Ki Breathing
A Way to Better Health and a Better State of Mind

Ki Breathing is an essential part of Ki-Aikido and Ki practice. It is not difficult to learn and is simple to do. "But simple does not mean easy" as Jones Sensei has always said. To do Ki Breathing is rather simple. You sit seiza, or kneel as we would call it, with your back in good posture, close your eyes and start to breathe out. The out-breath is through the mouth and is a controlled release. Your breath "should sound like steam escaping from a radiator" as Kahiwaya Sensei has said. So it is a slow release, making a sort of hissing or "AH" sound and your mouth should be wide open. It is important that the first out-breath is done with the breath you naturally have. Do not suck in extra air to make your breath go longer, this will only create tension in your chest and make you miserable.  Once all of the air is released you gently move forward at the waist, while maintaining good posture and pause there. No in and no out breath. Pause for about a count of 4 if you can. Then begin to breathe in slowly through your nose and close your mouth. Once you are comfortably full of air, straighten at the hip to return to your begining posture and pause for a count of four. Then the cycle begins again until you are to your last breath; stopping with one last exhale. At first, to get some benefit, one should try it for up to 10 or 15 minutes a day, every day. This provides your body with a more beneficial and calm oxygen exhange; which reaches deeper into your body, replacing cells that are oxygen starved due to poor oxygen exchange thru stress, tension and poor breathing habits. Eventually this will replace your regular breathing pattern, making you more efficient and healthier due to better oxygen exchange. It will also promote a better state of mind. It calms ones mind and slows the pace of life. As you do this exercise, be mindful of how your body reacts and how your mind reacts. Try to just focus on the breath as an extension of your one point; a place which is the center of your body. This is located just below the navel. The exact place differs in each person, but I think you get the general idea. Every time you find that you have wandered off from the breathing try to bring your mind back to the practice and drop the distractions of the outside world.