“What the bodily form depends on is breath-Qi- and what the breath relies on is form. When the breath is perfect, the form is perfect.” Chinese Proverb, 700 A.D.
Do you ever wonder what you should be doing while you’re lying on the table with a bunch of needles stuck in you? Or are you already occupied by the thoughts and lists running through your mind? If you are, try drowning out the thoughts and focusing in on your breath instead.
2000 years ago, Chinese doctors recommended taking only 13,500 breaths per day, which works out to nine and a half breaths a minute. The slower and more deliberate the breath you take, the more relaxing and beneficial its effects. This is because slowing down our breath regulates our autonomic nervous system, which (as you’ve read here) is a network we are trying to regulate through acupuncture needles.
“Needle retention time” is a great opportunity to practice simple meditative breathing techniques, that will calm the nervous system and help quell some of the stimulating thoughts and concerns that may be running through your head. If you need guidance, here’s a simple way to start:
Practice by slowing down your inhales and exhales, pausing to hold the breath in between each one. Try to extend the inhale/exhale to at least 5 counts each with the hold also being the same count. When you feel comfortable with that amount, then try to extend the exhale to twice the length of the inhale (5 count inhale, 5 count hold, 10 count exhale). Do at least 10 rounds of the breath cycle or continue for at least 5 minutes for each session. Once you begin to gain strength in your lungs, you can increase the counts to as long as you’re comfortable.
The best part about this practice is that you don’t need to be sitting on a meditation cushion or in a yoga studio to do it. You can practice in the car, on the train, or when you’re feeling anxious or trying to fall asleep. The key is the focus on the breath: the slow deliberate expansion and decompression of the lungs and dismissing any distracting thoughts in the process.