The Edel-Inga Breath.

 

This is a Spiritual Exercise that anyone can do if they so wish; it is a deep-breathing exercise based upon two simple Runic Stances -

This is based upon the Edel-Rune and the Ing-Rune; the movement is from the Edel-Rune to the Ing-Rune. I'll now go through the exercise -

STAGE ONE -

Stand in the Edel-Rune Stance with your feet one shoulder-width apart, hands crossed over the Hara-Centre (2 inches below the navel). Now slowly breath in, whilst bringing the hands in an arch forwards and upwards until this makes a Diamond-Ing above the head. With no pause here slowly bring the hands outwards to create the Ing-Rune shape with the whole body, the shoulders at thus point being pulled back, making a last in-breath as this is done. Now, slowly breath out as you bring the hands back to the Diamond-Ing over the head; slowly breath our and push downwards in an arch with the hands ending crossed over the Hara-Centre where you started. Do this exercise 9 times.

1. The in-breath and out-breath should be done slowly and evenly, with a rhythmic form of breathing. As you do the in-breaths the tongue should be at the roof of the mouth. (*)
2. If this is done right the in-breath starts with an abdominal breath, pushing out the abdomen as this is done; as the arms & hands reach upwards towards the Diamond-Ing stage the breath moves upwards into the lungs - it is pulled upwards by the movement of the arms. With the last stage, when the arms are moved outwards into the Ing-Rune Form the lungs are pulled out allowing a deeper breath here. This allows for a full breath.
3. The same goes for the out-breath, since the air is pushed out completely, creating a cycle that then begins again. 

I would suggest that Stage One be done for a full month before moving to Stage Two; this is so that the basic exercise is learned as much as possible before going to the next part. 

(*) There are different schools of thought as to whether you do both the in-breath and out-breath through the nose, or whether the out-breath is done through the mouth. In breathing out through the mouth the tongue drops down anyway. We breath in through the nose because the tiny hairs (which seem to multiply as one gets older) help to warm the air before it enters the lungs, and traps anything unwanted from being sucked in. Best experiment and use what you feel is best.

STAGE TWO - 

Go through the whole of Stage One as you have done so far, but this time you need to add a visualisation as well as the Rhythmic Breath -

1. Visualise a round ball of bright golden light at the Hara-Centre as you hold your crossed hands over this; at this stage slowly breath in-out three times.
2. As you do the in-breath visualise this bright golden light being drawn into the whole of your body, so that it shines brightly all through. 
3. As you breath out visualise the bright golden light gathering inwards again and being pushed back into the Hara-Centre where it again forms the bright golden orb. 
4. Hold the golden orb in your mind as you breath in-out three times. 
5. This exercise would be repeated 9 times. 

The Hara-Centre where this is centred upon is the seat of the more physical energy, and this is used most in the Martial Arts. This is the Lower Dan Tien or 'Lower Energy-Centre' but we call it the Hara-Centre which is Japanese rather than Chinese (it also fits with names of Woden and is related to the word 'Aryan'). In The Three Cauldrons this is the Ur-Centre or Vril-Centre (Ur-il); Vril is the equivalent to Chi (Qi) or Ki (Japanese).