5000 years ago, the famous Yellow Emperor complained to the Simple Girl, in a treaty that has been preserved until today, that people die too fast. And the Simple Girl knew the reason – humanity had no initiation in the Taoist secrets.

According to ancient Chinese teachings, the duration of a normal life can reach 200 years. Fortunately, these secrets, accessible in Antiquity only to the noble and powerful, have in the meantime come to light.

And with these ancient teachings comes also the science of regeneration, extremely topical for the period in which we live now.

150 years – a normal existence

This is how much we should live if we are applying a simple formula that calculates the ratio between childhood and life span in the case of other species that are still close to nature. Scientists have calculated this ratio for dogs, cats, and chimps, and have concluded that 150 Taoist years are as normal as possible.

And it’s not just about living for a long time, but also about enjoying these years in a perfect state of health, vigour, and inner harmony. In fact, you could not call yourself a wise man in China if you did not live for at least a century.

Lao Zi, the one recognised as the founder of Taoism, lived for about 200 years. When his mother gave birth to him, leaning on a plum tree, she was 81 years old (or 62 from another legend).

History also teaches us that Hua Tuo, a great doctor from the Han dynasty, was executed because of some false accusations by the despot Tsao-Tsao shortly after he had celebrated 100 years old. He lived so much because of Tao-yin gymnastics and of the breathing exercises he used to do every day.

Another famous doctor, Sun Su-Mo, who lived for 101 years, claims that Taoist exercises and a disciplined sexuality should be practiced from youth.

In 1368, at the age of 100, another physician, Chia Ming published, for the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, a book on health, longevity and diet. He preached the avoidance of dishes and beverages that are incompatible with one another, that are harmful for the organism and that are inhibitors for our vital functions.

256 years and 24 wives

Examples of longevous Taoists continue until close to our times.

Ta Kung Pao, the oldest Chinese newspaper, published in 1939 an article about Wan Hsien, who was born in 1796. He worked as a military attaché and after he retired, he went looking for some medicinal plants in Tibet. He was gone for such a long that he was considered to be lost.

But in the autumn of 1931, at the age of 135, he returned to his native village. As proof that longevity was not so unusual in the area, there still were people who recognised him. The rare herbs and the thin air of Tibet had kept him in shape.

Li Ching-Yuen, another remarkably long-living Taoist, died at age 256, shortly after marrying his 24th wife. He had long hair, healthy teeth and looked like a 50-year-old.
He used to practice daily Taoist gymnastics and breathing exercises, emotional harmony and he also took regularly medicinal herbs that prolong life.

Advices for everlasting youth

Li Ching-Yuen, was in the position to give advice, given his life experience of over 200 years. He lived according to three simple precepts:

1. Never hurry. Do things in a methodical and calm manner, like a turtle; move like a bird and sleep deeply like a dog.

2. Avoid any extreme emotions, especially after the first signs of aging. An outbreak of anger or a jealousy crisis is enough to drain the body of energy and interrupt the harmonious functioning of the organs.

3. Respect a daily schedule of gymnastics and breathing exercises. Li Ching-Yuen says it’s not so important how much time you do this, but it’s more important not to skip even one day.

In addition, he recommends that we eat just a little in the summer evenings, more in the winter, have a vegetarian diet and it is imperative that we take every day medicinal herbs.

Bring the nature closer to you

From a Taoist point of view, the place where you live is very important. It’s practically impossible to reach 100 years living in a polluted and loud city.

Toxic air drastically reduces the amount of energy that can be absorbed, and the products of modern technology generate abnormal electromagnetic fields that hinder the natural access of the human body to the energy of the earth’s electromagnetic field.

Statistic data show that most centenarians lived in isolated, mountainous regions. They benefited from the purity of the air, and from a slower rhythm of life.

But what solution do we have while facing the major problem of pollution? We can choose to live in districts that are further away from the hectic areas, to surround ourselves with plants and animals, so we can learn to live as close as possible to nature.

Life is measured in breaths

Here is an important Taoist secret: life is not measured in years, but in the number of breaths that we take. If we manage to slow them down, we will have a longer life span. How to breathe slower? We should choose to live in a place where there is fresh air and in a stress-free environment.

It may sound impossible for most of us. Luckily, we have the help of the Taoist breathing exercises. There are many of them and they are all based on a few simple principles; the first one is to learn to consciously follow our breath without interfering with it.

We can practice this, while sitting and holding your spine straight. We notice that the mind is gradually relaxing, and the tensions in our body and in the emotions disappear. Another important element in the Taoist techniques is abdominal breathing. Dogs and cats do this naturally.

We can also try, after we’ve practiced conscious breathing, while sitting in the same way, to put our hands on the abdomen. When we will be very relaxed, we will feel how easy and naturally our deep breath slightly raises the palms of our hands.

Wearing out the body

In one ejaculation, a man loses between 200 and 500 million spermatozoa; and it is enough just one of those to give life to a baby. If we were to cumulate all the ejaculations that one man had in his life, it would be enough to multiply the current population of the planet 200 times.

In the Taoist tradition, semen is more important than blood. It contains vitamins, minerals, Oligo Elements, proteins, enzymes and other nutrients.

For a man who wants to live for at least a hundred years, ejaculation is strictly forbidden except for situations when he wants to make a baby. In fact, his life could be measured as well in the number of ejaculations. The fewer, the longer it will be. In addition, the alchemical implication is also a very important one.

Through Taoist techniques, semen can be converted into energy and then transported to other areas of the body, where it will support higher processes such as thinking or deep meditation.

When it comes to vitality and regeneration, the ovules are as precious as spermatozoa. Therefore, vaginal bleeding is as “normal” as any bleeding elsewhere in the body. It should alert us.

The initiated Taoist women performed rituals in which they would turn their eggs into energy. Since they were not getting pregnant, there was no reason for the energy of life to be wasted through the menstrual cycle, which is equivalent to a few male ejaculations.

Zero point of regeneration

The chronological age and the biological age are not the same. A centenarian Taoist may sometimes be more vivacious than a 30-year-old who lives in a metropolis – like Yang Sen, the disciple of Li Ching-yuen, who lived 256 years.

Yang celebrated all his birthdays in Taiwan, leading a climbing expedition, on a difficult route, to the top of the highest mountain in the south-east of Asia, which was 4,000 meters high. And at 98, he was still leading the other participants that were mostly young men.

He must certainly had known another important Taoist secret of youth and regeneration – the state of the anus. It is part, along with the sexual organs, of Hin Yin – the perineum area, called the gate of life and death.

The anus is divided into five areas, each related to different organs of the body. Through specific contractions of each area subtle chi energy can be driven there and can even regenerate those organs.

Generally, the anus should be as strong as possible. The older we get, the weaker the muscles become, this way opening the “gate” to old age and illness. Training the anal muscles turns back the biological age.

A useful and very simple exercise is “anal breathing”.

We sit comfortably on a chair keeping your back straight. We consciously breathe for a few minutes until we notice that the mind is quiet. With our eyes closed, we focus our attention on the sacrum and inhale, while we contract the anal muscles. Afterwards we exhale, while relaxing the muscle contraction. We repeat the exercise for a few minutes every day.

Herbs against the passing of the years

There is no long-lived Taoist that won’t speak of the virtues of herbs. In Western mentality, drugs are taken only in case of an illness.

Only then it is considered necessary to go for a medical consultation. Instead, the Chinese paid the doctor for as long as the patient was healthy and penalised him if the patient got sick.

Medicinal plants should be part of a normal diet. If we remember them only when our body is already unbalanced, we are making it harder for them to help us. In Taoism, food can also have medicinal purposes.

Herbs and foods are classified according to the amount of yin or yang energy they contain, and the nature of the taste.

A very important principle of Taoist phytotherapy is that plants must always be used in a certain combination or following a recipe. “There is no absolute thing in this world.” – their texts say.

For example, ginseng energises the body, especially the lung meridian and the spleen-pancreas meridian. But it also has strong side effects if used alone. One of its components strengthens the arteries. If he has problems with the vascular system, the one who uses ginseng runs risks of a stroke or a heart attack. In order to compensate or neutralise this possibility of unpleasant side effects, ginseng should be combined with another plant, such as astragalus, which is very effective in relaxing the blood vessels.

A champion of longevity is also the small plant known as Centella Asiatica, Hydrocotyle Asiatica or Gotu Kola. It was the favourite of the same legendary Li Ching-yuen, whose accomplishments made scientists study the properties of the little plant.

They found in her leaves and seeds a powerful alkaloid that influences the nerves, brain cells and the endocrine system, redeeming them visibly.

Go back in time?

Even the ancient Taoist masters have noticed that very few young people are aware of the value of the spiritual teachings that help keep us in shape. It would be an ideal situation if we would start practicing these teachings even from their early years, but they are effective even if they are practiced later in life.

Mantak Chia, a Taoist teacher of our current times, talks about his students’ innumerable achievements. Grey hair regains its colour, features of the face and body are visibly improved. Many serious illnesses heal. He himself looks like an ageless man.

Regenerating the body is certainly possible, if we practice the wise men’s recommendations properly and on a daily basis. If they’ve managed to succeed, why not follow their example and do the same?