EXERCISES FOR ALL SEASONS: Bone Breathing

Bone Breathing, Raise Hands, frozen lake, left side view - 01/17/09 (Winter) The bone marrow is a major component of the immune system; that's where all the red blood cells, platelets, and most of the white blood cells are produced in the human body. "Bone Marrow -- All the cells of the immune system are initially derived from the bone marrow. They form through a process called hematopoiesis. During hematopoiesis, bone marrow-derived stem cells differentiate into either mature cells of the immune system or into precursors of cells that migrate out of the bone marrow to continue their maturation elsewhere. The bone marrow produces B cells, natural killer cells, granulocytes and immature thymocytes, in addition to red blood cells and platelets." http://www.thebody.com/content/art1788.html When the immune system is strong, the body can resist thousands of different diseases. Maintaining a strong immune system is one of the major objectives of preventive medicine/ health-maintenance exercises like tai chi and chi kung. By energizing and stimulating the bone marrow, "bone breathing" helps keep a major component of my immune system strong and functioning at high levels of effectiveness. So far, by maintaining good health, I've managed to stay out of doctors offices through age 58 (I turned 58 at the end of April 2009). Since I see many people all around me, my age and younger, succumbing to all sorts of degenerative diseases, my immune system must be doing a great job warding off all kinds of negative influences on my body. If doing these daily exercises continues to help me stay out of expensive doctors offices throughout my 60s and 70s, that will be even better! What do I mean by "bone breathing"? All porous bones throughout the body are imagined and eventually experienced as being like hollow straws. Activated by the power of mind / consciousness / living spirit (shen), they can suck energy into themselves, like a vacuum cleaner; they can also blow energy out of themselves, like a leaf blower. Earth energy can be sucked upwards from the ground through the legs. Sky energy can be pulled into the body through the head and uplifted arms. Energy can also be sent back into the earth through the legs, and out toward the sky through the arms and head. Along with using Raise Hands as a deep-breathing, chi-circulating exercise, each time I raise my hands in this video, I am practicing "bone breathing" or "total body breathing." During every inhalation, I suck in energy that's around me deep into my bones. As if my bones are hollow, like straws, so I can suck the surrounding "chi" into myself, like a vacuum cleaner. During every exhalation, I do the reverse. I send energy out of my bones, as if my bones are hollow, like leaf blowers, blowing energy out of my body. As I inhale, I pull in clean energy from the lake, and from Nature all around me. As I exhale, I discard negative energy from my body. When I pull my arms closer to my body, I inhale. When I extend my arms and fingers outward, I exhale. Inhale, suck in. Exhale, send out. Energy interchange: energy enters my body from the outside, and energy leaves my body from the inside. Internal and external energies mix, balance, and harmonize. "Inhale the sunset into every pore of your being!" "Inhale the beauties of Nature. Become one with them." I keep repeating these phrases in my mind as I breathe in and out. ChiGuy396 ChiGuy396@yahoo.com **