Exploring the Path to Longevity: Following the Natural Order, Achieving Inner and Outer Harmony, and Massaging the Body's "Longevity Acupoints" [i]

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "the origin of evil is either from yin or from yang" [i]. This means that people get sick because of the imbalance of yin and yang [i]. "Originating from yang" means that abnormal climate in the world can cause people to get sick [i]. "If you don't nourish and store your essence in winter, you will definitely get sick in spring." If you don't store your essence enough in winter, you will get sick in spring [i]. "Originating from yin" means "irregular diet", "irregular daily routine", and "unpredictable mood" [i]. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that: (1) Diet should "follow the way of the earth" [i]. "The way of the earth" is the solar term. People should eat seasonal foods according to the seasonal pattern [i]. Watermelon is cold in nature. Eating it in winter will make it even colder, which violates "following the way of the earth" [i]. (2) Living should "follow the way of heaven" [i]. "The way of heaven" is the pattern of sunrise and sunset [i]. Getting up at dawn allows your own yang energy to rise together with the yang energy of heaven and earth. Sleeping at night allows your yang energy to be stored and nourished by yin energy [i]. Living in high-rise buildings for a long time can easily lead to illnesses caused by living in a high-rise building. Going to the suburbs to get closer to the earth is the way to live in harmony with nature. [i] (3) Emotional stability: Excessive joy can harm the heart, excessive fear can harm the kidneys, and excessive anger can harm the liver. [i] One should be open-minded about everything and be able to "not be happy about external things, nor sad about personal things". [i] Restoring the balance of Yin and Yang can improve the body. "Treating heat with cold" and "treating cold with heat" are the principles of treatment. [i] Pursuing the state of harmony between the inside and outside: In ancient times, people who deeply understood the way of health preservation had a calm and peaceful mind and kept their spirit in the inside, so diseases could not occur. [i] The fulfillment and freedom of life should be a balance between external pursuits and internal growth. [i] External pursuits have no end and can never achieve the freedom of life. Inner strength is the ultimate destination of life. [i] Zhuangzi got rid of the confusion of the world and reached the state of great freedom without self. [i] However, Zhuangzi's spiritual height came at the cost of severely weakening external pursuits, which is difficult for ordinary people to achieve. [i] The normal state of life pursuit should be a balance between the inside and outside. [i] Our natural ease begins with the greedy pursuit of desires, and finally, after enduring torment, we realize that we take nothing with us when we are born and nothing with us when we die, and that all things are like fleeting clouds. Only then do we see through the world [i]. Good health is the goal of longevity [i]. Health is not only physical health, but more importantly, mental health and the ability to adapt to society [i]. Laizhou, Shandong, a longevity village, has more than 80 centenarians. The secrets to longevity include: an open mind, a diet mainly consisting of whole grains, no bad habits, a lifelong love of labor, a regular daily routine, a harmonious family, and a good living environment [i]. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic points out that the key to health preservation lies in whether one can practice the way of health preservation [i]. It can be simply divided into three methods: (1) One must "keep the spirit still" and nourish it with stillness [i]. (2) One must set an example to cultivate virtue and attach importance to moral cultivation [i]. (3) One must regulate one's emotions and make efforts to regulate them, and not be affected by excessive emotions [i]. The longevity secrets of calligrapher Su Juxian: At 105, he cultivated his mind by reading and writing every day, ate three meals a day at regular times and in appropriate quantities, persisted in moderate physical exercise, and treated others with kindness and warmth [i]. In addition, to achieve longevity, one should know two "longevity acupoints": Yongquan acupoint, located at the front third of the sole of the foot, can be massaged regularly to enhance essence and marrow, and tonify the kidneys and strengthen yang [i]. Massage it with both hands until a sore and distended feeling is felt every night before bed, 50 to 100 times each time [i]. Zusanli acupoint is an important acupoint of the Stomach Meridian, located four finger-widths below the outer knee eye [i]. Pressing Zusanli with the knuckles every night can tonify the spleen and stomach, enhance immunity, and eliminate fatigue [i]. As long as one persists in practicing these health preservation methods, enjoying a long and healthy life is not difficult [i].