Yang Sheng is a philosophical approach to life and good health. It is about taking proactive self-responsibility for your own self-care and self-nurturing regime. This mindset is a self-empowering concept. It is made to teaches us not to rely or become dependent upon other people or things for our health and wellbeing.
Yang Sheng is a Chinese Taoist philosophical concept that relates to maintaining good health through out your whole life. The principle of Yang Sheng is referred to in several classical Chinese medicine textbooks dating way back to 3rd and 2nd centuries BC.
Taoism or Daoism refers to a set of Chinese traditions and religions which emphasize living in harmony with the Dao. The Dao is generally defined as the source of everything and the ultimate principle underlying reality.
‘Yang’ 養 means nourishing
‘Sheng’ 生 means life, growth or vitality
Yang Sheng 養 生 would therefore mean ‘nourishing life’.
Ancient traditional Chinese medicine focused on prevention
In ancient Chinese medicine the relationship with the doctor would very likely be very holistic. A healthcare with focus on vitality and longevity and for being well in a way that utilizes every part of a person’s life, including the body and mind, emotional wellness and mental health, spiritual and social wellness, and overall wellness.
People would for instance pay the Chinese medicine doctor when they were well and would stop paying the doctor when they fell ill. The doctor would often ‘prescribe’ the patient meditation, qigong/Tai Chi exercises, herbs and acupuncture treatments to help support their health. A mentally western societies lack. Whereas we focus more on medication, and only visit the doctor when we are sick.
The Chinese medicine doktor would teach sustainability and strength through practices of physical movement and exercise, meditation, and other self-healing techniques and dietary choices. If we can support and balance the energy of our mind and body this will help prevent the development of ill health and ‘disease’ in the longer term.
How to apply YĂNG SHĒNG in your daily life
The important message behind Yang Sheng is that prevention is better than cure. No radical interventions or quick-fix solutions. Yang Sheng places emphasis on the idea that a series of small and regular actions and lifestyle choices can, over time, add up to produce larger benefits for our health.
It’s about finding a range of techniques or habits that appeal to you which support healthy lifestyle. The ultimate aim is to achieve Wu Wei. This is the principle of a harmonious and ‘effortless’ state of balance both within yourself and in your relationship to the world around you.
The simplest and easiest way to apply Yang Sheng in your life is to become more aware of your surroundings. If we can live in harmony with Natur, natural environment and the seasons this will support our health and wellbeing.
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