up against your hands. As your hands and arms reverse the motion, feel the Qi return to the ground.

Liver Breathing

Begin with arms down against sides. With palms down, bring arms out like a bird spreading its wings until arms form a horizontal line at shoulder height. Then bring hands and forearms up rotating around elbows and push down as you exhale with arms returning to sides in the beginning position.

As you breathe out in this exercise, open eyes and make a silent shew sound. Feel and see Qi coming out eyes. If possible, exhale Qi out eyes into an Evergreen tree in your site. If you cannot see an Evergreen tree out you window, imagine one is near that your exhaled Qi is entering. The purpose of the shew sound is that it resonates the kidney system in a productive manner assisting the exercise.

Heart Breathing

With arms at side, bend knees a little, inhale as you bring hands and arms toward knees in a scooping motion. Pull hands up to chest with palms up. At mid chest flip hands outward with palms facing away from you. Bring hands high above head or just to head height if you have high blood-pressure. Flip hands around with palms toward you and begin exhale. Bring hands down body with hands and fingers close but not touching. Feel, see or imagine interplay of Qi from hand to hand, fingers to fingers. Make silent ku sound as exhaling. The ku sound resonates the heart. Repeat six times.