Dongui Bogam_30_The Key to Regulating Breathing

[調氣訣]
[The Key to Regulating Breathing]

彭祖曰, 和神導氣之道, 當得密室閉戶, 安床煖席, 枕高二寸半, 正身偃臥瞑目, 閉氣於胸膈中, 以鴻毛着鼻上而不動, 經三百息, 耳無所聞, 目無所見, 心無所思. 如此則寒暑不能侵, 蜂蠆不能毒, 壽三百六十歲, 此隣於眞人也.
Peng Zu said, "The method of harmonizing spirit and pulling qi is as follows. In a silent room, close the door, put the bedding to a comfortable state, and warm up the bed. Adjust the pillow to a height of 2.5 chon, lie down face up, close your eyes, and hold your breath inside the chest. Stick a feather of a wild goose on the nostrils, and breathe 300 times, not making it move. At this time, nothing should be heard through the ears, seen with the eyes, or thought in the mind. This prevents coldness or heat from entering the body and the poison of bees or scorpions will not harm the body, enabling one to live until he/she reaches 360. This is the stage matched with a true man."

養性曰, 人身虛無, 但有遊氣, 氣息得理, 卽百病不生. 故善攝養者, 須知調氣方焉. 調氣之法, 夜半後日中前, 氣生得調, 日中後夜半前, 氣死不得調. 調氣之時, 則仰臥, 床鋪厚軟, 枕高下, 共身平, 舒手展脚, 兩手握固, 去身四五寸, 兩脚相去四五寸, 數數叩齒, 飮玉漿. 引氣從鼻入腹, 足則停止, 有力更取. 久住氣悶, 從口細細吐出盡, 遠以鼻細細引入, 出氣一准前法, 閉口以心中數數, 令耳不聞, 能至千則去仙不遠矣. 若天陰風雨, 大寒暑, 勿取氣, 但閉之.
The Nurturing the Spirit (養性) says, "The human body is empty, and only qi moves in the body. If one can control one's respiration, various diseases can be prevented. Therefore, in order to be deft at life-nurturing, one must be familiar with the methods of breathing control. From midnight to noon, one can level off one's breath because qi springs up, but from noon to night, one cannot level off one's breath because qi disappears. When leveling off breathing, one should spread a thick and smooth blanket over the bed and lie down on one's back. The height of the pillow should be level with the body. Stretch out the arms and legs, put both hands from the body at a distance of 4~5 chon, clench the hands, set the legs apart at a distance of 4~5 chon, continuously snap the upper and lower teeth together, and swallow the saliva. Pull breath from the nose to the stomach. Stop if it becomes full, and breathe in more if there is enough room. Let out the breath a little bit at a time if time passes and it becomes difficult to hold. After a long time, inhale with the nose a little bit at a time, and exhale with the method mentioned earlier. If one can hold his/her breath and count to 1000 with his/her mind, one can be said to have reached the stage of the hermit. When the weather is cloudy, rainy, or extremely cold or hot, one must not inhale and only persevere." 

又曰, 凡吐者出故氣, 亦名死氣, 納者取新氣, 亦名生氣. 故老子云, 玄牝之門鼻曰玄門, 口曰牝戶, 天地之根, 綿綿若存, 用之不勤, 言口鼻, 天地之間, 可以出納陰陽死生之氣也.
It also says, "Exhaling is letting out stale qi: dead qi. Inhaling is accepting fresh qi: live qi. Therefore, Laozi (老子) said 'The doors of hyeonbin (玄牝, a term related to lower danjeon) [The nose is called hyeonmun (玄門) and the mouth binho (牝戶)] is the root of the Universe. It is not tiresome to use them continuously without rest.' It means that the qi of yin, yang, death, and the life of the universe goes in and out of the mouth and nose." 

正理曰, 守氣之妙, 在乎全精, 尤當防其睡眠. 夫人遇行走則氣急而嗄, 甚睡則氣麄而齁, 惟坐靜, 則氣平而緩.
Complete Compendium of the True Principles of the Golden Elixir (正理) says, "The secretive method to protecting qi lies within preserving the essence intact. Also, one should refrain from sleeping excessively. When a person walks or runs, breathing becomes short and the voice hoarse. One's breathing becomes coarse and one begins to snore when one sleeps too much. However, when one sits down silently, his/her breathing becomes even and gentle." 

醫鑑曰, 人自十六歲, 精氣漸減, 不但男女之慾足以損敗, 一與事應, 則視聽言動, 皆耗散精氣之原. 故釋氏面壁, 仙家坐關, 皆築基, 煉己苦行, 以防耗此神氣, 便是長生之術.
The Medical Mirror of Past and Present(醫鑑) says, "Essence qi of a person starts dwindling away when one becomes sixteen years of age. Essence qi is not only damaged by sexual desires but also by responding to, looking at, listening to, and speaking to an object, all exhaust the source of essence qi. This is why Buddha faces the wall and sits in Zen meditation. This prevents the spirit qi from being depleted by solidifying the foundation and training oneself with penance. This is the way to living a long life."