How to treat a breath stuck in the throat?

Dear Teacher Kong De: Greetings! Recently, I've been feeling chest tightness all the time. It feels like something is stuck in my Adam's Apple. Especially when doing the "Upright Posture" pose to lift the breath and raise the sensation of the chest, the breath feels like it's stuck in my Adam's apple, which is very uncomfortable. I don't know which technique has gone wrong. I started practicing martial arts at the beginning of the ninth lunar month last year and it has been over half a year since then. Among them, I stopped practicing for 20 days in the first lunar month. I report the daily practice methods as follows: After 12 o 'clock every night, I start practicing the "I Ching Zhengshen Diagram" 2 to 4 times, rubbing the middle dantian and lower dantian in both directions 49 times, and sitting in meditation for about 30 minutes. The time I have spent practicing martial arts is quite different from that in the books. But I don't know what other martial arts techniques I need to practice, how to practice them, for how long, or if there is a sequence among the techniques. Please give me some guidance, teacher. Wish you all the best. Teacher Kong De replied: I don't know if you have read the "Preface" I wrote in the "Commentary on the Great Collection of Yijin Xisui", because in that "preface" I have already told the readers that I myself have not practiced the "Yijin" and "Xisui" techniques as described in the "Yijin Xisui Classic". Therefore, it is impossible to provide corresponding explanations for the specific practice situations and reactions of each exercise method introduced in the book. But from another perspective, in the true cultivation of the Great Way, since the dual cultivation of life and nature is emphasized, both dynamic and static exercises must be practiced simultaneously. Static exercise is called "washing the marrow", and dynamic exercise is called "regulating the tendons". The purpose of "Yi Jin" is to exercise the muscles, bones and skin of the body to unblock the meridians, allowing the flow of qi and blood to be smooth, which is conducive to the regulation of the internal environment of the body and mind, and is beneficial to the accumulation, generation and vigorous growth of internal qi. It is to refine the external and benefit the internal, creating an external environment for "washing the marrow" and consolidating the foundation. "Xisui" fundamentally addresses a person's physical and mental health by nourishing the spirit and qi. At the same time, during the exercise process, it also provides a qualitative deepening for the "Yijin" practice. Therefore, we need to understand a principle: "Yi Jin" and "Xi Su" are not the exclusive skills of Shaolin Buddhism, but rather a unique form of cultivation that Shaolin Buddhism has created. And any sect that cultivates both life and nature has its own distinct but essentially interconnected "Yi Jin" and "Xi Su" techniques. I can only answer the question you raised in this sense. Based on my experience in practicing martial arts, the various uncomfortable feelings that occur during the practice process can be roughly attributed to two reasons: The first one is that one fails to grasp the essence of the practice, violating the principles of relaxation, stillness, softness, harmony, lightness, flexibility, flatness, and roundness. The amount of movement, the amplitude, and the duration of the practice are too large, exceeding the body's tolerance. The second type is a normal reaction of qi flowing through the meridians and the affected area. Both of the above situations need to be analyzed. If the practice is in line with the essentials and the exercise is moderate, then the reaction that occurs is a normal reaction to the practice and there is no need to pay attention to it. After this stage (the duration may vary), it will naturally disappear. But in the future, it might move to another place, or it might "make a comeback". But after several rounds, it will eventually disappear completely, and then the body and mind will become increasingly comfortable. If the reaction is caused by not grasping the essence of the practice, it is considered a deviation. This requires analyzing in which detail the cause lies and making corrections accordingly. In addition, I believe that when performing the "back to the sky" pose, the so-called "inhaling gives the feeling of lifting the qi and ascending the body" and "exhaling gives the feeling of descending the qi and descending the body" should be a slightly natural sensation along with the breathing. One must never emphasize the intention. Especially when inhaling, never inhale from the throat upwards, but from the governor vessel on the back upwards. If you inhale upwards from your throat, it is highly likely to cause a sensation of air getting stuck in your throat. For beginners, it is advisable to have more dynamic exercise time and less static exercise time each day. The total duration should be no less than one hour, and it can be gradually increased later. Moreover, as the benefits of "Yi Jin" increase, the duration of static exercise should be gradually extended. The general answer is as above for your reference.