Breathing, relaxation and exercise programs, have for many years, been a useful tool in asthma management. The problem is that breathing; relaxation and exercise are often practiced separately, making them a relatively disjointed and limited part of asthma management.
The Khor Tai Chi Asthma Body-Mind Medicine Program changes this forever.
The Khor Tai Chi Asthma Body-Mind, Medicine Program (ABMM) focuses on breathing skills that can be employed by individuals suffering from asthma, then blends this with a series of relaxation techniques and exercises drawn from Chinese Health Arts. The result is a program that effectively brings together techniques into a format where they are complimented by one another, therefore increasing the effectiveness of each technique considerably.
Breathing
Breathing exercises in China date back more than two thousand years. Correct breathing (abdominal breathing) is necessary to gain the maximum benefit from Chinese Health Art exercises such as Tai Chi. Abdominal breathing uses the diaphragm, not just the shallow breathing of the chest. The physical benefits are many. By tensing and relaxing your abdominal muscles, the pressure is alternately high and then low. This not only makes the blood within your abdominal cavity flow more smoothly, but is also improves the blood circulation of all other organs, especially the liver and spleen, the blood reservoirs of the body. Other organs located near the diaphragm that are also affected by its rise and fall include the heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach and small and large intestine, bladder and gall bladder.
Breathing and Stress
Breathing is also one of the first things affected by stress. In the fight or flight response the breathing rate speeds up and the nostrils and air passages in the lungs open wider in order to take in more air as quickly as possible. With sustained stress, breathing becomes shallow and insufficient oxygen circulates throughout the body, limiting energy.
Proper breathing, however, does not only undo many of the physical stress-related problems, it also acts to reduce the level of mental stress. Breathing abdominally will help to overcome any feeling of stress and thus restore calmness, energy and strength.
Combined with selected Chinese Health Art exercises, the abdominal breathing techniques, being employed in the ABMM Program serve to strengthen the body’s ability to cope with asthmatic conditions. The reduction in stress levels and improved lung function, often mean a significant drop in symptoms.
The ABMM program is a safe, concise and effective asthma prevention and management tool that can be employed in any place at any time, by individuals suffering from asthmatic conditions.
Further information on our ABMM program is available in our book; Tai Chi for Better Breathing by Tai Chi Grandmaster Gary Khor, published by Simon & Schuster.
The information on this page is not meant as a substitute for medical advice. If you have any concerns you should refer to your own medical professional.
