This post comes at the end of the thread Tomoyose Ryuko Sanseiryu
Just a few comments...hoshin wrote:what i find interesting in this, that every martial style has its own "prescribed" method of breathing. everyone thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong. Goju-ryu as taught by Morio Higaonna has long inhalations in thru the nose and then a quick sharp exhale that sounds like a cat choking up a hair ball. i asked my Zen roshi ( who also does Tesshu Style calligraphy and koryu swordsmanship) about the uechi breathing VS the breathing he uses, his reply "no no this is not the right way, i do not understand it" In koryu swordsmanship you breath in thru the nose and out thru the mouth with the strike smooth but with force. in calligraphy you take a deep inhalation in thru the mouth with clenched teeth making a hissing sound then hold for 2 seconds then long extended exhalation as your brush writes on the paper. so my opinion is that as long as your breathing your alive. under stress if your not getting the oxygen needed, your body will let you know.
I probably learned more about martial breathing from my Goju Ryu instructor than I did from any other martial artist. The reason probably was because he was a mixed martial artist before MMA had a label, and he had been in special forces. So what he taught was what worked - for him.
There is a Goju Ryu Sanchin that has very particular breathing. But that Goju Sanchin is quite different from the Uechi Ryu Sanchin. Because of the modifications by Miyagi Chojun and his predecessors, the modern Goju Sanchin is done with dynamic tension. Meanwhile the Sanchin brought over from China by Uechi Kanbun is done with relaxed, fluid, fast thrusts and circles.
Apples and oranges.
When I warm up, I often use the principles of dynamic tension taught and executed in Goju Ryu Sanchin, but I'm doing non-martial movement. Breathing can and should match what you're doing with your body. If you're typing you don't engage in heavy breathing, or breathing that is in timing with the keystrokes. If you're lifting max weight, you're probably going to scream. Anything in-between those two extremes requires something in-between in the way of breathing.
Yes, O2 transport to tissue matters. But breathing is more than that. Breathing affects the viscoelastic properties of the core. And if you use your core with movement, breathing is going to be affected. That can be either passive or active.
My point of view, based on what works for me.
- Bill