We were delighted to welcome John Barber back to the Forum after his all too brief presentation at the 2009 May Gathering and we thank him once again for his great generosity in answering all our questions and sharing his knowledge with us, long after the official close of Saturday's workshop.

T'ai Chi players know about abdominal breathing but John introduced us to two developments upon it, namely the Dragon breath, which is a full breath involving first the abdomen, second the ribs and lastly the collarbone, and the Butterfly breath, which is an exercise breath using alternately abdominal breathing and then reverse abdominal breathing, which increases control of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

We heard about the Chinese ' Second Pump' theory which supports the practice of abdominal breathing. The Chinese see the action of such breathing as being like a pump, which stimulates venous return from the legs and lower abdomen and takes the pumping pressure off the heart, thus easing it; an added bonus for students with heart concerns.

We learned about the levels of air in the lungs; divided into four these were the complemental at the uppermost level, then the tidal, the supplemental, and finally the residual, which is the level of air remaining in the lungs after fully breathing out. John explained how many people who suffer from breathing difficulty only use the upper levels in their lungs and there is therefore not enough oxygen in their blood after an in-breath and their breathing rate increases as a result; in addition, asthma sufferers find it very hard to fully breathe out and they take frequent shallow breaths to offset this. He explained the difference between the Yang breath – a deep abdominal in-breath followed by a short explosive 'ha' out-breath; and the Yin breath – a short in-breath followed by a long, slow out-breath, lasting as long as one comfortably could; ideally 15 seconds to begin with and then increasing to a minute, making a soft 'pfff' sound on the out-breath through a semi-closed mouth. We did our best! Focusing on a long out-breath helps asthma sufferers to have more efficient breathing but also calms their anxiety.

John believes that it is always possible to increase our lung capacity and the efficiency of our lungs, even when there are underlying health issues. We were taught Therapeutic Breathing; how to breathe into alternate lungs, to assist the expansion of the lower lung; when performed into the right side it would benefit the liver; breathing into the back would benefit the kidneys.

John demonstrated a particular variation of 'Supporting the Sky' which increased the oxygen supply to the brain by stimulating the sensors in the carotid artery which monitor carbon dioxide levels in blood going to the brain; an exercise effective against headaches caused by temporary narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain or helpful for panic-stricken students under exam conditions!

Finally, we all enjoyed being led through Anuloma Viloma, a meditation on the breath involving holding one's breath (“against the natural order of things” of the title) and using alternate nostrils to breathe. We were given so much to reflect upon and practise and much that was relevant to our teaching when we have students with degrees of difficulty in breathing. A very rewarding day.

Raymond Towers is another familiar name to Forum members; those who attended the 2007 May Gathering were impressed and also very moved by the story of his successful teaching at the Wings School in Cumbria, assisted there by the input and energy of his son Gavin, who also accompanied him on Sunday.

Shape, visualisation and sound....Raymond introduced us to a standing meditation where we stood in a shoulder-width stance, with the middle finger of one hand on the bai hui point (central indentation on the top of head) and the middle finger of the other hand resting on the navel. As we breathed in we were asked to visualise a lift up the body, inhaling as we visualised the rise and exhaling as we visualised the descent. On exhalation we made a long 'OM' sound.

We were told of the 8 extraordinary vessels and their energetic importance, affecting growth in the uterus, kidney function and stabilising energy in the body. After we are born our energy derives from chi present in the food we eat and the air we breathe; movement helps distribute this energy, therefore it is important to eat well and to live well for wisdom, emotion and power.

Of the 8 extraordinary vessels, Raymond spoke of the Dai Mai or belt channel which effectively circles the waist area and binds all together, incorporating innate essence and our possibilities....we were shown a standing exercise which focused on this channel where the hands were held at Tan Tien level, fingertips facing to 'hold ball' and encourage spiralling energy.

The Du Mai is the vessel which passes from the hui yin point on the perineum, up the back of the body, over the head to the point above the lip. (apthe) The Ren Mai is the vessel which passes from the hui yin up the front of the body to meet the Du Mai on the palate. With the tip of the tongue on the palate behind the teeth the vessels are connected and when the energy is visualised flowing up the Ren Mai and down the back (Du Mai), this is the water cycle with a Yin effect on the body, calming and cooling. It represents intuition, receptivity and letting go.

The fire cycle occurs when the energy is visualised flowing up the Du Mai and down the front of the body (Ren Mai), causing a Yang effect; increased upward and forward 'peng' energy and causing purifying heat to rise.

The Chong Mai, or penetrating vessel links the internal organs and acts as a spiritual conduit. Raymond explained the importance of daily T'ai Chi/Chi Kung practise, and as emotions are a part of movement, the importance of kindness towards oneself and a feeling of self worth. We were also reminded of the connection we make between heaven and earth by being aware and present.

This was such a fascinating workshop and there was such a good balance of tuition and practice for the participants. I must just mention the meditations which could be performed seated or standing, where the index finger (liver, wood element) of each hand was bent to touch the thumb (stomach, wood element) of that hand, while breathing into the Tan Tien. This position, we learnt, would remotivate the practitioner, while with the middle finger (heart, fire element) to thumb, however, a feeling of calm and compassion would result.

Our thanks to Raymond Towers for the second fine workshop of an excellent weekend.

Sue Platt