The Breath of Tao

Kenneth Cohen

OF THE THREE great teachings (san jiao) of ancient China—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism—only Taoism may be called an indigenous Chinese religion. Confucianism is a philosophy that emphasizes ethics and social harmony. Buddhism searches for the cause of suffering through meditation and introspection. It is an import from India and had to adapt to pre-existing Taoist philosophy and monastic customs. But Taoism is essentially Chinese, a combination of even earlier shamanism, called wu jiao in Chinese, and spiritual practices established by mountain hermits. These hermits were drawn to the beauty, power, and peace of nature. Some were former government employees who escaped from the chaos, intrigue, and aggression common during the early centuries B.C.E.. If they were successful in their quest for a deeper truth, they merged with the spirit of nature, achieved health and longevity, and became the realized sages that in Taoism are known as ‘Immortals’ (Xian).

Why is this tradition called Taoism? It is based on the Tao, literally a ‘road’ or ‘trail.’ The Tao is the path of nature and naturalness. The goal of Taoism is summarized in the opening line of the Tao Te Ching (Classic of the Tao and Its Virtue), written by the philosopher Lao Tzu in the fourth century B.C.E., “The Tao that can be spoken of is not the Tao.” Why can’t you speak about the Tao, the Way of Nature? Because you are it! There is no outside perspective. Humans may think and act as though they are separate from nature, and thus have the right to manipulate it without consequence, but is this really true? Are we supernatural or even unnatural? I don’t think so. You can no more talk objectively about the Tao than you can use a sword to cut itself or lift yourself up by your own bootstraps. The Tao is where words begin: subject undivided from object. What is that which produces thoughts, what is that state of silent being from which words arise? To answer this question is a logical impossibility.

Additionally, because life, the Tao, is always changing, how can words, which require fixed definitions, ever represent it? If you can capture the wind or flowing water in a bucket, then you can describe the Tao! The Tao that can be described is not the Tao, because the mystery of nature must be experienced. It flows and changes from moment to moment.

Thus, observation and meditation are central to understanding Taoism. Taoist monasteries are guan, “observatories,” places to observe nature and one’s inner nature. To observe accurately requires freeing the mind of preconceptions, prejudices, and cultural filters. A Taoist must cease being a Taoist; he or she must un-know. “The scholar seeks to gain day by day, “writes Lao Tzu, “the Taoist seeks to lose day by day. Losing and losing until reaching the effortless state where nothing happens (wu wei)!” The mind returns to its roots. Lao Tzu continues, “Use the outer light to return to insight.” Complexity returns to simplicity. Existence itself merges with the great emptiness where no division exists. This is not the emptiness of nihilism, as though the world loses its meaning. Just the contrary— emptiness is the freedom of space, where there are no ruts to follow and all possibilities exist. It is a kind of mental suppleness.

We find a beautiful summary of these ideas and of the essence of Taoist meditation in chapter 40 of the Tao Te Ching:

Reversal is the movement of the Tao; Suppleness is the function of the Tao. Under heaven, all things are born of being; And being is born of Emptiness.i

There are many forms of Taoist meditation, including visualizations to realize the unity of microcosm and macrocosm; qigong (life-energy) meditations to clear the acupuncture meridians of obstructions; methods of absorbing life-force from the sun, moon, and stars; and internal alchemy to combine the interior subtle energies and create the “golden elixir” of health and wisdom. In this chapter, I will teach you two of the most classic and revered Taoist meditations, called “embryonic respiration” and “whole body breathing.” The goal is learn to breathe innocently and deeply like a newborn baby. Breath is a reminder that life is not a possession. We allow nature as air into the body; we let it go. Breathing teaches us to surrender to the wisdom of the Tao as manifest in our body’s natural rhythms. In chapter 10 of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu says:

Controlling the yang and yin, embracing the One. Can you not allow separation?
Concentrating the qi, attaining suppleness,
Can you become like a child?

Embryonic Respiration Basics

Find a time in the morning or evening when you will not be disturbed. Sit on a cushion on the floor or on a chair. Wear comfortable clothes. Loosen your belt if you need to. The back is straight but not stiff. Your lower body feels rooted into the ground, and your head is lifted slightly towards the sky. You are relaxed, using minimal effort to maintain an elegant posture. To encourage healthy breathing, it is especially important to release the chest and the abdomen. Neither lift nor depress the breastbone. The lower abdomen, between the navel and pubic bone, is free of tension and fully capable of moving as you breathe. This may take patience and practice, as many people unconsciously hold the belly in or try to make it appear flat. This interferes with breathing and makes one energy-starved. Once you have learned these various techniques and no longer need to follow the instructions, try the meditations with the eyes lightly closed. Lower the eyelids as though gently lowering a curtain.

Stage 1: Deep Breathing: Shen Hu Xi

Breathe slowly, silently, and naturally. When you inhale through the nose, the belly gently expands. When you exhale through the mouth, it releases, effortlessly. With each inhalation imagine that you are drawing-in the pure energy of the universe. It spreads through your

entire body, refreshing and renewing you. With each exhalation, you release the old, unneeded energy. Do this for ten breaths, silently counting your exhalations.

Stage 2: Gathering Life-Force: Cai Qi Fa

From this stage onwards, all of your breathing, inhalation and exhalation, is through the nose (unless you have a nasal or sinus obstruction, in which case adjust as needed). Continue with abdominal breathing, inhaling the belly expands; exhaling it lets go. Remember, don’t exert force, trust nature to move your breath without your help!

As you inhale, imagine breath energy goes to the center of the chest near the breastbone, as though you have a small energy reservoir there. As you exhale, imagine the breath drops down from the chest to the lower abdomen, to a reservoir about 1.5 inches below the navel and about three inches inwards (in the direction of the lower back). This lower reservoir is called the dan tian, ‘the elixir field.’ Practice ten repetitions. Every inhalation brings qi to the chest; every exhalation drops the qi into its storage tank, the abdominal dan tian.

Stage 3: Internal Breathing: Nei Hu Xi

Continuing with silent abdominal respiration, in and out through the nose, as you inhale imagine that the breath is an internal current of qi (life-force) that rises from the dan tian to the chest. As you exhale, the breath drops from the chest back down to the dan tian. Thus, although you are, of course, continuing to breathe naturally, in your mind the breath is entirely an internal current of energy. Inhaling, breath rises from abdomen to chest. Exhaling, breath descends from chest to abdomen. Up and down, up and down, ten repetitions. This method is sometimes called “the mixing of fire (heart) and water (kidneys).”

Stage 4: Effortless Breathing: Wu Wei Hu Xi

Continuing, now keep your mind on the gentle opening and closing of the abdomen as you inhale and exhale. When you inhale, don’t suck the breath in. When you exhale, don’t push the breath out. Discover the natural pace of your breath. Get out of the way and don’t interfere. Can you be aware of the four stages of breathing: 1. the way breath comes in; 2. the turning of the breath between inhale and exhale; 3. the exhalation; and 4. the natural pause that occurs at the end of the exhale before breath comes back in?

Pay attention to these stages for a few minutes. The points of the turning of the breath between inhale and exhale and again between exhale and inhale are between yin and yang. They are gateways to stillness. If you allow all four stages, never deliberately sucking, pushing, or holding the breath, your breathing rate will slow down. Practice for about five to ten minutes. This stage flows naturally into the next.

Stage 5: Embryonic Respiration: Tai Xi

Now the breath seems to neither rise nor fall, neither open nor close. It is so ultra-slow and soft that if a down feather were held in front of the nostrils, it wouldn’t move. Your mind merges with the breath, as though the breath is your entire world. The belly is pleasantly warm. You are like a mother nurturing her womb with caring, compassionate