Ki Breathing

by Koichi Tohei Sensei

Replenish Ki when sleeping
Sleeping is important to replenish Ki.
Human beings consume Ki constantly while awake. Everyone sees things, listens, smells, tastes and touches things by using their five senses.
All those actions are actions of Ki. Therefore, we need to replenish Ki which we have consumed. Sleeping and Ki breathing are the best way to replenish Ki efficiently. Sleeping is the action to replenish the Ki of the Universe.
At night, when we are asleep, the mind is calm. At that time, the Ki of the Universe fills our bodies. When we awaken after sleeping soundly, Ki is charged fully and our strength is renewed and we feel great.
However, if our brains are in turmoil rather than at rest, this will block an adequate flow of Ki. When we awaken in the morning, because our supply of Ki is not high, we cannot get up immediately and recover mentally and physically, even with10 hours of sleep.
Sleeping medicine reduces the sensitivity of the brain and makes people sleep. When the brain is calm and you sleep soundly, we can replenish the Ki of the universe. However, if you sleep with your brain in a state of dead calmness, you cannot replenish enough of your Ki.
If you regularly use a sleeping medicine because you can’t sleep, you will become Ki deficient soon. You will feel listless and lose motivation for everything. Furthermore, you will lose your vitality and physical strength and become susceptible to diseases.
Because you extend Ki, Ki will go into your mind and body.
An extremely high number of people disregard the need for sleep as a necessity to replenish the Ki of the Universe. They disregard the importance of their sleep time to work longer hours. They get an insufficient supply of Ki and get sick. They then have to use sleeping medicine or they cannot sleep at night. They are carelessly shortening their own lives.
Because people who learn correct Ki development always maintain the one point in the lower abdomen and keep a calm mind, they have no problems with falling asleep quickly. If you have ten or fifteen free minutes during the day and want to sleep, you should be able to sleep calmly.
Pour some water in a tub and stir it up. Now try to calm the water with your hands. You will succeed only in agitating it further. Let the water stand undisturbed a while, and it will calm down by itself.
The human brain works much the same way. When you think, you create waves in your mind. Trying to calm the waves by thinking is only a waste. People who cannot sleep and lie awake thinking, “Go to sleep, go sleep,” are creating more turbulence in their mind.
It is difficult for them to sleep because, as they try to, they are constantly thinking and upsetting their minds. They trouble themselves with thoughts like, “If I don’t get some sleep, I won’t be able to work tomorrow,” and then move on to even more useless reflections about things that are bothering them, until sleep becomes totally impossible. When your mind is upset, lie completely still, and it will calm down by itself. When your mind has calmed down sleep will come.
The old habit of counting to ten until you fall asleep works on the same principle.
You do not have to think about counting to ten, and while you repeat the series mechanically over and over, your mind calms down and you fall asleep. This could help sometimes.
On the other hand, many people find that this kind of simple trick does not work for them.
People of a nervous temperament cannot even count to ten simply, because they cannot stop thinking about the fact that no matter what they do, they can’t fall asleep.
We have to maintain a firm conviction that if we cannot sleep, we might as well be awake. Humans cannot live without sleep, and sooner or later, it will come naturally.
If you are really sleepy, you cannot stay awake. Suffering to put yourself to sleep is foolish. When you are awake, exercise sufficiently; and when you go to bed, you will be able to sleep. If you cannot sleep, do not feel that you absolutely must.
Often the body’s blood rushes to the head and makes it feel hot, leaving the feet cold resulting in making sleep difficult. From olden times, people have correctly held that the healthy way is to have a cool head and warm feet. If you follow this advice, you will find that you can sleep soundly.
In cases like these, practice shifting your concentration by calming your Ki into the one point in the lower abdomen. By doing this, you will be able to sleep soundly anytime, and replenish your Ki.
First, lie on your back with your hands and feet comfortably outstretched. Then, think with all your mind that the blood is continuously flowing down to the tips of your toes. “Mind moves body”, therefore, it will do so. Your blood circulation will improve and your feet will become warm.
When you feel your feet become warm, you will fall asleep. Even before you feel your feet become warm, you many times will fall asleep.
Some people eat and/or drink just before going to bed. However, the purpose of sleeping is to rest both your mind and body fully. Ki is used to digest foods, therefore, Ki is not replenished fully.
The quality of sleep is decided by how well we can exchange Ki of the Universe. It is important to sleep with oneness of mind and body.

Reference:
The article is translation of Koichi Tohei sensei’s book, Ki Breathing by curtesy of Shinichi Tohei universalmind.way-nifty.com


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