Traditional Chinese medicine can actually achieve "nurturing both body and spirit"

To nourish both body and spirit, one should not only pay attention to the maintenance of the body, but also pay attention to the nourishment of the spirit, so that the body can be strong and energetic. The two complement each other and enhance each other, thus achieving a balanced and unified development of both body and spirit. There are many methods of health preservation in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but in essence, they can be summarized into two parts: "nourishing the spirit" and "nourishing the body", namely the so-called "preserving the spirit and keeping the body intact" and "preserving the body and keeping the spirit intact".

1. Guarding the whole form of God

In the relationship between form and spirit, "spirit" plays a leading role. “When the spirit is clear, the body is at peace”, so the TCM health-preserving concept takes “regulating the spirit” as the first priority. Health-preserving must pay full attention to regulating the “spirit”. Regulating the spirit and maintaining health is very rich in content and can be approached from many aspects.

① Keep the mind calm and peaceful: Keep the mind calm and peaceful, reduce the desire for fame, wealth and material things, and coordinate the seven emotions to make them peaceful and not excessive;

② Four Qi regulates the mind: Regulate the mind in accordance with the changes of yin and yang throughout the four seasons, so that mental activities are coordinated with the yin and yang relationship of the five internal organs in the four seasons;

③ Qigong training of the mind: through the three main links of adjusting the body, adjusting the mind, and adjusting the breath, the mind and internal organs are trained;

④ Moderation in sexual desire: Although sexual desire is the natural way of yin and yang, excessive sexual desire will damage the essence and consume the spirit. Moderation in sexual desire can preserve the essence and the spirit.

⑤ Cultivate your nature and refresh your mind: Through a variety of meaningful activities, such as painting, calligraphy, music, chess, sculpture, flower planting, stamp collecting, fishing, traveling, etc., you can develop your own interests and hobbies, so that your spirit can have something to rely on and your sentiments can be cultivated, thus playing the role of transferring emotions, cultivating nature, regulating the mind and keeping fit.

In short, to protect the spirit and keep the body healthy is to start with "regulating the spirit", protect and enhance mental health as well as physical health, and achieve the unity of regulating the spirit and strengthening the body.

2. Keep your shape and mind

The body is the basis of human life. Only with the body can there be life, and only with life can there be mental activities and physiological functions. Therefore, it is very important to maintain your body shape. How to keep your shape and focus? The human body must constantly obtain survival substances from nature, carry out metabolism, and maintain human life activities. "Maintaining the body" focuses on preserving the essence and blood. The Jing Yue Quan Shu says: "Essence and blood are the body, and the body is the essence and blood." The Su Wen · Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun points out: "Those who are deficient in body should be warmed with Qi, and those who are deficient in essence should be supplemented with flavor." If Yang Qi is deficient, it is necessary to warm and supplement Yang Qi, and if Yin Qi is deficient, it is necessary to nourish the essence and blood. You can use medicine to maintain your body shape. Furthermore, the human body itself is an integral part of nature. Therefore, to maintain the body, one must follow the laws of nature, maintain a regular life, eat in moderation, moderate work and rest, avoid external evils, and persist in exercise, so as to effectively enhance physical fitness and promote health.

Nourishing the spirit and nourishing the body are closely related, and neither should be neglected but should be carried out at the same time. "Preserving the spirit and keeping the body intact" and "Preserving the body and keeping the spirit intact" are derived from the theory of "the unity of body and spirit" and the application of the law of unity of opposites in health preservation, so as to achieve "body and spirit are together, and live out one's natural life."