Taoism is a way of life, practiced in China for thousands
of years.
Lao Tzu, one of the greatest Chinese philosophers as well
as the founder of Taoism, said, "The Tao's principle is
simply spontaneity." Spontaneity is the key to healthy
longevity.
What is spontaneity? How does it affect your physical
health?
In the universe, there is an all-controlling force that
monitors everything. You breathe in oxygen and breathe out
carbon dioxide. You eat and you eliminate. You grow,
mature, and deteriorate. In nature, spontaneity is evident
in the change of seasons. Spontaneity is the natural
built-in mechanism in each living organism. Spontaneity
creates balance and harmony.
Nowadays, people focus so much on physical fitness. The gym
giants will do anything to keep you huffing, puffing, and
paying; the pharmaceutical companies will come up with any
supplements touted to keep you lean, muscular, and full of
energy. There is so much pumping irony: strenuous and
vigorous workouts may be harmful to your physical health.
According to the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY, jogging is
causing runners to drop dead from heart attacks. Many
individuals have experienced heart attacks even after
running on a treadmill.
The medical journal LANCET reports that aerobics is causing
deadly artery clogs and heart disease in many individuals
who never before had such problems.
You do not need to jog until you are blue in the face, or
pump iron like Arnold Schwarzenegger in order to be
physically healthy. You can be fit the Taoist way
Lao Tzu explained, "The softest things in the world
overcome the hardest things in the world." You need not
over-exert yourself in order to be physically fit.
Chinese exercises, such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong, are never
vigorous. Once your breathing becomes abnormal or irregular
over a long period, you lose the spontaneity of the
exercise, and hence its health benefits.
Tai Chi is a self-relaxing exercise with slow and even
movements coordinated with breathing and directed by a
peaceful mind. Therefore, it is beneficial to both mental
and physical health. With its thousands of years of
practice, Tai Chi can rid all parts of your body of
spiritual and physical ailments, clear your mind and
strengthen your brain, and promote good digestion and
healthy kidneys. Most importantly, Tai Ci exercises can
help lower your blood pressure, soften your blood vessels,
and regular the flow of "qi" (the internal vital energy) in
your entire body.
What is "qi"?
"Qi" is internal vital energy. It is important because it
moves your body. It is the source of growth in your body.
"Qi" is always in motion in the form of ascending,
descending, entering and leaving your body's organs and
systems. It nourishes not only your body by transforming
food energy into blood, but also your blood by keeping it
flowing. In addition, it helps maintain your body's
temperature. "Qi" plays a vital role in Chinese health and
healing.
With regard to "qi", Lao Tzu said, "Qi is elusive and
evasive, and yet it manifests itself."
Tai Chi exercises focus on correct posture, slow and
spontaneous movements, and natural healthy breathing.
Your central nervous system is the most important system in
your body: it receives vital information from outside and
inside your body; it directs your movements. Your central
nervous is healthy only if you keep your spinal column
erect because vitality and blood circulation are
transmitted efficiently from your lower body to your brain
only when your spine is kept erect. Tai Chi exercises are
based upon a natural posture (children have naturally erect
spinal columns; only adults, especially older people, have
bent spinal columns) with an erect spine.
Next to your central nervous system, your digestive system
is important to your overall health as it stores and
supplies all nourishments for your body. Some of the
characteristic movements of Tai Chi reinforce the expansion
and contraction of your body in an opening and closing
motion, thereby instrumental in vibrating and stimulating
your stomach and intestines for a better and healthier
digestive system.
Your respiratory system is also critical to your long-term
health. In Tai Chi, breathing is valued more than physical
power: breathing ' not muscular strength ' propels the
movements of your body. Western physical exercises, on the
other hand, emphasize muscular strength instead of the
spontaneity of breathing and natural body movements. In Tai
Chi, your mind directs the "qi", letting it sink down into
your abdomen, where natural breathing takes place.
According to Taoism, you breathe through your abdomen (like
babies and young children), not through your lungs. This
explains why people in the West limit their breathing to
the lungs; as a result, their lungs tend to enlarge as they
grow older, crowding their hearts, leading to heart disease.
Your circulatory system is connected to your respiratory
system. Tai Chi enhances your deep breathing, which guides
your "qi" to move your blood (which cannot move itself) to
different parts of your body for transporting oxygen and
nutrients. By regulating the circulation, Tai Chi exercises
through natural movements and deep breathing provide a
healthy heart.
Hormones in your thyroid gland are responsible for physical
growth of your body. In Tai Chi, you keep your neck erect
without pressure, centered without inclining to the left or
to the right; you integrate the slow and smooth movements
of your head and neck. These movements not only enhance the
activity of your thyroid gland but also act upon your
kidneys to remove wastes.
In summary, you need the spontaneity of Taoism in physical
movements as well as in natural breathing to optimize
physical health benefits from exercise. Western exercises,
focusing on pumping power and strength, may seem too
"unnatural" for that.
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Stephen Lau is a researcher, writing synopses of medical
research for scientists. His publications include "NO
MIRACLE CURES" a book on healing and wellness. He has also
created several websites on health and healing.
http://www.longevityforyou.com
http://www.zenhealthylifestyle.com
http://www.chinesenaturalhealing.com
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