Yang Sheng: The art of Chinese self-healing

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The 139 BCE Huainanzi is an eclectic compilation, attributed to Liu An, from various Hundred Schools of Thought, especially Huang–Lao religious Daoism. ‘’Huainanzi’’ Chapter 7 echoes ‘’Zhuangzi’’ 15 disparaging yangsheng techniques because they require external supports. It basically says you need to reach balance physically, emotionally and spiritually. The exercices/ cures are often Qi gong, meditating, gardening... Like basically slow down... Yang Sheng is about taking proactive self-responsibility for your own self-care and self-nurturing regime. It is a very self-empowering concept as it teaches us not to rely or become dependent upon other people or things for our health and wellbeing. Most Yang Sheng practices can be done for yourself and cost very little or nothing at all.

Its soft, fluent and harmonious movements aim to improve energy circulation within the whole body, to loosen the joints, tone up and oxygenate the muscles and to relax the nervous system. There are numerous ways you can apply Yang Sheng in your daily life and there is not one ‘best practice’ approach. It’s about finding a range of techniques or healthy habits that appeal to you and fit comfortably with your lifestyle. The polymath Ji Kang (223-262), one of the Daoist Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, wrote a text titled Yangsheng lun (飬生論, "Essays on Nourishing Life"). The early Zhuangzi commentator Xiang Xiu (227-272) wrote a criticism with the same title, and Ji replied in his Danan Yangsheng lun (答難飬生論, "Answer to [Xiang Xiu's] Refutation of 'Essays on Nourishing Life'"). Ji Kang believed that achieving immortality was attainable, but only for those who have extraordinary qi, yet even those without it who practice longevity techniques can achieve a lifespan of several hundred years (Engelhardt 2000: 90).

Although the standard of Dao Yin teaching available in England is excellent, it is a central principal of the Association to encourage all those who are interested in learning this comprehensive Chinese health system to spend some time in China under the guidance of Chinese masters or perhaps even Professor Zhang himself. Classics from the Han dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) first mentioned yangsheng techniques. The Daoist Zhuangzi has early descriptions of yangsheng, notably Chapter 3 titled Yangsheng zhu (養生主, "Essentials for Nurturing Life"), which is in the pre-Han "Inner Chapters" attributed to Zhuang Zhou (c. 369-286 BCE). In the fable about Lord Wenhui (文惠君) coming to understand the Dao while watching Cook Ding (庖丁) cut up an ox, he exclaims how wonderful it is "that skill can attain such heights!" How do these yang sheng exercises work? Qi, the foundation of blood, animates and powers the entire body and muscles, nerve flow and immune system. We replenish qi by way of the food and drink we ingest and the air we breathe. Together and through the qi dynamic of the body, the qi is transformed, and we use it for all of our needs. The exercises of yang sheng are considered to be nourishing to qi and jing, as they are breathing exercises (absorption of qi) designed to activate and nourish the meridians and the associated organs and limbs. Also very important are the yang sheng practices, which help restore and nourish the body’s inner resources. President and Principal Instructor is Simon Watson. Simon is a practitioner and teacher of the highest quality of Dao Yin and Tai Ji Quan and related Chinese internal arts. Simon's specific responsibilities include representing the interests of Professor Zhang in England, accrediting instructors on his behalf, facilitating opportunities for interested practitioners to work with Professor Zhang in Europe and China, the maintenance and promotion of teaching and learning standards within the Association and with membership.

Some sinologists translate yangsheng and yangxing (養性) as "macrobiotic", using English macrobiotic in its original meaning "Inclined or tending to prolong life; relating to the prolongation of life" instead of its more familiar macrobiotic diet meaning, "Of or pertaining to a Zen Buddhist dietary system intended to prolong life, comprising pure vegetable foods, brown rice, etc." ( OED 2009). The first example was Alfred Forke's 1907 translation of Wang Chong's 80 CE Lunheng, mentioned below. Wang's autobiography says that near the end of his life, "he wrote a book on Macrobiotics [養性] in sixteen chapters. To keep himself alive, he cherished the vital fluid [養氣]." (tr. Forke 1907: 348). Joseph Needham and Lu Gwei-djen say, Ware, James R., tr. (1966), Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of A.D. 320: The Nei Pien of Ko Hung, Dover. Their anxiety is triggered by the prevalence of consumer goods that sell hard on the health concept and magnified by media reports that hyped on their health crisis, wrote the research report.

is Yang Sheng and early form of self-care?

The system is an extremely comprehensive one. Some exercises are designed to "soften" the body and develop flexibility, others relate directly to specific organs, while others have a more general effect on the health. There are both standing and sitting forms, making the system accessible to people of all ages and physical conditions. For more advanced practitioners, Professor Zhang has created Tai Ji Quan hand and sword forms which combine traditional Tai Ji martial principles with acupoint stimulation. All instructors in the Association are also experienced Tai Ji Quan or Qi Gong teachers in their own right, who have learnt one or more sets of Dao Yin Yang Sheng Gong exercises and wish to pass them on to their students. Standardisation is maintained by regular seminars led by Simon Watson at which instructors are invited to demonstrate their practice and offer it for evaluation. All members are strongly encouraged to visit China to take advantage of the quality of teaching available there. The Association has strong links with Beijing University of Physical Education and the Dao Yin Centre based at the University. One key focus of Chinese Medicine is the idea that disease prevention is the superior form of medicine. The theories and methods of disease prevention are known as Yang Sheng養生/养生, literally Nourishing Life. As do all the others say, yes it is a great introduction to chinese healing especially if you don't know where to even start.

Han manuscripts [ edit ] Manuscript written on bamboo strips, from the Kongzi Shilun (孔子詩論), an early discussion of the Classic of Poetry, Warring States period (c. 475-221 BCE) Original silk fragments of the 168 BCE Daoyin tu (Chart for Guiding and Pulling [ Qi Circulation]) in the Mawangdui Silk Texts The Association is an informal organisation run on non-profit making lines and open to all in England who wish to practise Dao Yin Yang Sheng Gong. The Taoists sometimes use medicines [服食藥物] with a view to rendering their bodies more supple and their vital force stronger, hoping thus to prolong their years and to enter a new existence. This is a deception likewise. There are many examples that by the use of medicines the body grew more supple and the vital force stronger, but the world affords no instance of the prolongation of life and a new existence following. … The different physics cure all sorts of diseases. When they have been cured, the vital force is restored, and then the body becomes supple again. According to man’s original nature his body is supple of itself, and his vital force lasts long of its own accord. … Therefore, when by medicines the various diseases are dispelled, the body made supple, and the vital force prolonged, they merely return to their original state, but it is impossible to add to the number of years, let alone the transition into another existence. (tr. Forke 1907: 349).Major, John S., Sarah Queen, Andrew Meyer, and Harold D. Roth (2010), The Huainanzi: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Government in Early Han China, Columbia University Press. My concern is that bad explanations could scare off some people who are already on the fence about such "esoteric nonsense" and let them think badly of TCM / Daoism. Which is simply not justified.

Lloyd, G. E. R., and N. Sivin, 2002, The Way and the Word: Science and Medicine in Early China and Greece, New Haven:The one-minute ritual is to then mindfully choose a fork or spoonful of food from your plate and chew your food slowly for 1-minute at a time, noticing the flavour and texture of each mouthful. In the Sui (561-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, Daoist and medical circles transmitted essential yangsheng techniques for gymnastics and breathing (Despeux 2008: 1149). The number of medical texts increased significantly from 36 in the Catalog of the Imperial Library of the Han to 256 in the Catalog of the Imperial Library of the Sui (Yang 2002: 111-112).