Physiological Effects of Respiration Methods in Inner Qigong

The most important practice in qigong is the "three adjustments." Using physiological measurements, we studied respiration during three different kinds of inner qigong: standing posture qigong, six-word-practice, and ney yang gong. Standing posture qigong is a method, which delays the period of respiration, compared with normal respiration. During rest, respiration frequency is about 15 times the abdominal respiration in one minute. In qigong, we found that this number came down to about five times a minute. Furthermore, the respiration during this type of qigong changed into deep respiration. During the six-word-practice, a qigong master vocalizes the necessary letters, but it is understood that he performs a slow, repeating, and deep respiration. Respiration in ney yang gong is not only inhalation and expiration; the point at which the respiration was stopped is also important. All the three types of qigong were characterized by a decrease in blood oxygen level at the beginning. Heart rate increased in the standing posture qigong and six-word-practice, and there was an increase in the blood pressure. There was an equal elevation in blood pressure in the hard type of ney yang gong, while blood pressure decreased in the soft type. Our conclusion is that parasympathetic line becomes dominant in respiration if expiration is not followed by an immediate aspiration.