Does he belly breathe as a practice? Abdominal breathing is known to cause the "qi belly".
My opinion is that it's a result of forcing the breath, and causing the innards to bulge out with the contraction of the diaphragm. Like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika says:
quote:
15. Just as lions, elephants and tigers are controlled by and by, so the breath is controlled by slow degrees, otherwise (i.e., by being hasty or using too much force) it kills the practitioner himself.
16. When Pranayama, etc., are performed properly, they eradicate all diseases; but an improper practice generates diseases.
17. Hiccough, asthma, cough, pain in the head, the ears, and the eyes; these and other various kinds of diseases are generated by the disturbance of the breath.
18. The air should be expelled with proper tact and should be filled in skillfully; and when it has been kept confined properly it brings success.
Think about how you train a lion to do something. You don't pull it by the leash - it'll attack you. You put food over there if you want him to go over there. You reward him, using positive reinforcement...not commands and punishment if he doesn't do it right.
So in the same way, the right method of doing pranayama is nothing like what is often suggested. The right way is setting up the conditions, so that the breath calms down...the wrong way is in trying to calm the breath down. So first, posture work is used to create as much space for the body to breathe...but you don't try to breathe any certain way. You let yourself be breathed.
Belly breathing even if it's gentle is forceful and can cause problems, such as a big belly.
