The Six Syllables Qi Formula

Tuna: Exhaling the old and inhaling the new, an ancient Daoist art of nurturing life.

Tuna refers to expelling stale, turbid qi from the chest through the mouth, then slowly drawing in fresh qi through the nose. The term appears in the Zhuangzi · Deliberations: "Blowing and breathing, exhaling the stale and inhaling the fresh." This means breathing out impure qi and breathing in pure qi. The Yunji Qiqian (Volume 32, Healing Illness Through Qi Circulation) states: "For all qi circulation practices, draw qi in through the nose and expel it through the mouth. Do so gently and guide the breath—this is called long, slow breathing. Inhaling qi is one method; exhaling qi has six variations. The single inhalation is the act of drawing qi in. The six exhalations are called chui, hu, xi, he, xu, and si—all are forms of releasing qi. A normal person’s breath, one inhalation and one exhalation, does not follow these counts. To practice long, slow breathing: use the chui exhalation when it is cold, the hu exhalation when it is warm, adjusting the method to treat specific ailments. Chui dispels heat, hu dispels wind, xi relieves vexation, he directs qi downward, xu disperses stagnant qi, and si relieves exhaustion." This view holds that drawing in vital qi and expelling dead qi allows one to achieve longevity and even immortality.

Tuna is a qi-cultivation technique within the broader practice of qigong. At its core, tuna is breathwork: breathing encompasses both external and internal respiration. External respiration refers to the gas exchange between outside air and the blood that occurs in the lungs, also called pulmonary respiration. Internal respiration refers to the gas exchange between the blood and the body’s tissue cells, also called tissue respiration. Qigong breathwork primarily adjusts pulmonary respiration, guiding it to the even, gentle, and deeply slow state the ancients described as "exhaling only softly, inhaling only steadily." This in turn creates a positive effect on internal respiration. Tuna practice is said to be a foundational exercise for beginners; when breath training through tuna reaches an advanced level, there’s no longer any breath to adjust. At that point the breath becomes exceedingly faint, then suddenly ceases, entering the realm of fetal breathing. The Baopu · Shizhi says: "One who attains fetal breathing can breathe without using the nose and mouth, as if within the mother's womb." This means that one who has practiced to a profound degree is like a fetus in the mother’s womb, with no air passing through the nose. Fetal breathing is the highest state of tuna breath-training, and many Daoist practitioners have long favored this practice.

Key Points of Breath Training

The key to tuna breath-training is to guide qi into the abdomen when inhaling, and draw it upward to the crown of the head when exhaling. In this way one draws in vital qi, expels dead qi and pathogenic qi, and at the same time awakens the body’s innate potential, entering a state of heightened function. Tuna practices come in many forms, divided into dynamic and static categories. Below are several popular tuna breathwork methods.

The Six Character Qi Formula is a qigong practice where you inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, silently reciting six syllable sounds as you breathe out: xū, hē, hū, xì (pronounced xì or shè), chuī, and xī. Each sound targets a specific organ to expel pathogenic factors: xū for the liver, hē for the heart, hū for the spleen, xì for the lungs, chuī for the kidneys, and xī for the triple burner. This content appears in both Daoist and Buddhist qigong traditions.

The Six Character Qi Formula is first recorded in Tao Hongjing’s Yangsheng Yanming Lu. The practice is simple: you may sit or stand, exhaling through the mouth and inhaling through the nose. As you exhale, silently recite the sound corresponding to your needs: xū, hē, hū, xì, chuī, or xī. Xū treats excess liver patterns, such as headache, bloodshot eyes, rib pain, and irritability; hē treats excess heart patterns, such as mouth ulcers, vexation, and insomnia; hū treats excess spleen patterns, such as abdominal distention, fullness, and indigestion; Xì treats excess lung patterns, such as copious phlegm, qi stagnation, dry mouth, and sore throat; chuī treats excess kidney patterns, such as night sweats, seminal emission, impotence, premature ejaculation, and uterine cold; xī treats excess triple burner patterns, such as dizziness, tinnitus, sore throat, chest and abdominal fullness, and difficulty urinating. The Six Character Qi Formula can be practiced alone or paired with other qigong methods. Note that this technique primarily drains excess patterns: people with yang deficiency and spontaneous sweating should not practice it, and those with deficiency conditions should proceed with caution. Seasonal restrictions also apply: in spring, when spleen qi is weak, avoid practicing the "hū" sound; in summer, when lung qi is weak, avoid the "xī" sound; in autumn, when the metal phase overcomes wood, avoid the "xū" sound to prevent liver harm. In winter, avoid the "hē" sound to avoid weakening the heart. The Ming dynasty texts Xiuling Yaozhi and Leixiu Yaojue both emphasize that the Six Character Formula should be practiced in coordination with guided limb movements.

For detailed practice instructions, see Teacher Ni Haixia’s Complete Five-Organ Detoxification Method

He Xiangu's Fetal Breathing Formula

He Xiangu is one of the legendary Eight Immortals of Daoism. Born He Qiong in Lingling during the Tang dynasty, she lived by Yunmu Stream. After meeting Lü Dongbin, who taught her the arts of cultivation, she attained the Way. Her formula reads: "To refine is to cultivate; “xi” refers to qi, spirit, and essence. The root of breath-qi is the original pure, tranquil qi. Guide it into the dantian, letting it flow in and out gently. In this way, the dragon and tiger will naturally submit. If the mind is unmoved, the spirit free of thought, and qi free of desire, this is called great stability. When true qi dwells within the physical form, the state of the true immortal transforms without bound — this is called the True Person. As for fetal breathing: one must preserve the spirit and steady the intention, guarding the three passes: essence, qi, and spirit. All who cultivate the Dao should hold to these three practices at the six daily periods, and treasures will naturally gather within. The nation will prosper, the people will be at peace, the mind-king will be at ease, the spirit will be harmonious and unburdened, illness and vexation will be few, the body light and agile, the ears and eyes sharp and clear. This is the true path for those who cultivate the authentic Dao. If you practice this method consistently for three to five years, Heaven will protect and bless, spirits will offer their support, ordinary people will hold you in affection and respect, and in time you will naturally attain the Dao."

Daoist Methods of Tuna

The Daoist arts of cultivating nature and refining life first center on dispelling illness and strengthening the body, next on extending one’s years and increasing longevity, and finally on pursuing eternal life and perpetual vision. The author once received the transmission of the Daoist tuna formula on Laoshan, by the Eastern Sea, a foundational cultivation practice. Observing the countless, disjointed schools of qigong prevalent in society today, learners are often left dazzled and directionless. Some flit from method to method at the first sign of novelty; some are led astray into unorthodox paths; some lack understanding of proper principles and protocols; some even develop harmful deviations they cannot correct — seeking to nurture life, but instead harming it. This is a fundamental flaw of the disorganized, popular qigong schools widespread in society today. Daoist practices, which follow the principle of "the Dao follows nature," produce no deviations when practiced in accordance with their proper methods, and are fully compatible with qigong traditions from other schools.

Daoist cultivation places great emphasis on the role of qi in the human body. It is said that "when qi gathers, life is born; when qi disperses, death follows." All things between heaven and earth require qi to come into existence. Ge Hong, a Daoist of the Eastern Jin dynasty, wrote in the Baopuzi: "While taking elixirs is the root of longevity, combining this with qi cultivation will bring far greater benefits. If you can’t obtain elixirs, but practice qi cultivation and fully grasp its principles, you can still live for several hundred years." Chinese Daoist tuna is a qi cultivation method — simple and accessible to all. Practiced consistently over the years, it’ll benefit you for a lifetime.

Daoists hold that from the moment a person first receives life, inside the mother’s womb, the fetus takes in qi through the umbilical cord along with the mother’s breath. The fetus’s qi connects to the mother’s qi; the mother’s qi connects to the qi of the great void; the qi of the great void is the qi of supreme harmony. At this stage, there is no breathing through the mouth or nose. The ren and du meridians circulate qi freely, with no obstruction — this is called "fetal breathing." After ten months of gestation, when the infant emerges from the womb and the umbilical cord is cut, this opening closes. Breathing then cuts off above at the mouth and nose, and below at the coccyx, becoming the ordinary respiration of a regular person. The ordinary person’s breath travels down the throat and returns at the lungs — this is what Zhuangzi meant when he said, "the breath of the masses is in the throat." This breath is coarse and superficial, with long exhalations and short inhalations. From this point on, the qi of the great void and supreme harmony can no longer descend into the abdomen. The ancestral qi stored there, called prenatal original qi, "flows outward with every movement" (as the Laozi says), and dissipates into the great void instead. Over time, excessive loss of prenatal qi weakens the kidney pulse, undermines the body’s root, gives rise to all manner of illness, and leads ultimately to death.

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