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From
PART ONE - The Promise of Chi Yi
The
following challenges to the imagination are the first of several "imagery
drills," which make use of mental pictures to help you experience specific
sensations or feelings in the body. These mental pictures are metaphorical descriptions
of particular movements that may be otherwise impossible to describe. They communicate
a muscular process indirectly, through the use of images of movement. Such images
are useful in elucidating invisible, internal movements and subtle adjustments
of the body. This brief introduction to the awareness of inner energy merely
suggests the energy source you will learn to tap in the exercises and applications
that follow.
These imagery drills may
be difficult for those who are unaccustomed to manipulating their breathing
apparatus. Many athletes, singers, and musicians who play wind instruments,
for example, are conscientious breathers, and will be able to handle the drills
easily. Others will need to wait until they have practiced a good number of
the exercises in Part Two before being able to complete the drills correctly
and with little strain...
The first of these drills,
the Eyedropper Imagery Drill, introduces you to abdominal breathing, an important
step in learning to breathe to the core at will.
  
Picture yourself as an upside down eyedropper. Squeeze the bulb and air is
squeezed out. Release the bulb, letting it expand, and air is drawn into the
body. The complete exercise is animated in the video/DVD and explained/illustrated
in the book.
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