[During the silent meditation portions of the Shodaigyo ceremony] there are two ways of breathing: Fukushiki Kokyu Ho (abdominal breathing) and Fukushiki Tanden Kokyu Ho (abdominal tanden breathing).

With regular abdominal breathing, when we inhale deeply, the belly will swell. When we exhale fully, the belly collapses. But with abdominal tanden breathing [deep abdominal breathing], there is no such thing as swelling or collapsing during breathing. We are inhaling and exhaling by putting strength to the tanden [and breathing deeply from the diaphragm]. Tanden Kokyu is more difficult than regular fukushiki kokyu, but anyone can breathe in this way after some training. This kind of breathing is superior for promoting health and calming the mind.