Lynn Hill Learning Rock Climbing Advice & Training Method Series - Breath & Breath

In the past few years, various forms of yoga practice and oriental fitness have been integrated into our culture. People become more aware of meditation, maintaining good posture, and the benefits of conscious breathing during exercise. Among these items, breathing is one of the few physical functions that can be controlled by people consciously or unconsciously.

Many forms of meditation emphasize that people consciously focus on breathing. The specific breathing method is Anapana Pranayama. This method focuses on "observing breathing." The purpose of the exercise is to take care of the physical phenomena and thus exercise the mind or make necessary preparations for the realm of liberating insight. This kind of meditation practice is part of the Eightfold Path, allowing the practitioner to eliminate all the dirt in his heart and eventually reach the realm of Nirvana (Enlightenment).

When I lived in France a few years ago, I participated in a seminar for a Chinese master qigong master. Similar to Tai Chi, qigong is also practiced in a soothing, restrained manner while following certain breathing patterns. Qigong exercises are due to people's need for physical fitness and the need to connect themselves with the “qi” in the body (“qi” is considered as a part of all living organisms and is a “life force” and “spiritual energy”. English translation is usually "energy flow," or literal translation of "air" or "breath."

A cancer patient named Mary Ann briefly described his own experience of qigong exercises. Through qigong exercises, she discovered the powerful power of Qi. After the second chemotherapy, Mary began to practice qigong. By the third chemotherapy, she miraculously responded to treatment. She wrote, “Do you believe me? My doctor thinks that I am the fastest transplanter to adapt (The number of my stem cells has risen faster than any other patient.) I believe that qi is the source of this vitality and qi is the driving force of life."

When practicing qigong, I will focus on upside inspiration and downside exhalation. According to the season of the year, we will do each exercise in a specific direction. But regardless of the season, each exercise is aimed at all directions, including: North, South, East, West, Up, Down. My exercise intention is to coordinate my breathing while perfecting each movement. In the rock climbing process, finding the perfect balance point for each movement is also the only focus I have been paying attention to.

During rock climbing, the only time I realized that I was breathing was when I was recovering in a rest position or when I was doing particularly violent moves. I found that exhaling or making a small shout before making a violent, quick move is very helpful in climbing. In contrast, when I went carefully enough to reach a very distant point, I found it best to breathe quickly, so that I could expand my chest and let the body slightly raise a few centimeters, which helped me catch the next point. Regardless, breathing not only plays a key role in life support, but it may also serve as a tool to help the body achieve a balance between spirit and strength.