How to Breath when doing Qigong - Reverse breathing vs. Abdominal breathing

There are two main type of breathing you can do when practicing Qigong.  Normal Abdominal breathing or Reverse Breathing (Buddhas Breath).

Normal abdominal breathing is inhaling through your nose and expanding the abdomen nice a full then deeply exhale.  Alternately you can try reverse breathing where you inhale through your nose and suck in your belly then exhale deeply.

Exhaling through your nose or mouth?

When practicing Qigong you should always have the tip of your tongue touching the roof of your mouth to complete the microscopic orbit of Chi energy circulating around your governing and conception meridians.  Inhaling via the nose naturally makes you want to put your tongue on the roof of your mouth and exhaling from your mouth forces you to drop your tongue on the exhale which is correct.

Start with just breathing and don't even think about it.  Then start with Abdominal breathing then graduate to reverse abdominal. Re-training your body to naturally reverse breath without thinking takes great discipline and years of practice but is your gateway to reactivating your microscopic orbit and Dian Tien returning you to what the taoist believe to be the 'source'.