As practitioners of Life Cultivation, all of us will learn and practice one form or other of The Tuna Technique. The Tuna Technique is a form of deep breathing, but it is very different from regular deep breathing.

The Tuna Technique comes in different forms. One of the most popular forms is adopted from Taoism. The Taoist form of Tuna focuses on Dantian Breathing. We practice the Taoist Tuna Technique for the prevention and treatment of illnesses, strengthening the physical body, and distributing vital-energy throughout the body.

In the past, when the master taught the practice of Dantian Breathing, it focused on concentrating the mind to let the air enter through the proper Acupoint.

Ancient Book

The proper acupoint referred to here is the Lower Dantian Acupoint. If you refer to the diagram above, the Lower Dantian Acupoint is the fourth red dot situated in the lower abdomen in front of our body, below the navel.

The Lower Dantian Acupoint goes to the Niwan Acupoint in the center of the head and the Yongquan Acupoint in the center of the bottom of the foot. It is the center of origin when we were born. It is the foundation of our life when we grow. It takes care of all the changes in our body. The mysterious and unpredictable opportunities come out from here.

This Lower Dantian Acupoint is an extraordinary orifice. Heaven and Earth are combined together here. This Acupoint is important as it contains all essence of our body.

Ancient Book

The Way of Inner Practice is the simplest and the easiest. We only have to lower the fire from our heart into the water of our Dantian.

Book of Xianjia

Now let us learn how to practice Dantian Breathing. First it involves the Stance, how we stand. Next it involves the Breathing Action, how we breathe. Then we learn how long we should do it and how we use our mind to control it.

The Practice Procedure

The Stance

01 Stand up. Spread your feet shoulder-width apart.

02 Grip the ground lightly with your toes so the soles are slightly hollow and the Yongquan Acupoint is being sucked upward.
(The Yongquan Acupoint is located at the center of your under feet. )

03 Bend your knees slightly.

04 Place your hands on the sides of your waist with your thumbs pointing backward. (Or superimpose your hands on each other in front of the Guanyuan point of the lower abdomen.)

05 Buckle your elbows slightly forward. Suck in your chest slightly. Open your shoulders wide.

06 Touch your tongue on the upper palate. Close your lips slightly. Loosen your jaw.

07 Pull in your chin slightly. Lift your face.

08 Level your eyes or slightly downwards.

09 Maintain an upright position while exhaling and inhaling with your nose.

The Breathing Action

Adopt the reverse abdominal breathing method for this practice.

In reverse abdominal breathing, we perform levator ani retracting when inhaling, and at the same time retracting the abdomen and sending the crotch forward and upward. When exhaling, the lower abdomen is bulged and the hips are opened and the buttocks are opened (lifting the buttocks upwards slightly).

Inhale deeply and exhale long. The inhalation and exhalation should be consistent, that is, how much we breathe in and how much we breathe out should be the same. Our breath should be continuous and the breathing and movement should be completely consistent.

Do three hundred twenty breaths in fifteen minutes of practice.

Time Control

It depends on the situation of the practice and the physical condition of the practitioner. If the health condition of the practitioner is very poor, he should take it easy until he has improved his health. Then the practitioner should make up a timing plan for his practice.

Generally, different practice plans should be formulated according to the differences in physical conditions and the stage of practice, which may vary with different seasons, regions, and hours.

The beginner should consult a professional coach to set up a specific plan for his condition.

Mind Control

Early stage of practice: （1）Locate the Guanyuan Acupoint on your body. It is located at hour-fingers below your naval. (2) When you exhale, send the air out from your Guanyuan. When you inhale, breadth the air into your Guanyuan. Therefore, your mind is always on the Guanyuan Acupoint.

Middle stage of practice: (1) When you inhale, your mind is on the Changqiang Acupoint. The air will flush into Changqiang. The fresh air will flow upward along the Du Meridian to the Baihui Acupoint at the head. (2) When you exhale, your mind is on the Huiyin Acupoint. The air will descend along the Ren Meridian and sink to the perineum. This is referred to as one breath, or one small cycle.

The later stage of practice: (1) The breathing will follow the Great Cycle, which will not be described in detail here.

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Folks, that is all for now. If you think this article may be beneficial to your friends and loved-ones, feel free to forward this article to them. Life cultivation is mostly for older people with declining body health. If you are young and energetic, this may not be your cup of tea. However, if you have family members or friends who are middle-aged or older, they may want to practice life cultivation to maintain a life without pain or medication.

This is an extract of the full treatise published in the Mustang BodyWorks Series, a paid-subscription. You may buy the full treatise on Mustang Tuna Technique Level One for the price of US$20.00, using your PayPal account.

Stay tuned for the next episode: Dantian Practice.

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