Last week we had a very powerful and engaging Qi Talk about the breath. I was impressed with all of the questions asked and decided to devote another talk to this VERY important subject. Like we said before, from all of the various mindfulness practices, the one place to start -- if you would like to change the state of your body and mind -- is through breathing exercises.

The breath is happening involuntarily, meaning you don't have to breathe yourself -- the body does it on its own. Your breath is controlled, like many other involuntary mechanisms by the reptilian brain. This ancient part of the brain is responsible for our emotional fight-or-flight trigger response, usually, as well as many involuntary bodily functions.

However, you can voluntarily change the breath unlike any other involuntary mechanisms in the body. Because of this, breath is the entry way to the subconscious mind! Last week we realized that not only is there an important role to exhalation and inhalation -- the Yin Yang of breath -- but the breath's rhythm and force can change the energy of your mind and body.

Inhaling from the nose or mouth can influence, as well as where you are breathing into the body and focusing your energy. This is a huge topic with many variants, that's why there are literally THOUSANDS types of breathing patterns. Understanding the breath is understanding how to change your mind and body at any given moment based on the energy you need!

What does Qi Gong have to do with breath and how does Qi Gong hold even more benefits than breath practice alone? This is the subject of this complimentary Qi Talk.