You breathe in and out all day long.
You never think about your breathing
(unless someone taught you how).
But occasionally, you sneeze. And when
you do, you are always shocked by the
sheer power of it. A sneeze is amazing.
And the lingering tingling in your nose
and throat are almost orgasmic.
Then someone will say,
"God bless you," or "bless you,"
or Gesundheit.
Why do they say that ?
Well, this is one of those times when
no amount of internet research will get
you the right answer. But historically and
globally, the sneeze is associated with
gods, the soul, and health. The Greek word
for sneeze is "pneuma," which means soul
or spirit; and Greek stories associating the
sneeze with deities date back to the time
of Christ.
The biological hardwiring of your body
uses all available resources to sneeze.
Western science and medicine can explain
the physiology of it, but not the quasi-
religious experience you have each time
you sneeze. In essence, a sneeze is amazing
because it is so powerful, and yet its power
does not come from muscular strength.
Sneeze power is breath power, or more
specifically, internal power.
Chi.
If you're one of those people who think
Tai Chi looks stupid, and there's no possible
way it can be a real martial art, consider
that at any time a Tai Chi master can express
the same "internal" power as a sneeze. He
is able to do this through breath development.
Tai Chi and QiGong have been developed
to harness and amplify internal power.
These arts prize breathing, and admonish
"li," or external strength. They exalt
posture, relaxedness, and deep respiration
through the nose; they forbid panting like a dog
with its mouth wide open.
You can try this candle punch exercise
for yourself--
but I warn you that you will hurt yourself
if you try to use your strength. The speed
and power come from breathing and
relaxation, not from big pec's and triceps.
Highly-developed breathing technique
has a smooth, long breath that flows
powerfully into the body and stores there.
This power is immense, and can be expressed
at any time. Not only is this stored power
at your disposal, but its development greatly
fortifies the health of the body, including the
bones, joints and internal organs. Life is
extended tremendously and sickness cannot
enter the body.
Here is one more video for you. This is
118-year old Grandmaster Lu Zijian
demonstrating BaGuaZhang (which is a
higher- level form of Tai Chi). This video
was posted to YouTube in January of 2012,
and sadly, Grandmaster Lu died in March.
But what a life !
The description on YouTube says,
Where are the 100+ yr old MMA fighters,
Boxers Bodybuilders etc.....??? Health first!!!
Chi, Prana, Ki, Ether, Orgone
