The Zen of Bamboo Breathing

There are many multi-step or multi-stage breathing meditation practices in yogic, Taoist and Buddhist meditation traditions. The appellation “Bamboo Breathing,” however, is unique to the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism, where the practice thrives to this day.

Breathing like Bamboo

Bamboo breathing can be practiced in seated or standing meditation positions. Foremost, it requires a straight spine and balanced upper body alignment to open the respiratory muscles of the chest, diaphragm, obliques and lower back. As with many breath-based meditation practices, you breathe through your nose with your mouth closed and lips and teeth lightly touching.

Each bamboo breath begins with a deep, abdominal inhalation. Long, slow and easy are the watchwords. You execute the exhalation phase, however, differently than usual. At the end of your normal expiratory volume, you pause—but not to initiate the next inhalation. Instead, you exhale further. And, at the end of this 2nd exhalation, you exhale a 3rd time still further. Only at the end of this 3rd expiratory breath do you turn your breath around to begin the next sustained inbreath.

The name of the technique stems from the tri-phased outbreath, which resembles three interconnected bamboo segments, metaphorically speaking.

Respiratory Dynamics of Bamboo Breathing

The physiological aim here is to thoroughly expel your residual lung volume. This volume of spent gases ordinarily stagnates in your lungs. It’s particularly full of carbon dioxide (CO²), which your cardiovascular system would be better off with less of.

When you deliberately reduce your residual lung volume by exhaling three times in a row, you bring your lungs closer to their minimum volume. Since living lungs cannot completely collapse, this is the lowest possible amount of gas that can remain in your lungs.

Benefits of Bamboo Breathing

The many physiological benefits from bamboo breathing include:

• Increased lung tidal volume (total amount of air exchanged).
• Reduced residual lung volume.
• Reduction of residual CO2 in lungs.
• Reduction of lactic acid in the bloodstream.
• Reduced residual muscle tension throughout the body.

The resulting benefits to your state of mind also are profound and pronounced. For one thing, this way of breathing helps you stay ultra-present. Combining bamboo breathing with counting the breath makes it even more so. You count one on the inbreath and one-two-three on the outbreath. Then two on the inbreath and two-two-three on the outbreath—and so on. When you can count to ten this way, and then back down from ten to one (all without getting lost), your concentration will be sharp indeed.

You’ll also experience deeper levels of samadhi (trance state). This is because samadhi accords with the rate and volume of the exhalation phase of breathing, more so than the inhaled volume or rate.¹ In everyday terms, this means the slower and more complete your exhalations are, the more relaxation, equanimity and insight you’ll experience.

I have yet to introduce bamboo breathing to a coaching client or meditation student who didn’t feel its immediate benefits and go on to practice it on their own. I also can speak from many years of experience with bamboo breathing. It’s the meditation I turn to whenever I feel the need to settle down, tune in and zoom in on the ever-present present.

Footnotes

1. Sekida, K. (1973/1989). Zen training: Methods and philosophy. New York: Weatherhill, Inc.