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Han Tai Chi

legendary Academy of Martial Arts' Han Tai Chi has been developed to provide the participants with the opportunity to benefit from our calming and centering program of relaxation exercises. Designed to bring about a calming of the muscles, increases lung capacity, and improves over all muscle tone. Han Tai Chi gently brings the student into the present moment to quiet the mind and refresh the spirit. It is our mission to provide the tools to bring inner peace and joy in to their everyday lives.

Breathing Exercises

As human beings, our body needs air to survive. When the breathing is stopped, the life is ended.

Do In S ul means warming up and cooling exercises before and after Dan Jun Ho Hop - Ki breathing exercise. Rotation of joints, relaxation of the muscle, control of breath by abdominal muscles and opening of Ki channels are the major portion of warming up exercises.

There are 3 stages of Dan Jung Haing Kong - Ki accumulation exercises - Wa Kong (lying position), Zwa Kong (sitting position) and Ib Kong (standing position). Each Haing Kong consists of nine different techniques.

The method of breathing while performing Ki breathing exercises is much different from ordinary chest breathing. The first difference involves the way you breathe as you practice these exercises. In Ki breathing exercises, you breathe in fresh air by expanding the abdominal muscles which in turn drives the diaphragm downward and expands the chest chamber. After which, to exhale the bad air, you close off the lung and contract the abdominal muscles backward which in turn lifts the diaphragm upward and closes the chest chamber.

Another important step in Ki breathing is the practice of visualization. When practicing Ki breathing exercises, visualize that your nise has moved from your face to the Myung Moon Hyul pressure point. It is located directly behind your navel on the back of the spinal cord. When inhaling, visualize, that through abdominal breathing, air and Ki energy are traveling the Myung Moon Hyul nose towards Dan Jun. Dan Jun is the storage center of physical Ki located three inches below the navel. Store the fresh air and Ki in the Dan Jun. As you exhale by contracting the abdominal muscles, visualize Dan Jun expelling the bad air through the Myung Moon Hyul nose.

The Ability to focus and concentrate fully on the exercises is very important when practicing Ki breathing. As a beginner, it may be hard to totally focus on your breathing. As you practice a thousand thoughts mar come and go through your mind. Your mind will be like a monkey, jumping from one thought to the next, seemingly unable to concentrate on the breathing exercises. One method of learning concentration is to practice visualization. As you breathe visualize your breathing as an ocean wave. As you inhale, visualize the good air and Ki energy flowing into your body as a wave. Store the energy of the wave/Ki in the Dan Jun. As you exhale, visualize the wave receding back into the ocean and taking the bad air out with it.

Another training aid to help you in your study of Ki is to count as you are doing your exercise. Regard each cycle of inhaling and exhaling as one revolution and count as the end of each revolution. At the beginner level go on to the next exercise after twelve revolutions. As you become more comfortable with the exercise gradually increase the count to twenty-one revolutions for each of the nine exercises of the Wa Konf (lying posture). Use the same method as you progress in to the next sets of exercises, Zwa Kong (sitting posture) and Ib Kong (standing posture).