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Jīng, essence of life

by Team | 1818,Feb, 2021 | Traditional chinese medicine

The key to health and longevity

Jing, or the essence of life, holds a primordial place. Indeed, in a world that no longer respects the natural rhythms of life, our health is compromised. The very fear of illness and death is detrimental to life. Yet, traditional medicines, like Chinese medicine, have taught us the foundations of health and longevity for thousands of years.

In Taoist culture, this quest for longevity even extended to the pursuit of immortality (see below). In this quest for health and longevity, Jing holds a central place. But what is Jing?

Jing (精) refers to “essence,” particularly the essence of the kidneys. Jing (along with qì and shén) is one of the three treasures (三寶, pinyin: sānbǎo) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Jing originates from two distinct sources: prenatal essence and postnatal essence.

Prenatal essence, or innate jīng, is inherited from the sexual essences of the father and mother. It is present from the moment of fertilization. It determines the child’s vitality, development, health, and immunity.

Postnatal essence, or acquired jīng, comes from the subtle essences extracted from food by the Spleen and from the air by the Lungs. These subtle essences can be compared to nutrients.

When postnatal essence is abundant, it is stored in the Kidneys, maintaining and nourishing the prenatal essence.

Innate jīng and acquired jīng

This jīng is therefore one of the three Treasures of TCM, according to which humankind can only exist if these three elements meet and combine:

Shen, consciousness,
Jīng, the essence of life,
Qi, the energy of breath or metabolic activity.

Shen Maintenance and Qi Production

The Shen, this formless entity comparable to the soul, manifests its good health through its will and desire to live. Its vivacity is reflected in the brightness of its eyes.

The production of qi depends essentially on the proper functioning of:

the lungs, which collect energy from the air,
the spleen/stomach, which collects energy from food and drink

A vital capital

The “energy” capital of jīng is limited and non-renewable. Only acquired jīng can be maintained and cultivated.

Its presence is essential to life. After puberty, this essence controls reproductive function and fertility. It governs the body’s growth processes such as the development of bones, teeth, and hair. It also plays a role in mental clarity. Jing moves the human body through the different stages of life: birth, childhood, puberty, motherhood, maturity, and old age.

The Kidney Essence conditions a person’s entire life: from growth during childhood to maturity as an adult. It is essential later, when illnesses may arise, until death. More generally, we can say that vitality and longevity come from the Essence. Our health, balance, well-being, and longevity depend on this capital: its depletion leads to death!

As the body ages, the jīng, inherited at birth, gradually depletes. This loss of jīng is accelerated by stress and overwork, emotional excesses, distraction, drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse, illness, injury, poor diet, and sexual immoderation.

Strong jīng or weak jīng?

The Kidney Essence conditions a person’s entire life: from growth during childhood to maturity as an adult. It is essential later, when illnesses may arise, and even death. More generally, we can say that vitality and longevity come from the Essence.

The loss of jing leads to physical and mental degeneration. Conversely, a strong jing promotes a long and vibrant life.

In traditional Chinese medicine, jing is therefore considered very important for longevity. Jing can be preserved and even strengthened by:

Adequate rest
Meditation
Qigong practice
Herbal tonics
Acupuncture treatments

To preserve jing, it is also important to practice gratitude, kindness, compassion, generosity, and avoid emotional excesses. Cultivating one’s jing therefore allows one to live healthier and longer.

Longevity through Taoist practices

Longevity in Taoism is practiced on two levels: bodily longevity on the one hand, and on the other, a more spiritual work that consists of strengthening the part of the mind that does not die.

The bodily part is called the work of “Mìng” or Destiny. The work of the mind is called “Xìng” and encompasses a dual process: the work of Xīn (heart-mind) and Shén (consciousness). The complete practice is called “Xìng Mìng shuāngxiū,” which can be translated as “joint practice of Xing and Ming to unify them.”

The “Ming work” thus consists of preserving the body as much as possible to allow Xing to become aware of itself. This practice therefore encompasses all the physical aspects of internal martial arts (Bāguàzhǎng, Taiji quán, xíng yì quán, liùhébāfǎquán, Qigong, etc.). It also incorporates diet and proper management of all bodily rhythms, particularly sleep.

Xin work involves psychological introspection aimed at uncovering all the mechanical and automatic aspects of emotions. Indeed, these chain us to repetitive and often unhappy processes.

During this work, we grasp, as much as possible, our shadow. If this work does not take place, all spiritual deviations become possible. As long as this work of updating and purification is not completed, Xin obscures and hinders the development of Shen, which cannot reach its full potential.

Cheng Man Ching

by Team | 3030,Jan, 2021 | Life paths

The master of the “five excellences”

Of all the modern Tai Chi masters, none has had as much impact as Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing. He passed away on March 26, 1975, in Taiwan. He is remembered today as the “Master of the Five Excellences” for his mastery of five arts: calligraphy, poetry, painting, medicine, and Tai Chi Chuan.

Cheng Man-Ch’ing was born on July 29, 1902, in Yongjia, China. As a young man, he fell seriously ill with tuberculosis. A local doctor suggested that he practice Tai Chi Chuan as a means of healing. Cheng therefore began studying and practicing Tai Chi. As a result, he completely recovered from his illness.

In his thirties, Cheng became a student of the great Tai Chi Chuan master, Yang Ch’eng-Fu. He studied the Yang form with him from 1928 to 1935, enduring many difficulties to learn this art. Although he himself became a great Tai Chi master, Professor Cheng, with his legendary modesty, always belittled his own skill compared to that of his teacher. He used to say, “If Tai Chi were a human body, all I have is my thumb. My teacher has my whole body!”

Man-Ch’ing created his own form, the 37-step form, inspired by the traditional 108-posture Yang form he had studied with his master.

A Tai Chi School in New York

After a distinguished career as a doctor, senator, and martial artist in Taiwan, Professor Cheng, like many other Chinese martial arts masters and intellectuals, was forced to emigrate to Taiwan. There, he founded the “Shr Zhong,” or “Right Rhythm,” school of Tai Chi. He then left for the United States in 1964, where he opened a Tai Chi school in New York’s Chinatown district.

He returned to Taiwan in 1974 for the publication of his commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, a work particularly dear to his heart. Once his work was completed, he declared to his loved ones, “If I die, I will have no regrets.”

Today, Cheng Man-Ch’ing’s legacy lives on through his poetry, his paintings, those he healed, and those to whom he taught his teachings, who in turn teach them to students around the world.

The 37-step form

Cheng Man-ch’ing is known in the West primarily for his t’ai chi ch’uan. Here are some of the characteristics of his “Yang style short form” or “37-step form.”

It eliminates most of the repetition of certain movements in the Yang long form. It is much shorter than the Yang long form, taking about ten minutes to complete, compared to twenty to thirty minutes for the Yang form.

The hand and wrist are open but relaxed, what Cheng calls the “beautiful lady’s hand.” The Cheng style is characterized by the “swing and return,” in which the momentum of one movement initiates the next.

These modifications allowed Cheng to teach a larger number of students, including many Westerners, in a shorter time. His short form became extremely popular in Taiwan and Malaysia. Finally, he was one of the first Chinese masters to publicly teach t’ai chi ch’uan in the United States.

Ten solutions against anxiety

by Team | 55,Jan, 2021 | Harmony and health

Natural solutions to soothe it

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more people are suffering from anxiety attacks and even chronic anxiety. Here, we offer ten effective solutions and techniques for dealing with these emotions without resorting to chemical medications.

1. Exercise

The first remedy for combating anxiety is physical activity. Physical activity has antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects. It’s not just about walking, but engaging in intense activity that will get your heart pumping and thus stimulate your entire metabolism. This will automatically focus your attention enough to push your anxieties and mental ruminations to the background.

And the more you push yourself, the more you’ll boost your self-esteem. Moreover, intense exercise releases endorphins, which act similarly to opium, creating a sense of well-being.

2. Breathe

Breathing slowly and deeply has a calming effect. You can find many breathing exercises, particularly in Pranayama. They always consist of conscious, deep, abdominal breathing. For example, you can count 4 while inhaling, keep your lungs full for 7 seconds, then exhale for 8 to 10 seconds, and so on.

This conscious breathing will again focus your attention. Moreover, slowing your breathing rate and breathing from the belly provides inner calm and security.

3. Challenge yourself

Setting yourself a difficult routine, even unpleasant at first, will strengthen your willpower and determination. By persisting and progressing, your mental strength strengthens and your self-confidence grows. It’s up to each person to choose their own challenge. For example, you might decide to get up early every morning, when you’d prefer to stay in bed, to go for a walk, a run, or to meditate.

You might choose to experiment with ice showers or baths. This practice is very powerful for strengthening the immune system. It also increases the secretion of endorphins, a source of pleasure and well-being.

It therefore has both a stimulating and relaxing effect. What’s more, the simple act of successfully completing a challenge builds self-confidence. Anxiety will automatically be reduced.

4. Practice benevolent actions

When we’re feeling anxious, we tend to become trapped in our thoughts, which are constantly running through our heads. As a result, we forget that contact with others can bring us joy and comfort. Paying attention to others, smiling at them, doing them favors: all these small acts of kindness are contagious and, in turn, bring us a sense of well-being. Anxiety will diminish, and the love and kindness we radiate will come back to us.

5. Meditate

The practice of meditation is becoming increasingly popular. Indeed, it has highly beneficial effects on both the physical and mental aspects. It is particularly effective in teaching us to regulate our emotions and distance ourselves from our thoughts. Meditation, unlike relaxation, is not about lying in bed listening to relaxing music. Although relaxation can be beneficial, too.

Meditation is practiced in the lotus, half-lotus, or cross-legged position, with your spine upright and your knees flat on the floor. Once positioned correctly, simply breathe deeply, relax, welcome your emotions, and observe your thoughts, letting them pass by like watching a train go by.

Whatever emotion is overwhelming you (anxiety, anger, or fear), the worst thing to do is try to fight it. The most effective thing to do is to welcome it, feel it physically, and breathe. It will then diminish over time. Finally, to be lastingly beneficial, meditation requires being practiced at least once a day, for at least 20 minutes.

6. Practice an art

Practicing an art brings pleasure and joy, and through the concentration it requires, forces us to put obsessive thoughts and worries on hold.

The demands this practice places on us during the learning phase force us to surpass ourselves, and progressing in an art increases our self-esteem.

Moreover, the more we master it, the more practicing an art elevates our soul, bringing us pleasure and joy. Over time, we automatically connect to subtle energies of higher frequencies.

This increases our heart energy. And anxiety is forced to retreat!

7. Improve your lifestyle

People with anxiety should pay close attention to their diet and their lifestyle in general.

When experiencing anxiety, the temptation may be to distract ourselves with alcohol, cigarettes, or even overindulge in coffee. While alcohol can temporarily help us forget about anxiety, it doesn’t solve anything and may even increase it once the euphoric effect wears off. It’s also important to get enough sleep and eat healthily and at regular times. Finally, it’s essential to spend time in nature, which has a balancing effect on our entire body and mind.

8. Essential oils

Shell marjoram essential oil (EO), which balances the nervous system, is effective in combating anxiety. It can be applied to the plexus, the hollow located above the stomach, the point that is the seat of emotions. This is also where we feel a sensation of oppression when we are anxious. Use: pour 5 drops of EO into a teaspoon of vegetable oil (calendula, sweet almond, etc.). Massage the plexus in circles with this mixture for 2 to 3 minutes. Lavender can also be used, which has a calming effect.

9. Qigong

Directly linked to Chinese medicine, the practice of qigong is a veritable treasure trove for improving both physical and mental health. Qigong consists of simple postures or sequences of movements, practiced slowly and mindfully.

It requires deep breathing and relaxation, while listening to your body. Qigong allows vital energy (or qi) to circulate throughout the body, thus balancing and increasing this energy. We emerge both energized and relaxed.

This practice also helps regulate our emotions by reducing their impact. You should quickly feel the benefits, although again, only regular practice can truly improve our health.

It is advisable to learn qigong with a qigong master, who can observe and guide you. Because beneath its apparent simplicity, qigong requires real learning to unlock all its treasures.

10. Acupuncture

If you suffer from chronic anxiety or panic attacks, don’t hesitate to seek outside help to begin your healing process. Acupuncture is particularly effective for treating anxiety. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a holistic medicine that works by rebalancing the individual’s overall energy.

It therefore not only treats the physical aspect but also acts as a regulator of emotions. Indeed, in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), of which acupuncture is a part, each organ is linked to an emotion. For example, the liver is associated with anger (or frustration), the kidneys with fear, the lungs with sadness, etc. Anxiety is primarily associated with the spleen (and stomach). After just a few sessions, you should feel much more relaxed and less anxious. This will give you enough energy to practice the techniques recommended above to maintain this state of mind over the long term.

Covid-19 crisis and anxiety

Since the beginning of the Covid epidemic, psychiatrists have witnessed a surge of children and adolescents suffering from anxiety disorders and various phobias, including the fear of suffocation. Others were in an anxiety-depressive state, where fear was mixed with guilt about transmitting the virus, or the fear of seeing their parents die.

This period has left lasting after-effects, particularly among children and adolescents.

For adults, things are no better, with the precariousness of many professional situations, the fear of losing one’s job, etc.

In short, anxiety has never been so high! What’s more, all the measures taken during this crisis, from wearing masks to self-isolation, have all run counter to solutions to anxiety, as you can see in this article.

The joy

by Team | 1010,Jul, 2020 | Traditional chinese medicine

Joy is associated with the fire element in TCM

Joy is the emotion linked to the fire element and to the Heart organ in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Unlike the four other emotions listed in Chinese medicine (fear, anger, sadness, worry), joy is an emotion that we enjoy feeling. It is perceived as positive, and it is! Indeed, feeling joy and expressing it is natural; it is a sign of good Heart health.

In TCM, the Heart occupies a prominent place in overall balance, since it is considered the “emperor of organs.” The Heart is therefore responsible for the overall health of the individual.

Joy is only considered pathological when it is excessive, that is, when the person is in a state of elation, frenzy, agitated, euphoric, or laughing very loudly all the time. However, this is not the major cause of Heart imbalance.

The heart is generally an organ sensitive to emotional excesses.

Sadness, although associated with the Lungs in the Five Elements theory, significantly affects Heart Qi. The Lungs and Heart are closely linked in that one governs Qi and the other Blood, and both are interdependent. Sadness will create a deficiency of Lung Qi, which, in turn, will create a deficiency of Heart Qi.

Similarly, anger, which in TCM includes frustration, resentment, and even depression, will first affect the Liver, and indirectly the Heart. Indeed, anger causes a rise in Liver Yang (Liver Fire), which can transform into Heart Fire.

The Heart pumps blood. If Heart Qi is abundant, the heart will function at a normal rhythm, properly transporting blood through the blood vessels. The pulse will be regular and strong, and the complexion rosy and luminous.

Its function is to govern the blood and blood vessels.

But one of the essential functions of the Heart is to house the Shen. The Shen represents the spirit that gives an individual their identity, and more broadly, it represents the overall vitality of that individual. It governs the energetic balance of all the organs. The Heart also houses mental activity, memory, consciousness, thoughts, and sleep.

It controls perspiration. People who sweat abnormally often have an energetic imbalance in this organ.

The Heart opens to the tongue. In TCM, the tongue and the Heart are connected. A person experiencing a fire of the Heart will be particularly voluble. Conversely, stuttering, difficulty or weakness of speech, or even aphasia are results of a deficiency of the heart.

Pathological tables of the heart

The concept of Shen in TCM

Shen, a fundamental concept in TCM, is related to the heart. It is the vital force that animates the body and mind. The quality of Shen depends on the balance of the heart. And if Shen is strong, the body is strong.

All emotional disorders affect the heart and therefore Shen. It is difficult for many of our patients in these troubled times to find joy. Therefore, it is not uncommon for us to treat imbalances of the heart.

Since the heart is an organ particularly sensitive to stress and emotional excess, cultivating a “good heart” requires cultivating a calm and serene mind. This is why, in addition to acupuncture and pharmacopoeia, we offer teachings in practices such as meditation, qigong, and tai chi.

Our experience and our fifteen years of practice in TCM have allowed us to verify the positive impact of these practices on our Shen.

And since the heart connects us to others, practicing altruism and kindness are highly recommended!

The fear

by Team | 33,Mar, 2020 | Traditional chinese medicine

It is associated with the Water element in TCM

Fear is part of the palette of human emotions. It manifests when the situation eludes us, when we have, or think we have, no more control. Physiologically, it corresponds to a strong release of adrenaline, resulting in an increase in blood pressure and pulse.

In other words, fear is a consequence of the analysis of danger which allows the subject to flee from it or to fight it. By extension, the term can also designate apprehension linked to unpleasant situations.

There are two types of fear: external fear and internal fear.

External fear is a reaction to an external situation that the individual seeks to avoid.
Internal fear is an internal fear connected to an often negative emotion (eg, low self-esteem).

Fear takes different forms depending on how an individual feels and describes it. This can range from being cautious to extreme paranoia. Fear therefore includes different emotional and cognitive states including worry, anxiety, terror, horror, panic and fear.

Chinese Medicine and Fear

In TCM, fear or anxiety is directly linked to the kidneys. This state, if prolonged or persistent can seriously harm daily life.

In TCM, the lower back is the Palace of the Kidneys. So the kidney void is the root of all low back pain. Most of the time, all the energetic imbalances of the Kidney are manifested, among other things, by pain in the lower back and knees.

In TCM, we talk about the Kidney to speak of the organ made up of a yin kidney and a yang kidney, but also of the whole of the functions of this pair of organ. The Kidney governs birth, growth, development, aging processes and reproduction. It is on him that sexual functions and fertility rest. We owe him the endurance, the will, the energy we have.

The Kidney assumes the energy management of the body and the balance between Yin and Yang.

The Kidneys also control the bladder and anal sphincters. Fear will cause qi down, causing kidney disease. Therefore intense fear can cause urinary or anal incontinence.

Kidney Void (or Kidney Energy Void)

Kidney deficiency can manifest itself through the following symptoms: weak willpower, dental problems, hair loss, bone fragility, water retention or edema, urinary problems (leakage, incontinence, etc.), hearing loss, etc.

It can be caused by repeated physical exertion, overwork, old age, sexual excess in men, and closely spaced pregnancies.

Kidney Fullness (or Excess Kidney Energy)

In case of excess Kidney energy, a person will experience great recklessness, heightened sexual excitement, night sweats, heat in the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, and insomnia.

How to have strong kidneys

Sleep
The kidneys, like batteries, recharge between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Lack of sleep during these hours inevitably results in a weakened kidney.

Eat properly.
Certain foods strengthen the kidneys such as soy, duck, dried beans, lentils, nuts and dried fruits, oysters, sea shrimp, vegetables or roots (carrot, potato, turnips, etc.), apples, pears.

Hydrate properly.
Drink fluids such as water or unsweetened fruit juices regularly and in reasonable quantities. All drinks not exceeding 1.5 liters on average per day.

Move.
Here we can distinguish two kinds of activities. : intense activities causing a high heart rate, and more meditative activities such as tai qi or qi gong. The latter are highly indicated because they allow the qi to circulate freely, thus protecting the body from external attacks.

Avoid chemical drugs.
See article on drugs harmful to the kidneys

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Jīng, essence of life