How to breathe

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[arvin m.]

Hello everyone!! Just wanna say a big thank u to all the pple who've replied to my previous post abt awareness...so here's another thing i need help on. I would like to know how to apply breathing to yer aikido. More specifically when to breathe, how long to hold yer breathe,during which points of a technique do u exhale and stuff. I know for instance that u exhale when falling after a throw and exhale when throwing...other than that?

[mariko nakamura]

Hey man.
Try timing your breathing with your partners. Pay attention to it. It will help your timing and make your moves flow better because it wont seem so fast anymore.
You understand that? For example, usually when people give an atemi, they always take an exagerated breath right before the strike. If you harmonize your breath with your partner, then you can begin to learn how to harmonize the rest of the way. The breath is the door. I dont know if your up to this or not but we also practice our breathing in another way. Sit in seiza, palms up resting on your thighs. Breath deeply through the nose and out through the mouth. Visualize white light coming down from heaven through your palms and into your arms, chest and stomach(hara) on the inhale. Exhale is reverse. Send it back into the universe. Try to imagine your hara becoming energized with this energy we call ki. The hara is everything in Aikido. Always concentrate your breath to this point.
O Daiji NI

[Mares]

Originally posted by mariko nakamura
Hey man.
Try timing your breathing with your partners. Pay attention to it. It will help your timing and make your moves flow better because it wont seem so fast anymore.
You understand that? For example, usually when people give an atemi, they always take an exagerated breath right before the strike. If you harmonize your breath with your partner, then you can begin to learn how to harmonize the rest of the way. The breath is the door. I dont know if your up to this or not but we also practice our breathing in another way. Sit in seiza, palms up resting on your thighs. Breath deeply through the nose and out through the mouth. Visualize white light coming down from heaven through your palms and into your arms, chest and stomach(hara) on the inhale. Exhale is reverse. Send it back into the universe. Try to imagine your hara becoming energized with this energy we call ki. The hara is everything in Aikido. Always concentrate your breath to this point.
O Daiji NI

That exercise is interesting. Recently my Sensei had open heart surgery and that really freaked me out. Fortunately hs is an extremely fit guy and very healthy for his age and is doing really well now. But since that event he has place more focus on the Bushin in our aikido trainng. As a result we occasionally undertake Mokuso. Which in essence is what you just described, however Sensei utilise 3 or 4 different exercises to slow the mind and help us relax. One particular method we use is Kototama (I think that is how u spell it) which is kind freaky if you do it correctly.

[Mares]

Originally posted by arvin m.
Hello everyone!! Just wanna say a big thank u to all the pple who've replied to my previous post abt awareness...so here's another thing i need help on. I would like to know how to apply breathing to yer aikido. More specifically when to breathe, how long to hold yer breathe,during which points of a technique do u exhale and stuff. I know for instance that u exhale when falling after a throw and exhale when throwing...other than that?

This is what I believe, with throwing techniques, you breathe in as they grab/attack you and breathe out/Kiai as you do the entire technique.

Practically this will only occur when u get to a certain level and can get through a technique relatively quickly. Let's be honest, if someone attacks you you don't do techniques slowly cos it just gives them a chance punch or kick you. Bearing this in mind ki no nagare versions of techniques shouldn't be attempted by lower kyu ranks, it just messes up your shape and form and then you develop bad habits