Classification of Body Constitution

Classification of body constitution helps to return your body to its prime condition.

Once upon a time, your body was at its prime condition, a body that is in perfect balance, or in homeostasis. It may be the time you play football in high school. It may be the time you play basketball in college. You just feel that you have all the energy that you need for a life that you want.

By the time you read this, you may be way past your prime. You may have just passed fifty, but you long to return to the time when you are in perfect good health. Can you do it?

You may be ninety years old now living with pain. However you long for the days with no pain and that you can have a nice sleep. Can you do it?

Yes. You can do it, but first you need to know how your body has deviated from its prime condition. Here the classification of body constitution comes in. Then you will find ways that will lead you back to your prime.

When we speak of our body constitution, it is a way to classify our body condition to see which way it has deviated from the norm, the perfectly healthy body. Once we understand our deviation from the norm, we can then attempt to return our body to its norm.

We regard our body as unique in itself. Therefore, we are the one and only people who take good care of our body. In order to take care of our body, we should first understand our body, right?

First of all, our body health is influenced by both the inborn (natural) factors and the acquired factors while we are growing up.

Thus, an understanding of our unique body constitution can guide us towards more effective adjustment and illness prevention through making lifestyle changes and avoiding bad factors. This is especially true for acquired factors.

Acquired factors include, but are not limited to, diet, environmental factors, emotional state and lifestyle. Inborn factors, on the other hand, are inherited traits which make us susceptible to certain deviations from the norm. These inherited traits cannot be easily changed and therefore, an emphasis is placed on improving the body constitution as a whole and avoiding acquired factors that are harmful to health.

Bear in mind that a good adjustment for you may not benefit other people, simply because your body constitution is unique. Similarly, whatever is recommended for other people may or may not work for you. You will see the reasons why as you go on reading.

Even if two different individuals were to contract the same disease, we regard each individual as unique, treating them differently according to their body constitution. Professional practitioners employ unique diagnosis methods such as categorizing symptoms, observing the tongue and feeling the pulse at the radial artery to make diagnoses and tailor treatments to the individual’s health status. It is therefore essential that our body constitution is first determined in order to have an in-depth understanding.

Thus our body constitution reflects our unique physical, physiological and psychological functions. It stems from our parents’ prenatal essence and the postnatal essence we acquire in later life as we grow up. Our body constitution is influenced by our physical traits, psychological character, emotional status, lifestyle habits, diet and living environment.

As practitioners of holistic wellness, we usually follow the Classification and Judgment of TCM Constitution to classify body constitution into nine types, from Type A to Type I. It makes it easy easy for us to discuss how to apply various techniques to improve our health.

The standard nine subtypes of classification of body constitution are unique in their own ways. Understanding our body constitution and adopting the relevant lifestyle changes will help us achieve optimal health and prevent illness.

Before we go into the standard classification, there are several other ways to classify body constitution which we will discuss now.

One key classification of body constitution is to divide them into Hot and Cold, or Dry and Wet. Thus, a person may have a body constitution that is Hot, or Cold, or Dry, or Wet. He may also have a body constitution that is both Hot and Dry, or both Cold and Wet, and so on.

In another classification, an individual’s body constitution can be classified into three categories. These are the balanced type, the yang type, and yin type. The optimal body type is the balanced type which is deemed as the ideal body constitution of a healthy person with a strong immune system. A person with a balanced body constitution is said to be in a state of homeostasis, with internal organs functioning optimally and acquiring resistance to diseases. Both the yin and yang body constitution types are in a state of imbalance.

For the yang body type, the yang energy is in excess in relation to the yin energy. This results in the person being susceptible to acquiring diseases which are yang in nature, which often manifests in symptoms such as fever, headaches, insomnia and even abscesses. A person with a yang body type is prone to being easily irritable, hyperactive, resents hot weather, perspires easily and often feels thirsty.

On the other hand, for the yin body type, the yin energy is in excess in relation to the yang energy. This results in the person being susceptible to acquiring diseases which are yin in nature, which often manifests in symptoms such as chills, phlegmy cough and water retention. A person with yin body type is prone to being easily fatigued, inactive and resents cold weather.

Folks, that is all for now. If you think this article may be beneficial to your friends and loved-ones, feel free to forward this article to them.

If you are interested in learning more about your own body constitution, such as how to determine your own body constitution, and how to make adjustments, please read on.

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General Advice on Food

The renowned Physician Li Shizhen of Ming Dynasty, mentor of life cultivation, said that foods and drinks are the lifeblood of people. Thus we have to have foods and drinks for our survival.

On the other hand, there is a summary report in modern medicine, that 80% of chronic unhealthy conditions (obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, high fat content) are mainly a result of an incorrect diet.

Therefore, as practitioners of life cultivation, we make extra effort to explore the nutrition of various foods and choose what to eat, what time to eat them, how much to eat, and how to eat them for the health of our human body.

Five grains are for nourishment, five fruits are for supplement, five animals are for benefit, and five vegetables are for filling.
Chapter Suwen of Huangdi Neijing

Healthy eating emphasizes the rationality, science and precision of the diet structure that we should follow.

The Four Cornerstones of Health of the World Health Organization

Balanced diet

Moderate exercise

Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake

Balance mind

Motto on Foods

Mixed food is superior, avoidance is taboo

Coarse food is good, lightly salted food is good

Fast eating is harmful, slow eating is advisable

Fresh food is wonderful, overeating is bad

Balanced diet on a daily basis is a must

Food hygiene needs to be kept in mind

Forego unlicensed or poorly rated restaurants

Pagoda of balanced diet (China standard, per adult per day)

Oil 25-30g
Salt 6 grams
Dairy Milk and milk products 300g
Beans and nuts 30-50g
Livestock and poultry meat 50-75 grams
Fish and shrimp 50-100 g
Eggs 25-50 grams
Vegetables 300-500g
Fruits 200-400g
Water 1200ml

Food Pyramid (USA standard, per adult per day)

What Is the Food Pyramid Now?
The food pyramid was replaced in 2011 with a food plate: “MyPlate.”

MyPlate is based on nutrition advice from the United States government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is a graphic representation of plate, quartered into sections, where half the plate is comprised of fruits and vegetables:

Fruits
Any fruit or 100% fruit juice
May be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried
The amount each person needs can vary between 1 to 2 cups each day

Vegetables
Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice
May be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated
The amount each person needs can vary between 1 to 3 cups each day

Grains
Foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain
Examples include: bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, grits, rice, noodles
The amount each person needs can vary between 3 to 8 ounce-equivalents each day
Grains are divided into 2 subgroups:
Whole grains
At least half the grains consumed should be whole grains
Refined grains

Protein
All foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds
The amount each person needs can vary between 2 to 6½ ounce-equivalents each day
A smaller circle appears next to the plate that represents dairy.

All milk and milk products
Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group
Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not included
Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage) is also part of the dairy group
The amount each person needs can vary between 2 to 3 cups each day
Oils should be consumed in moderation. Avoid trans fats.

Dietary Wise Sayings

Do not overeat the three meals and you will live without illness until you die.
If you do not eat staple food you are killing yourself slowly.
Salt is the secret killer of health.
Less salt in cooking, healthy and beneficial.
Overeating will accelerate aging.
Keep yourself 80% full after eating, you will have a good stomach and intestines when you age.
One bite less you will live to be 100.
Eat meat without vegetables, you reduce nutrients by half.
Vegetables are a treasure, better than the well known wonderful Ganoderma Reishi
When you do not eat green vegetables for three days, you will see gold stars in your eyes.
Food that is not suitable for you may be a poison to you.
Men cannot go without ginger for a hundred days, women cannot be sugar-free for a hundred days.
Radish in winter and ginger in summer keep the doctor away.
Eat foods to complement the body constitution of a person.
Fish-eaters are healthy; fish-eaters are smart; fish-eaters are beautiful.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Develop healthy eating habits

Eat a variety of foods, with cereals as the main staples, both whole and fine.
Eat more vegetables, fruits and roots.
Eat more milk, soy drinks or their products.
Eat moderate amounts of fish, eggs and lean meat.
Stick to a three-meal a day diet plan.
Control the amount of foods and drinks you consume.
Drink more water and less alcohol.
Insist on Four Less: less salt, less oil, less sugar and less spices.
Stick to an acid and alkaline balanced diet.
Exercise regularly and be persistent.

Summary

Folks, that is all for now. If you think this article may be beneficial to your friends and loved-ones, feel free to forward this article to them. This is an extract of the full article which can be found on Mustang BodyWorks Infoletter.

Stay tuned for the next episode: What foods for whom.

Timeline of Health Activities 02

The timeline of activities of each organ in our body are predetermined. Once we have decoded their activities, we are well on our way to easily maintain and repair our body organs.

The secret of health is hidden in our body. There are twelve months in a year, and twenty four hours in a day. Our human body is a system that pays attention to harmony and balance every hour throughout the year, as if there is a god inside running the system.

If we deviate from it, we will feel uncomfortable, and we may get sick. When we decipher the secret codes of the human body, we will have mastered the secrets of life preservation, leading to longevity.

Time slot seven wushi

11:00-13:00 Heart Meridian

From eleven in the morning to one in the afternoon the heart meridian is active. As practitioners of life cultivation, we will take a nap after lunch. Even if we cannot sleep, we should close our eyes and take a rest. It will keep our body healthy and we will work more efficiently in the afternoon.

Life cultivation starts with a peaceful and calm mind. Taking good care of the heart in the Summer is to keep peace and quietness.

A full lunch is beneficial to our health. Starting from eleven, we should start to eat a full lunch, not fast food. Eating a full lunch will not only replenish energy for the body, but also relax our body and brain.

An example of a healthy lunch is to add some legumes and vegetables on the bread. We need a delicious lunch and be able to release energy slowly. Baked legumes are rich in cellulose, and tomato sauce can be used as part of the vegetables.

Time slot eight weishi

13:00-15:00 Small Intestine Meridian

From one to three in the afternoon the small intestine meridian is active. The small intestine meridian is responsible for taking care of critical illnesses.
We say, she has a peach blossom face. Is this a compliment? Is this an indication of illness?

The folklore says, whatever parts you eat will be beneficial to your corresponding body parts. Is this true?

Eat your lunch before this time slot. Why?

The main function of the small intestine is to absorb nutrients from the food that has been digested by the stomach and spleen, and then distribute it to various organs. Therefore, lunch should be eaten before so that the stomach has time to work on the food before it flows to the small intestine to be worked on.

Taking good care of the small intestine meridian starts with the associated acupoints. Give them a good massage.

Time slot nine shenshi

15:00-17:00 Bladder Meridian

From three to five in the afternoon the bladder meridian is active. The bladder meridian carries wonderful medicines for the health of our body.
The best time for studying and exercising is at four in the afternoon. It is also the best time to relieve fatigue and improve our eyesight.

Drinking a cup of yogurt at four is a healthy snack with zero burden. Drinking a cup of yogurt between meals a day can keep blood sugar stable while helping intestinal digestion, which is beneficial to our heart health.

Time slot ten youshi

17:00-19:00 Kidney Meridian

From five to seven in the afternoon the kidney meridian is active. The kidney is for storage of essence beneficial to our body. The kidney meridian determines our longevity.

From five to seven in the afternoon is the best time for exercise, especially seven in the evening.

Massaging the kidney meridian often, we will be healthy our whole life.

We try especially hard to take good care of our kidney meridian in the Winter.

Why do modern people have deficient kidneys?

I may be stupid, but it is your kidney that is the problem. What is the meaning of this?

In order to do big things, you first need a big kidney essence. What is the meaning of this?

Time slot eleven shushi

19:00-21:00 Pericardium Meridian

From seven to nine in the evening the pericardium meridian is active. The pericardium meridian is a source of joy, happiness and health. We should read a book or watch a movie at this time. We should do something relaxing.

We should not eat during this time slot. Eat less if we have to eat. We should make sure that our stomach is less than 70% full. Chew slowly while we eat. Eating too much at dinner time will cause blood sugar to rise, increase the burden on the digestive system, and affect our sleep. For dinner at this time, we should eat more vegetables and less foods rich in calories and protein.

Time slot twelve haishi

21:00-23:00 Sanjiao Meridian

From nine to eleven in the evening the sanjiao meridian is active. Mind you, taking good care of the sanjiao meridian will likely prevent hundreds of diseases.

Sex at this time slot is the happiest expression of our body.

We may take a hot bath before bed. If taking a hot bath is not feasible, we may bath our feet in hot water for twenty minutes.

We may watch TV programs for a while to relax and to help us sleep. However, we should be careful not to watch TV while lying in bed, as this will affect our sleep quality.

We definitely should fall asleep before eleven in the evening. The metabolism of the skin is between eleven in the evening and one the next morning. Therefore, if we want healthy and beautiful skin, go to bed before eleven in the evening.

Summary

On a daily basis, as practitioners of life cultivation, we divide a day into twelve time slots. Our body dictates certain activities are best taken within each time slot. Here we have briefly described the most important activity that we should do during each slot.

Next we will discuss in full detail what a life cultivation practitioner will do in each time slot so as to achieve longevity in life. Stay tuned for the next episode.

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The Art of Life Cultivation 04

In our practice of life cultivation, we divide the practice into mind cultivation and body cultivation.

As practitioners of life cultivation, we regard the practice of mind cultivation as the most important aspect of life cultivation. In fact, mind cultivation comes before body cultivation in our practice.

In practice, we try to cultivate a peaceful mind. We also try to cultivate a strong vital energy. We will then achieve a state of longevity without illness. Along the way, we learn a few techniques so as to improve our mind performance.

According to the World Health Organization, mental health has been noted as a cornerstone of health and longevity.

Mind Cultivation

most important part of life cultivation is mind cultivation. We strive to achieve a state of tranquility and nothingness, that is, a calm, optimistic, open-minded, and self-entertaining state of mind. Then we are in the realm of a carefree person.

As practitioners of life cultivation, we do try to avoid chaotic situations. If we have a chaotic mind, we will have trouble in our relationships. We will also suffer from a troubled blood and vital force flow, leading to abnormal behavior.

Peaceful mind

Any bad emotions such as anger, fear, grief, anxiety, sorrow, and suspicion will give rise to a chaotic mind which is the root of many illnesses and will shorten our life. We would try to shy away from having a chaotic mind especially when we are sick. We should also keep our mind calm in our daily life.

When we are angry, it hurts our liver. When we are sexually active, it hurts our kidneys. When we overeat, it hurts our stomach and digestive system. When we are in grief, it hurts our spleen. When we are worried, it hurts our heart and mind.

The root of all illness starts from a weak and troubled mind. When that happens, the defense is down and outside elements have a chance to attack the body.

A troubled mind will lead to a weak vital force circulation giving rise to many troublesome symptoms.

If we are greedy in food, or competition, or gains, or enjoyment, they may lead to illness. When we are greedy but we are not satisfied, then we will be angry. When we are angry, our mind is shaken and our vital force flows agitated. Our gallbladder will be startled and our liver will be on fire. Eventually all our internal organs are in a chaotic state and our defense is down. Once an outside element invades our body at this point, we will be down with an illness.

If we have a mortal desire to live longer, we should first get rid of illness. When we want to get rid of an illness, we should understand vital force circulation. When we want to understand vital force circulation, we should first cultivate morality. The way to moral cultivation is through mind adjustment.

Vital Energy

As practitioners of life cultivation, we understand that a healthy person is full of vital force or energy. Vital force helps to nourish our physical body. When we have insufficient vital force, we will be prone to illness. When our vital force flow is impeded, we will also be prone to illness. In order for us to get rid of an illness, we must build up our vital force and energy flow.

Our vital force or energy pushes our blood along its path. The blood flow in turn improves the operation of our vital force. They complement each other and are usually examined as one at the same time.

We understand that prolonged sightings will hurt our blood circulation, that prolonged lying down will hurt our vital energy circulation, that prolonged sitting will hurt our muscles, that prolonged standing will hurt our bones, that prolonged walking will hurt our ligaments.

When we have excessive emotional disturbance it will hurt our natural at-birth vital force with accompanying injury to our heart and kidneys. It will lead to an increase of free or virtual fire, weakening the positive vital force of our whole body.

In order to cure an illness of the five internal organs, the top priority is for us to improve the vital-force especially that of the kidneys. The best way to improve the vital force is to have a peaceful mind. When the mind is in turbulence, the liver will fire up, followed by all other organs, leading to a loss of body fluid. The heart acts like a fan which will create a wind. An active wind will fan fire to a higher degree. With the increase in heat, fluid will be depleted. With the depletion of fluid and water, the physical body will be in danger.

As practitioners of life cultivation, we understand that a person with a peaceful mind will also have a stable emotion. Thus a sick person should strive to gain confidence to achieve a focused mind. With a solid combination of emotion and mind, a person can rule over hundreds of illnesses. He can then speedily return to health.

When we do not have a peaceful mind, we will be temperamental and in a bad mood which is the cause of illness and death. Therefore, peace of mind is a top priority for health maintenance. The mind will control all happenings.

A peaceful mind will yield smooth vital force flow which will lead to smooth blood flow. It will contribute to an energetic and bright person. When that happens, we will increase our immunity which will get rid of illness. Therefore, in order to avoid an illness, the first priority is to take care of our mind.

As practitioners of life cultivation, we seek longevity without illness. If that is going to happen, first we have to have a strong body. In order to have a strong body, we should have the correct amount and status of nutrients, vital force and mind. In order to have them, we should avoid all distractions. To avoid distractions, we should cultivate a peaceful mind.

In order to have a peaceful mind, we should be rid of the three devils (greed, anger, obsession). In order to get rid of the three devils, we should learn how to discipline our mind. However, discipline is just an empty word bringing no benefits to us unless we have Wisdom. In order for us to have Wisdom, we must learn how to Meditate. In order to do Meditation, we must learn how to Walk.

Keys to Longevity

Calmness will yield benevolence. Benevolence will yield longevity. Longevity will yield happiness.

The keys to body cultivation and mind cultivation can be summed up in two phrases: let go and turn back.
When we let go of our butcher knife, we will become a Buddha. The bitter sea is boundless, but once we turn back, we will reach the shore.

Once we can let go or turn back, the sick people will be rid of illness and lost people will find their way. This is the essence of longevity.

When we are mentally overworked we will have a heart that is weak and a liver that is on fire. An overworked heart will be full, not null. A full heart will not be capable of absorbing fire from the liver. When the liver is full of fire, it will damage the stomach and spleen, leading to indigestion, malnutrition, and insomnia.

It will also lead to insufficient water in the kidneys. This insufficiency of water will lead to more heart fire. The heart fire will further weaken the heart. This in turn leads to a dysfunctional lung giving rise to lung disease.

All internal organs are interconnected. When one organ is shaken, all will be shaken. When one organ is damaged, all will be damaged. All bad things arise from a troubled mind.

In order to remove an illness, we must calm our mind. In order to calm our mind, we must stop wishful thinking. In order to stop wishful thinking, we must control our mind. In order to control our mind, we must be self aware. The best way to maintain health is through walking.

Walking is a way to mind resting. When the mind is rested, it soothes the nerves. When the nerve is soothed, vital force will increase. With an accumulation of vital force, blood will be activated and blood and vital force circulation will be smooth. When this happens, illness will be gone if we are sick. If we are not sick, illness will be prevented. However, this is secondary to other benefits.

Here is the primary benefit. When our mind is rested, our consciousness will be clear. We become more intelligent. Also, once our mind is rested, we can think of more possibilities. We will be good at observation. We become very clear in logic. We are now better at reasoning. We now have clearer vision.

We are not shocked by chaos now. We are not confused by bad situations. We see things clearly. We will not become obsessive or blind-sided. This opens up the Way to Big Opportunity and Big Usage. We are not limited to narrow vision anymore.

When we are sick, the worst thing is for us to be annoyed. At this time, we should accept the situation that we are sick, and strive to have a calm mind. Our body will then try to make adjustments. We will then recover from our illness faster.

When we have a peaceful mind, we will have a smooth vital force flow. We will recover from illness faster. If we are irritated, the fire will flare up, and our liver will be damaged. The illness will get worse. With a peaceful mind, the blood and vital force flow will be smooth, leading to speedy recovery.

Mind and Performance

As practitioners of life cultivation, we understand that our mind can be classified into two states. One is a sincere mind. The other is a delusional mind. A sincere mind is just like water. A delusional mind is just like a wave. When a wind comes along, a wave is produced. When the wind stops, the waves will calm down too, but the water will always be at rest.

Our performance depends on our mind. The state of our mind, whether it is weak or strong, originates from the calmness of the mind. Once the mind is in a state of chaos, it will hinder all of our performance.

Life is critically dependent on blood and vital force flow. A stagnant vital force flow will lead to blocked blood flow. Blocked blood flow will eventually lead to poisonous sputum, cancer, or tumor. They are all results of blocked blood and vital force circulation.

Vital force circulation must be smooth. Blood circulation must remain unblocked. All illness originates from uneven vital force flow. When vital force flow is not smooth, it first leads to a dysfunctional liver.

In order to remedy the situation, we must find a way to eliminate it. One way is to find the root cause which rests with the mind. Once the mind is void, the problem will be gone. Another way is to apply Mustang Tuina Technique to physically help the flow of blood and vital force circulation so that the flow will be smooth again.

When we try to recover from an illness, we should not try to speed up the process. When we try to speed it up, it will help to raise the fire. When the fire flares up, vital force circulation is harmed, which does not help with the recovery.

Also, we should not be greedy and want more. When we are greedy, we are in a hurry. Also, most illness originates from greed. If we are greedy while being sick, it will only increase our suffering.

If we are not afraid of being in an unfavorable situation, or being taken advantage of by another person, we will be alright. In other words, if we can be taken advantage of by another person, we are willing to give up our life even if someone wants it. It also means that we will not want to take advantage of another person. If that happens, will our mind still be chaotic? But, who can do such a thing? The Buddha did it.

When a person has a vast knowledge, his mind will be calm, smoothing his vital force flow. His facial expressions will be slowly changing to reflect his mind. An enlightened person will be in a position to make correct observations of him from his facial expressions.

We are born to be encumbered by The Five Desires. The most difficult desire to break is Reputation or Honorary. Next in line is Beauty. Next in line is Wealth. Next in line is Food. Next in line is Sleep. If we cannot break away from the desire of being famous, we can never achieve Enlightenment.

What is a despicable person? He is the one who has lost control. He is not restricted by humility. He will ultimately go the way of disappearance. On the other hand, a person cannot be depressed forever. He will have lost the power of achievement.

What is next

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End of part four. Next Body Cultivation. Stay tuned.

The Art of Life Cultivation 03

The basic principles include the concept of human and nature are one, that we should live with nature in harmony. We trust that the human body observes the rules of self-preservation and self-healing. Therefore, we should learn the art of self-checking and self-diagnosis.

We should learn how our body parts work as a whole and use various techniques to improve the working relationships among them. Then our body will be in a state of balance, or homeostasis. We will then eat well, sleep well, and detox well. We will live a healthy life through life cultivation.

Basic principles of healthy living

A practitioner of life cultivation understands the basic principle that all parts of a man make it whole, and that man-and-nature are one. A human body will automatically make micro adjustments to the body so that it remains in homeostasis. It will start a process of self-healing based on the law of self-preservation of life. Once a practitioner accepts this, he is well on his way to longevity and a healthy life.

A practitioner will learn to make observations to his body and discover symptoms of any illness when it first occurs. Then he is in a position to take advantage of the opportunities to help the body for fast healing.

A practitioner will pay special attention to his blood and vital force circulation systems to make sure they are working properly to provide the necessary energy for his existence.

The practitioner will sleep well so that his body will have the necessary rest to do maintenance and repair. He will make sure his waste disposal system is in good order so that toxins will not remain in his body for long to do damage to the body.

Lastly, but not least, he will pay attention to his environment so that he is not attacked by bad elements such as cold and wind, so that he will not be sick from outside evil forces.

Let us examine each principle in detail.

Adapt to Nature

Adapting to nature is the highest state in the practice of life cultivation. When a person is born, his fate is basically fixed. For example, what he should do and what he should not do is fixed. What he should eat and what he should not eat is also fixed. If he follows the path of his preordained fate, he will be safe throughout his whole life.

A person with epiphany will discover and know his own fate. He will know what he should do and what he should not do. Therefore, life cultivation practice for each person is definitely not a simple imitation or following the crowd.

When a practitioner realizes what nature is, he has arrived at wisdom. Once he knows what nature is and follows nature, this person is god-like.

What is nature? Nature is that everything has complementary sides, and everything must go through the process of birth, growth, harvest, and storage. A practitioner who understands this process and uses the Principle of Five Elements to perform micro adjustments to balance his body will not likely be ill. He will eliminate the imbalance at the budding stage.

Let us look at this world to see the truth. Eating and sleeping are simple, but how many people can do them naturally? Why do they have a hard time doing them?

The answer is. They find it hard to follow nature. Why? Because it is too simple. It is so simple that it is not easy for them to comply. They tend to go to high technology to find solutions. That makes things more complicated.

Illness symptoms

As practitioners of life cultivation, we know most of our illnesses are the manifestations of the human body in regulating and cleaning up the body waste. It shows the state of the body’s automatic adjustment and balance of its systems. It should be regarded as normal physiological phenomena. They should not be eliminated as an illness.

When we feel sick, we should not harbor resentment. We should keep a peaceful mind, then our vital force circulation system will be smooth running. A smooth vital force circulation system will lead to a smooth blood circulation system, resulting in eliminating some discomfort.

As practitioners of life cultivation, when we feel uncomfortable, we look upon the role of others, especially physicians, as a supplementally external help. We should be the real help. In order for us to be cured of a disease, we will need to rely on our own understanding and wisdom. This is why a person may recover from a disease when a physician gives up hope.

Opportunity

What is an opportunity? It is something that waits to happen. When an arrow is on the bow to be shot, someone must trigger this opportunity. It applies to all events. They all have these opportunities. Something will happen if they are triggered. Otherwise, nothing will happen even if all conditions are ready. Therefore, an opportunity is the most critical factor in the occurrence of events.

Pathogenesis is the most important factor in the occurrence, development and change of an illness.
It can also be said that when pathogenesis is opened, the human condition will appear to be ill, and the person will enter the vicious circle of illness.

The opposite of pathogenesis is life vibrancy. When life vibrancy is detected, a person will enter the virtuous circle of rehabilitation.

In fact, when pathogenesis is opened, the life vibrancy is turned off. When life vibrancy is opened, pathogenesis will naturally begin to close. They are mutually exclusive.

Thus, as practitioners of life cultivation, we are always ready to give ourselves life vibrancy so that our body is given the chance to start the healing process.

Self-healing

All drugs are therapeutic in the treatment of a disease. It is not a cure. A disease arises for a reason. We know that we have done something wrong in our lifestyle thus producing a bad result which is a disease. If the error is not removed, the wrong result will not be uprooted.

The root of all good health is the mind. Everything arises from the mind. If the mind is pure, the body will be clean and healthy. Therefore, when we feel ill, instead of seeking outside help right away, we should focus on finding out the root cause and rely on our own repair system to root out the illness. People and animals are the same in this respect. Animals depend on themselves to recover from illness, so can people.

Vital force and Blood

Human health is inseparable from two major factors: (1) adequate vital force and blood (2) smooth meridians (including blood vessels and channels for excreting waste.)

Adequate vital force and blood depends on adequate nutrients from foods plus a good digestive system plus sleep plus healthy lifestyles. Maintaining a healthy body requires not only an increase in vital force and blood but also a reduction in vital force and blood loss. Excessively increasing food intake will increase vital force and blood, but they also become body waste which have to be cleaned up by using vital force and blood.

The human body is a chemical processing factory with food as the raw material. The processing capacity is limited. If a person takes in unlimited food, the human body will have to work overtime with no avail. Therefore, it is critical that a person must control the amount of food he takes in.

Proper exercise will help a person in boosting up his vital force and blood circulation systems, but it also consumes vital force and blood in doing so. Therefore, a person should activate micro-circulations of his vital force and blood systems. These micro-circulations can be achieved by meditation and other techniques. This is essential for the maintenance of health. 　

With the accumulation of waste in a human body, more vital force and blood is needed to remove them. Therefore, the vital force and blood circulation of a human body is constantly reduced by the increase of waste and the blockage of blood vessels. This forms a vicious circle which leads to rapid aging of the human body.

Therefore, if a person wants to disrupt his aging process for longevity, he must (1) reduce the production of waste in the body (2) increase the smooth flow of blood and meridians circulation systems, and (3) increase the amount of vital force and blood in the body.

If a person wants to be healthy, he must take in enough oxygen to help digest and absorb food he takes in. His body will not accumulate waste this way. There will be no extra food to release free virtual fire doing damage to the internal organs. Otherwise this free virtual fire will in turn deplete his vital force and blood. From this analysis, we can see that a person is mostly sick from eating improperly or excessively.

In our practice of life cultivation, we will try to maintain a certain degree of hunger and thirst which is beneficial to our health. In fact, this is the magical use of Null.

Taoism says that Null will lead to Wisdom. When a person is in a state of Null and Wisdom, he will be in a state of Awakened, and consequently, Health.

Energy path

Human disease can be divided into two types.

First, the vital force paths of a person are basically smooth but he suffers from vital force insufficiency. The frequent phenomenon is pain. He will feel pain everywhere in his body. This happens because he does not have sufficient vital force to digest and absorb food that he takes in. It gives rise to a phase fire (also called virtual fire) that rushes aimlessly among the vital force paths. It goes wherever it finds a way. Once it is blocked in its vital force path, the person will feel pain at that point. The pain will be suppressed once he takes pain killing medication.

Second, the vital force paths of a person are mostly blocked. His energy has nowhere to go. He looks fine in his outer appearance, but once he is sick, his illness is very serious. Medication offers little help, or no help at all.

The prerequisite of smooth vital force paths is a purified mind. All the seven emotions and six desires of a person will contaminate a purified mind, destroying the normal operation of the vital force paths.

Therefore, for a person to successfully perform body maintenance and disrupt the aging process, he must start with a purified mind. He must learn and practice spiritual or mind cultivation. He will always have a purified mind with persistence practice. We will discuss how to do mind cultivation in depth later.

Sleep

Sleep is the first element of life cultivation or health maintenance. The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person and from season to season, but the sleeping time of a person should at least include 2100 pm to 0300 am. This time slot happens to be equivalent to the Winter time in a day, and a person should rest in the Winter time.

If a person thinks while sleeping, he will not feel calm or secure. Therefore a person should not turn around in bed and think while sleeping. This turning of mind is very energy consuming and is not good for him.

When a person is not sleeping at 1100 pm, he will develop kidney fluid insufficiency. His heart and kidney are interconnected. His kidney fluid insufficiency will lead to heart fire and his mind becomes the most vulnerable.

The remedy is for the person to focus his mind and to anchor his vital force, forgetting both himself and the surroundings. Spiritual or mind cultivation will promote good sleep and get rid of insomnia.

We will discuss sleep in great detail in another article. Stay tuned.

Environment

The importance of the environment to human health is self-evident. This is why a person who lives in a deep forest with fresh air may recover from a stubborn disease. In the deep forest with plenty of negative ions, a person in a relaxed mood may breathe them in, nourishing all his internal organs, rejuvenating him.

There is also an important point that ordinary people do not know. A person not only breathes through the nose and mouth, but also through every sweat pores of the human body. They are the ones who absorb the essence of vital force provided by nature.

Summary

A practitioner of life cultivation first understands the basic principle of oneness with nature. Once he discovers symptoms of discomfort, he will do a self-checking, and take the opportunity to invoke the self-healing ability of the body.

He will pay special attention to his blood and vital force circulation systems to help the self-discovery process. He will give himself enough sleep for the body to do repair and maintenance. He will get rid of toxins from his body on a regular basis.

He will pay special attention to the environment so that he is properly equipped to defend himself from bad elements from the environment. Then he is well on this way to an active, happy and healthy life.

End of part three. Next Mind Cultivation.

The Art of Life Cultivation 02

Most people tumble on the art of life cultivation when they are middle-aged, when their body health is declining. Then they start to learn the basic concepts of life cultivation one way or another. Some will go on to practice life cultivation in one form or another, usually not in an organized way.

Many people find they cannot accept the new concept, so they go on with the old ways of living their life. They will end up with declined health. They may then live in pain and suffering. They may lie in bed the whole day and need someone to care for them. They may be hospitalized.

A fortunate few will accept the new concept and practice life cultivation in an organized way. Amazingly, they will be more active, happier, healthier, and they then live a carefree life until their death.

The best time to practice life cultivation

When a person is a child, he should learn morality and filial piety, then he should learn words and literacy, then he should learn how to do things. When he becomes an adult, he should learn how to give birth to an excellent child, how to educate a child properly, and how to have a happy family. When he is middle-aged, he should learn how to cultivate his life to live a happy and healthy life. When he is old-aged, he should let go and enjoy his golden age.

When a person is middle-aged, he should practise life cultivation for the repair and maintenance of his body to maintain good health and disrupt the aging process.

However, most middle-aged people neglect these life cultivation techniques because they think they are still healthy, or busy, or accustomed to the present way of life. When they are really old, they find that their health is poor and then they think about life cultivation or health maintenance. Is it a little too late for that matter?

When an older person thinks of health maintenance, it is a little late because the body damage is more serious and body repair and maintenance is more laborious and time-consuming. However, it is better late than never. Therefore, older people can still benefit from life cultivation to live the remainder of their life without illness and with dignity and fun.

Basic Concept of Life Cultivation

The correct concept of life cultivation or health maintenance is far more helpful than costly medication or dangerous surgery to keep a person healthy and to avoid illness. If a person has the right idea, he will make the right decisions and do the right things. He may then prevent many illnesses from happening.

So what is the correct concept of life cultivation or health maintenance? First he must have great wisdom.

Wisdom

How does a person have great wisdom? He must have a broad mind. When he cultivates a broad mind, he will end up with great wisdom. He will know more and understand more.

A higher education in the modern world does not necessarily give a person wisdom. Wisdom does not equate to knowledge.

Will there be wisdom without a broad mind? Think about it.

Sudden Understanding

A person who has not received any higher education in our modern education system, but who is highly savvy and has an open mind will often truly understand the truth and accept different ideas.

He may not understand an idea now, but someday he will do so. The idea and its meaning will suddenly dawn on him. He will suddenly understand the truth.

This is a sudden understanding that comes from within himself.

Simplicity

What is savvy? What is wisdom? Sudden comprehension and wisdom are the simplest ways to deal with everything.

When a person understands a matter to the extent of simplicity, he has truly understood the matter to the core. If he still feels that it is profound and unfathomable, he has not mastered the essence of it. He only sees the dense leaves without going to the root of it. He is still at a stage where there is an existence. He has not reached the realm of null.

Life is simple. Life cultivation is simple. Health preservation is simple. A happy mindset is simple. Do not try to complicate them by thinking too much about it.

Simplicity is the key to life cultivation. Try to follow the advice of Emerson. Lead a simple life.

Balance

The golden mean is the fundamental concept in life cultivation. Life itself seeks a balanced state of existence.

What is balance? Balance is the interdependence and mutual restraint of two subject matters. It is out of balance when either side is too far off.

Thus, when the mind is clear and balanced, and the emotion checked, everything else will be safe, and the practice of life cultivation will likely yield longevity.

Luckily for practitioners of life cultivation, the human body will always try to seek a natural balance if we do not try to hinder it. Thus, let go and let the body do its natural stuff.

Mind

All the wisdom that a man has is not learned from books, but from the sincerity and purity of his mind, originated from his devotion to anchored thought.

In order to maintain health, a person follows the principle of life cultivation. The highest state of life cultivation is mind cultivation. Therefore, when we talk about life cultivation, the basic disciples learn about physical body cultivation, the higher-ups learn about vital force cultivation, and the top learn about mind cultivation. Spiritual or mind cultivation is the most important aspect of life cultivation.

Checking

A person may choose to believe in drugs and in the data produced by instruments and equipment during a physical checkup. On the other hand, he may choose to believe in his own feelings and in his own ability to make micro adjustments to his body.

A person should learn self-inspection and start to observe the state of health of his body and take actions on a daily basis. Trust himself instead of the cold data.

Healing

Of all living things, a human being has the most perfect structure. A healthy body has all the parts it needs. The adjustment of human health is mostly done by the inborn repair and maintenance system of the body, not external factors such as herbs, medication, and surgery. The external factors can only play a supporting role.

A person follows the same Principles when he practices life cultivation. When a person is ill, there is always a factor that makes him sick. There is also another factor that restricts it and causes the illness to disappear. For example, wherever a poisonous snake exists in nature, there must be an anti-venom herb nearby.

Life cultivation is the practice of strengthening the ability of our body for self-healing and self-preservation. The more you practice as in playing tennis, your will have raised your ability to do so. Be resilient. Be persistent.

Confidence

When a person masters the correct method of life cultivation, he will find that he has improved his body health and his mental alertness. He will have a better relationship with his environment and his social circles.

He will then truly gain confidence that he does not have to worry about any illness at all. He will then go on practicing life cultivation. It will be ingrained in his body and soul. He will live happily ever after.

Next episode: Basic Principles of Healthy Living

Timeline of Health Activities 01

Time and body Activities

The timelines of activities of each organ in our body are predetermined. Once we have decoded their activities, we are well on our way to easily maintain and repair our body organs.

The classic book on life cultivation, Huangdi Neijing, starts from our daily life and helps us to interpret the wisdom of health preservation. As long as we live according to the nature of the human body every day, do the right things at the right time, eat well, sleep well, and provide for our innate essence with nutrients, health maintenance will become very simple and natural.

The Five Basic Principles of Health Preservation in the classic Huangdi Neijing states:

The principle is based on yin and yang, and on the number of techniques, eating and drinking regularly, living regularly, and not working rashly.
Huangdi Neijing

Working at sunrise and resting at sunset, almost all living creatures follow an invisible clock to thrive as if controlled by a clock. This is the biological clock that we should follow to stay away from all illness.

On the other hand, if a person does not want to go with the flow and insists that he wants to stay up late instead, his body’s working and resting time will be disrupted, and all of his body functions will gradually weaken.

According to the classic book, our human body has a twelve-hour regimen. Every major organ in the human body has a corresponding actively working time slot. We will explore this in full here.

Bear in mind that our internal organs are properly maintained while we are in deep sleep. If we do not sleep and rest properly, it is equivalent to disrupting the operation of the organs. Over time, our organs will start to be dysfunctional.

Timeline of activities

Time slot one zishi

23:00-01:00 Gallbladder Meridian

From eleven in the evening to one in the morning of the next day, the gallbladder meridian is active. The best way to take care of our gallbladder is to go into a deep sleep before midnight. Our gallbladder is the star of our systems so it is worth taking care of. For example, scratching our head while we are trying to make a decision, we are actually stimulating our gallbladder meridian system to do the thinking.

Our body will strongly generate vital force around eleven in the evening. With vital force circulating, our blood and energy will flow. Therefore, it is best to go to sleep before eleven. Sleeping will nourish the vital force. Therefore, sleep well and clear our mind so that we are not thinking at all.

Time slot two choushi

01:00-03:00 Liver Meridian

From one to three in the early morning, the liver meridian is active. Maintaining deep sleep during this time slot will help to nourish and maintain the liver.

Take care of our liver as if we are cultivating a tree.

The liver meridian is associated with many diseases particular to women.

Sulking is more harmful to the liver than losing the temper.

Overuse of vision hurts the liver and blood and thus the eyes. People who use computers the whole day must be aware. They must try to do proper maintenance of their liver. Otherwise, they will suffer from liver fatigue.

Time slot three yinshi

03:00-05:00 Lung Meridian

From three to five in the early morning, the lung meridian is active. It is the time slot for taking care of the lungs. It is the time slot when a person is in a slumber. The energy of a person changes from latent to active during this period. Taking care of the lungs starts with the acupoint Taiyuan.

Nourish the lungs in the Autumn. When it is time to harvest, go ahead and harvest.

What should you do when you wake up in order to take care of your lungs? More on this in our next episode.

Time slot four maoshi

05:00-07:00 Large Intestine Meridian

From five to seven in the morning, the large intestine meridian is active. At this time, the sky starts to light up slowly. At this time, we should defecate normally and habitually to eliminate the junk toxins in the body.

The intestines are smoothly operating only when the large intestine is not blocked.

Taking care of the large intestine starts with the acupoint Hegu.

Taking care of constipation and diarrhea by doing certain techniques.

More on what to do upon waking up in our next episode.

Time slot five chenshi

07:00-09:00 Stomach Meridian

From seven to nine in the morning, the stomach meridian is active. Stomach is our main organ for digestion. It breaks down food into nutrients. It is our source of energy. Eat warm food and drink at breakfast.

Women should take good care of their stomach before age 35.

The maintenance of the stomach starts with the acupoint zusanli.

No vigorous exercises in this time slot.

If possible, consider walking or cycling to work.

More on the morning routine and breakfast in our next episode.

Time slot six yishi

09:00-11:00 Spleen Meridian

From nine to eleven in the morning, the spleen meridian is active. The spleen is responsible for the transformation and transportation of nutrients. If we compare the stomach to a pot, then the spleen is the fire and is responsible for digesting the contents of the pot.

The spleen is the origination of new blood and vital force for the day, thus it is fundamental to our acquisition of energy for continuing activities.

If we miss someone or something and keep on thinking about it, we will hurt the spleen.

Summer time is the best season to take good care of the spleen.

The art of life cultivation 01

Helping the 50+ to live an active, carefree, happy and healthy life in a ten parts series.

Benefits of of life cultivation

Everyone in this world has four sufferings. He was born. He grows old. He will be sick. He will die. If a person wishes to live an active, carefree, happy and healthy life, he should learn and practice life cultivation. He should learn about the aging process and learn how to disrupt it in a most natural and painless way. When he learns life cultivation, and applies what he learns, he can expect to live a happy life without illness and pain.

What are the expected results from practicing the art of life cultivation?

He can expect to stay away from the hospital, the doctor, and medication. He will avoid pain. He will live a healthy and happy life.

It will not cost him an arm and a leg to learn and practice life cultivation. He can learn in a short time by learning from the writings presented in this website. He will probably save huge medical expenses and lead a happy life.

When a person looks around himself, he may see the pain of a bone cancer patient before he dies. The pain is unbearably acute.

He may see how his friends and relatives live with joint pains. He may have suffered living in pain himself.

He may have seen how a stroke patient lives out his life. Is it with dignity and grace?

He may have known someone who has lost all his assets for medical expenses until he lives a dirt poor life.

He may have friends and relatives living unhappily because their parents are bedridden.

He may have seen other sufferings and hardship due to aging.

He will be able to avoid all these if he learns and practices life cultivation.

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What will you learn

In our life cultivation program, you will learn the following subject matters:

01 The best time to learn life-cultivation
02 Basic life-cultivation concept
03 Life-cultivation principles
04 Surroundings and you
05 Mind cultivation and you
06 Body cultivation and you
06 Fitness exercises and you
07 Food and you
08 How to do self checkup
09 How to make observation
10 How to void off Illness
11 How to do micro adjustments to lead a healthy lifestyle
12 A variety of Mustang techniques including tuna technique, tuina technique, vital force technique, jingzuo technique, ruding technique, shenzhan technique, fangzhong technique, dietary technique, and others.

Support from us

Once your physical body has attained the state as pictured on the left, we can support you no more. However, if your physical body is similar to the photo on the right, we can support you in many ways for you to continue to live a healthy life.

We will show you how to learn about disrupting the aging process in life cultivation. Then you will be keen on putting it into practice to live an active and happy life.

You may read about life cultivation by reading articles and books on life cultivation. Then you practice it by following the advice. This is our recommended way for you to learn and practice life cultivation.

If you prefer to follow a more patterned way of learning, then subscribe to Mustang BodyWorks Infoletter. They will be sent to you by email. You may then read them at your own home at your own pace, and practice them as you wish. If you have a question, you can write to get an answer. You may also call someone.

You may consider joining Mustang Virtual Body Building Immersive Program. Learn life cultivation in an intensive program. It is designed for those people who always want to learn something fast. This is actually bad in life cultivation so we only do it occasionally.

You may join a Mustang Personalized Program to receive personalized service. It is similar to having a personal trainer at a gym. It is offered on an as needed basis.

You may join our Health Workshops or Health Retreats. You will be learning in a group environment in a workshop. You will be learning and experiencing a group environment in a retreat. They are offered on an as needed basis.

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Stay tuned for the next part of the series

The best time to learn the art of life cultivation

Handprints

Handprints are a kind of hand posture. In Buddhism it is called a handprint. However, in our practice of body cultivation, we use handprints for health preservation.

Energy Handprint

You pinch your thumb, middle finger and ring finger together and stretch the other fingers for 5 to 45 minutes. Do it with both hands simultaneously.

Do it once a day. You may do it three times a day, 15 minutes each time. Persist on a daily basis.

You may also do it while practicing Mustang Jingzuo Technique.

This procedure has the strongest detoxification function, benefiting the liver, kidney, spleen and stomach, and gallbladder because it stimulates the corresponding acupressure points.

Life Handprint

You pinch your thumb, ring finger and little finger together and stretch the other fingers for 5 to 45 minutes. Do it with both hands simultaneously.

Do it once a day. You may do it three times a day, 15 minutes each time. Do it on a daily basis. Persist on a daily basis.

You may also do it while practicing Mustang Jingzuo Technique.

This procedure stimulates the nutrient energy of your pelvic wall and hereby enhances your vitality force, thus reducing body fatigue and tension, and improves your vision.

It enhances your endurance and strength. It is particularly beneficial for eye diseases and respiratory diseases such as asthma and dyspnea.

Heart Handprint

Erect your thumb vertically. Press your index finger straight down near the root of your thumb. Pinch your middle finger tip and your ring finger tip with your thumb together. Then you straighten your little finger vertically up. Do it with both hands simultaneously.

Do it once a day. You may do it three times a day, 15 minutes each time. Do it on a daily basis. Persist on a daily basis.

You may also do it while practicing Mustang Jingzuo Technique.

This procedure will strengthen your heart, relieve discomfort caused by a variety of acute heart disease, establish normal blood pressure, regulate menstruation, purify the body, relieve stress, and so on.

We discuss only three handprints here that are beneficial for body cultivation. You may practice more handprints which we will not discuss here.

Mustang Technique Summarized

Mustang technique, if practiced properly, will help you to do physical maintenance and repair of your body, keep your mind calm, free you from illness, and live an active, carefree, happy and healthy life.

We will summarize several techniques useful in practicing life cultivation here. Search our resources section from the navigation menu for more in-depth information.

Mustang tuna technique

It is a technique in deep breathing, involving the use of the diaphragm instead of the chest. It is the basic technique used in regular maintenance and repair of the physical body so that you will be young forever.

Mustang vital force technique

It is a technique in vital force flow. It is the basic technique used to improve your overall body performance in a much more efficient way. It is a technique that is very difficult to learn and master. We will teach you how to use Mustang vital force technique to reduce your fatigue.

Mustang tuina technique

It is a technique in massaging your physical body to increase your blood and energy flow. It is a basic technique used in returning your physical body to its balanced stage. We will teach you how to use Mustang tuina technique to reduce your pain and suffering.

Mustang jingzuo technique

It is a technique in meditation. It is a basic technique used in cleansing and calming your mind. We will teach you how to use Mustang jingzuo technique to clear up your mind so that your anxiety and suffering will go away.

Mustang ruding technique

It is an advanced form of meditation. It is an advanced technique used to make your mind detached from your physical existence. We will teach you how to use Mustang ruding technique to increase your longevity.

Mustang shenzhan technique

It is a technique for doing stretching exercises. It is a basic technique used to return your body to physical fitness. We will teach you how to use Mustang shenzhan technique to make your back pain go away.

Mustang fangzhong technique

It is a technique on sexual activities. It is a basic technique on utilizing sexual acts to improve your physical body. We will teach you how to use Mustang fangzhong technique to improve your vital force circulation.

Mustang dietary technique

It is a technique in food consumption. It is the basic technique used to improve your extraction of nutrients from the food you eat. We will teach you how to use Mustang dietary technique to improve your body constitution the easy way.

Mustang life awakening

All these techniques, used in conjunction with each other, will give you a body and soul that you will never dream of.
You will live in perfect harmony with nature and with yourself. Explore our resources section from our navigation menu for more information. Search articles under the category of technique.

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