Sun Simiao's Health Preservation - Guiding and Regulating Qi to Prevent Diseases and prolong Life

Guiding and massaging, as well as breathing exercises and regulating qi, are important components of Sun Simiao's health preservation philosophy. The former belongs to fitness gymnastics, which mainly focuses on movement, while the latter is breathing gymnastics, which mainly focuses on stillness. Both fall within the category of Qigong and are called dynamic and static Qigong. Sun's exercise method combines movement and stillness, neither of which can be lacking. He emphasized that those who wish to maintain good health should not only restrain their spirit, love their qi and nourish their body, but also "guide the flow of qi". Only by doing this for a long time can they prolong their life. It is also said, "Those who are good at nourishing themselves must know the method of regulating qi. The method of regulating qi can cure all kinds of diseases and diseases, and can make men and eyebrows grow in a hundred days." It can be seen that the health-preserving effects of guiding, massaging, breathing exercises and regulating qi are very remarkable. Sun Simiao was able to live a long life, which was inseparable from his long-term and unremitting practice of guiding and breathing exercises. The art of guiding and breathing exercises has a very early origin. By the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a relatively systematic theory had already been formed. As stated in "Zhuangzi: Deliberate", "blowing 呴 breathing;" "Expelling the old and taking in the new, the bear meridian and the bird meridian are all signs of longevity." " After the Qin, Han, Wei and Jin Dynasties, all health preservation practitioners practiced the art of guiding and breathing exercises, forming schools and developing many methods. By the Tang Dynasty, with the continuous development of cultural and medical exchanges between China and foreign countries, the medicines of various countries in the Western Regions were introduced to China, including many massage and health preservation methods. Sun Simiao not only attached great importance to inheriting the ancient Chinese guiding and massage methods, but also was good at absorbing foreign massage and health preservation methods. The guiding massage techniques passed down by the Sun family mainly include the Fifty Massage Methods of Laozi and the Eighteen Postures of the Tianzhu Kingdom. In the ancient India of Tianzhu, massage for health preservation was also very popular. Compared with the fifty massage methods of Laozi, the eighteen postures of massage are largely similar. Both involve massaging various parts of the body with both hands, allowing the head, neck, chest, flanks, waist, abdomen, hips, knees, ankles, feet and other parts and large joints to be fully exercised to maintain their good functions. Therefore, it can play a role in delaying aging. According to Sun's experience, the elderly are most suitable for rubbing. Do it three times a day. After a month, the effect can be seen. All diseases will be eliminated, movement will be agile, the body will be light and healthy, diet will increase, hearing and vision will be clear, no fatigue will be felt, and it will have the effect of tonifying and prolonging life. The method of guiding and massaging should be practiced every day without interruption. Naturally, no illness can be prevented and any illness can be treated. When feeling unwell occasionally, it is advisable to practice massage, which can make all the joints unobstructed and eliminate pathogenic factors naturally. Therefore, for all those who wish to maintain good health, regardless of whether they are ill or not, whether they have problems or not, they should massage their spine, back and limbs once a day, or follow this method. This is the most essential and wonderful way to maintain good health. Regulating qi for health preservation, also known as breathing exercises, inhaling qi, consuming qi, and welcoming qi, etc., is an important method for prolonging life and should not be known. Sun Simiao was the most knowledgeable about this method and passed down a large number of detailed accounts. The qi regulation method he imparted encompasses the three key points of Qigong: regulating the body, regulating the breath, and regulating the mind. Sun elaborated and supplemented one by one. The key to adjusting the body lies in completely relaxing the body and eliminating the tension of the muscles. Therefore, the bed should be comfortable and soft, with the pillow level with the body. Lie on your back, half-clench your fists and place them flat at your sides, about four or five inches away from your body. Keep your legs straight and your feet about four or five inches apart. The purpose of adopting this posture is to relax all parts of the body and prepare for regulating the breath. Regulating the breath means adjusting the breathing. "Exhale the stale air through the mouth and draw in the clear air through the nose." That is, exhalation through the mouth and inhalation through the nose. The requirement is to be slender, slow and even, with the goose feathers placed in front of the nose without moving. Inhale through your nose, slowly inhaling into your abdomen until you can no longer inhale. Then hold your breath and stop breathing. When you feel suffocated, exhale slowly through your mouth. Exhale completely and inhale again. Repeat this process. Do not hear any sound while breathing. Make sure to breathe slowly, gently and evenly. The method of regulating the mind lies in keeping it calm. "The ears do not hear, the eyes do not see, but the mind thinks first." There is a method of meditation that is feasible. Calm your mind, close your eyes and meditate. Imagine seeing the Yuanhe Qi in the space, like a purple cloud covering the sky, with five distinct colors, descending into the hairline and gradually reaching the top of the head, just like the clouds after rain, penetrating into the mountains, penetrating the skin and flesh, reaching the bones and brain, and gradually descending into the abdomen. The limbs and five internal organs are all moistened by it, like water seeping into the ground. When you feel a gurgling sound in the abdomen, it is an effect. Then the yuanhe qi reaches the sea of qi and descends to the spring. When one feels the body vibrating, the feet curling up, and even the bed making a clicking sound, the predetermined requirements have been met. What is described here is the phenomenon of being touched during the Qigong process, a normal reaction in practicing Qigong. Without personal experience, it is absolutely impossible to describe it so vividly. In addition to the above-mentioned methods of regulating qi, the Sun family also imparted many simple and effective methods for regulating qi and maintaining health. Just like the Inner Vision method of the Yellow Emperor, one should keep a mind full of yearning, as if seeing the five internal organs like hanging bells. The heart is red, the lungs are white, the liver is green, the spleen is yellow, and the kidneys are black. The five colors are clearly visible and should be practiced for a long time without interruption. This method of looking inward at the five internal organs is an important approach in Qigong practice. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty pointed out, "The inner tunnel can only be observed by those who reflect it." For instance, every morning before getting up, I would carve my teeth twenty-seven times and swallow the "Jade Spring". Tooth carving, also known as tapping teeth, involves keeping the lips tightly closed and tapping the upper and lower teeth against each other. This method can make a person's teeth strong and will not fall out or loosen until old age. "Yuquan" refers to the saliva in the mouth, also known as the water from the upper pool. It is most effective in nourishing the five internal organs, adding essence and maintaining color. Every morning, one should rinse the mouth with a pug to fill the mouth with body fluids and swallow them as soon as they are full. This is called "refining essence". The method of regulating qi is not only good at health preservation but also capable of treating diseases. Sun Simiao taught a method of exhalation for treating diseases of the five internal organs, using six different forms of exhalation to treat diseases of the five internal organs respectively. That is, the six-character mnemonic "hu, blow, SHH, he, xi, yan, 呬". If one is mentally ill, they should exhale when they are cold. Breathe loudly thirty times and exhale slowly ten times. The method is to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. When exhaling, make the sound of "hu" in the mouth. Blow when hot, blow vigorously fifty times and gently ten times, just like blowing air, making the air come out along with the sound of the word "blow". If there is a lung disease, use the character "xu". Make a big "xu" thirty times and a small "xu" ten times. Exhale along with the sound of the "xu" character. If there is a liver disease, use the character "he". Exhale vigorously thirty times and gently ten times. The breath should be exhaled along with the sound of the character "he". If there is a problem with the spleen, use the character "xi". Make a big "xi" thirty times and a small "xi" ten times. The qi should be exhaled along with the sound of the "xi". If you use the character "呬" for kidney disease, repeat the major 呬 thirty times and the minor 呬 ten times, and exhale the qi along with the sound of the character "呬". Sun pointed out that for any illness in the five internal organs, one can follow this method to calm the mind and regulate the qi. With respect and dedication, there is no case that cannot be cured.