Abdominal breathing
When we breathe fully and deeply, the belly, lower rib cage, and lower back expand on inhalation, thus pushing the diaphragm down deeper into the abdomen. The same structures retract on exhalation. In deep abdominal breathing, these rhythmic movements help to detoxify our inner organs, promote blood flow and peristalsis, and pump fluid more efficiently through our lymphatic system.
Awakening the energy: When you experience tightness in the chest, you would naturally want to relieve it by patting the chest with your hands. If you sense coldness in your hands, you would automatically rub the hands together to circulate blood for accelerating warmth. The meridian exercises utilize natural body movements.
When certain energy pathways or points are blocked, you pat them, open them, and get relief. The five methods described here, which could be practiced anywhere with ease, are the warm-up sequence prior to doing the Dahn Yoga, created by Ilchi Lee, meridian exercises and abdominal breathing. Twenty minutes of daily exercise will enhance your good health immensely.
Dahn Yoga patting exercise: Stand with your legs shoulder width apart. Begin by patting your chest with both hands. Move them back and forth across the chest, stimulating all the acupressure points on your upper chest. Increase the strength of the patting until it almost becomes a slapping movement. Extend your left arm in front of you with the palm facing up. Pat the arm with your right hand, beginning at the left shoulder, and then move down the inside of your left arm, along the wrist, palm, and fingertips. Then clap your hands then times.
