Have you ever seen someone that smokes take a smoke break? It’s a very interesting process. They have the tapping of the cigarette or package. They have things slowing down — they begin looking around or gazing like they’re seeing passed everything that is right in front of them. There’s the posture to light it and then, there’s the first inhale – the first deep breath. Notice how long it is held too before exhaling. Notice how it is savored. Then, the exhale — a deep exhale and blowing of guttural air out of the body along with the smoke.
Finally, they’ve just enjoyed the deepest breath of the day. It may be the most relaxed they have been the entire day. They’re satisfied. They drop their shoulders. They slow down. They savor. They’re doing all the things they need to do to reduce anxiety, slow down the heart, to get a deep a restful breath and yet, at the same time, set up a sequence of events that will eventually kill them.
It’s incredulous. The addiction of smoking. But, is it just the cigarette they are addicted too? I don’t think so. I think the addiction is much, much deeper. Look at the moment again. The key ingredients are: deep breathing; slowing the pace down; gazing; sighing; settling; pondering; tapping — all the perfect ingredients for relaxation.
But note, everything outlined here would be considered longevity exercise by a Taoist monk. The entire process, absent of the cigarette, would be considered a chi kung exercise.
So, it has long been my belief that the cigarette is only a small part of the addiction. The greater aspect of a smoker’s addiction is the entire process that takes place and the “down time” it gives the smoker — an absolute moment of relaxation. Unfortunately, the side effects of smoking are deadly.
Now, that brings us to chi kung. Chi kung awards us all of the positive aspects that smoking does without any of the negative side effects such as death! We can take the same moment: we can go through the same process as a smoker, but through the enjoyment of a chi kung exercise instead of a cigarette. And again, without the possibility of killing ourselves!!!
Toss the cigarettes away. Train a lot of chi kung. Savor it: enjoy the moment. A live healthier and longer!
Happy Chi Kung-ing.
