Thanissaro Bhikkhu is asked about the utility of Qigong to Anapanassati work (May 6, 2006, California)

From "The Breath: A Vehicle for Liberation", (Part 2; 25:35-26:39)

Question:

My first experience with feeling the breath like that in the whole body and working with it was in training in qigong. Do you have any thoughts about the utility of using something like a qigong practice or.. a yoga pranayam practice with this work?

Answer:

It's helpful in getting you sensitive to the body. I myself haven't done that much qi- I've got one qigong exercise that I do.. and a little bit of yoga. And I found that it, you know, helps- I've actually found the breath work gets you better at qigong, and yoga. I think they- Both sides help each other.

The problem is in some pranayama exercises they actually have you control the breath too much. Because what we're doing to get in touch with here is "What really feels best for the body right now?", "How are you directly experiencing the breath?", and learn how to adjust the breath in line with what you're experiencing. The purpose of that is to refine your discernment.

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