Popular Resistances
These are some of the various excuses we use to avoid investing in Self Mastery: No time, no interest in knowing the higher self, too nervous, better things to do, no money to invest in personal growth, can’t be bothered, too tired, social commitments, etc. If you think about it, this list of rationalizations can get very long.

Ways to Consume your Energy
These are ploys to keep your energy level below that of your resistance so awakening and joy cannot occur. A partial lists includes ejaculation, overwork to the point of exhaustion, overeating, over exercise, emotional drama, talking all the time, excess mental activity, TV, movies, web surfing, video games, debilitating drug / alcohol use, anger / violence, depression, etc. Basically, anything that distracts, fatigues, or exhausts your life force so you do not have to experience true self-knowledge and bliss.

Most people are very adept about consuming their energy and keeping their resistance high. Our culture eagerly supports this. Many folks secretly wonder if consuming and resisting is all there is to life, and, for a few, this rises to a conscious inquiry of some importance. A few of these people will be motivated to actually do something to explore higher energy states and self-knowledge. Kriyas always occur in some form when a person is authentically overcoming their resistance. Usually these are quite pleasurable sensations. © 2006, Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved

Part 3: The Irresistible Joy and the Immovable Fear

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Storing Life Force
What makes the third chakra and its emotions and agendas so powerful is, well, power. Power in the sense of the pure life force stored in this area. The third chakra is like a battery; life force is stored as potential. This energy is rarely stored as true potential, in the electrical sense. A battery can sit and store its electricity for a long period of time. People however are dynamic living bioelectrical systems. Human life force is a power that is active; it needs somewhere to flow to, something to do. Whether your karmic agenda is anger and manipulation, or self-healing and enlightenment, vast quantities of bioenergy are needed.

The Third Chakra

One basic function of Tantric and Taoist practices is to generate and store in the third chakra the energy needed to walk your own spiritual path with freedom and courage, whether or not your friends, family, or culture supports this. Primates, including humans, have invested millions of years in creating social structures that maximize safety and survival. The “herd instinct” is to limit the amount of freedom an individual can have. This is a sort of default brain stem reaction born of fear of potential harm to the group, and what is born in fear blossoms into judgment, stubbornness, resistance, anger, hatred, manipulation, and violence. This ancient, and virtually autonomic, limbic reaction is grossly maladaptive for how we as a species need to evolve. The energy bound by the imprints of these dark emotions needs to be extracted and recycled at the third chakra. If we can let go of our insistence on pain, fear, and anger, we can reprogram these lower chakras to deliver the life force necessary to ascend into self-realization, thus insuring our survival as a species into the next millennium.

The Anatomy of Power
The third chakra is relatively large in size. Apparently, in its function as a storage area for the power that all action requires, it needs somatic mass. At its lower border, the third chakra is referred to by the Taoists as the lower Tan Tien, sometimes called the Field Of Elixir, or the Hara in Japanese. Anatomically close to the sexual energies of the first two chakras, this is the point that all martial arts training uses to collect power. Perhaps its physical closeness to the chakras mediating sex energy is one reason we seem to mix together elements of sexuality, power, and even violence.

Included in this energetic family are the sub-chakras of the navel. The uppermost border of the third chakra is the solar plexus. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 4: The Mystery of the Solar Plexus

The 3rd Chakra and the Spiritual Purpose of Power Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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Ejaculation Control and The Seasons

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, a time to die;
A time to plant, a time to reap;
A time to kill, a time to heal;
A time to laugh, a time to weep…
A time to build up, a time to break down;
A time to dance, a time to mourn…
A time you may embrace;
A time to refrain from embracing.”
–Ecclesiastes 3:1-5, adapted by Pete Seger

“Everything in the universe is made of Yin and Yang.
Yang will settle through Yin, and Yin will expand through Yang.
Yin and Yang integrate and move together.
So a man will become aroused and expand his Jade Stalk for a woman,
and woman will become excited and open her Jade Gate for a man.”
– Lady Xuan

Though lacking the instrumentation of modern science, the Taoists did have access to the ultimate Instrument on which all other technologies are built: human consciousness. The likes of Chang Tsu, Lao Tzu, and Confucius brought their considerable powers of attention to bear on the minutia of natural and social phenomena, internal and external Chi (qi). Both the disciplines of Science and the ancient Taoist practices delineated in classics such as the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching evolved through the close and persistent observance of nature and its changes. Certainly, the changing of the seasons is something almost everyone notices, and these cycles play a large role in Taoist doctrine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ejaculation guidelines, and Tantric Taoist Sexology.

In addition to the age and health considerations discussed previously, the nature loving Taoists observed differences in overall sexual vitality according to the seasons. This makes sense as you can see energetic fluctuations in nature and within oneself with the seasons. Winter tends to be cold, dense, contracted, with life in quiescence; and Summer’s essence is hot, expansive, and profusely alive with plant and animal life. One’s Chi tends to “hibernate” to a degree in winter, while conversely having the ability to express itself much more lushly in summer.

Yin - Yang & Chinese Elements

Technically, according to Taoism, the Yang or male force should be most strong during the summer. This is called “Yang within Yang” and its element is Fire. It is true that summer seems to be the Domain of Yang at its most mature, however Spring (Yang within Yin) is often when we notice it’s force most strongly. The element of Spring is said to be Wood. Think of the bursting forth of new growth, plants sprouting, thrusting themselves rampantly and eagerly through the warming soil. You get the idea. Good golly Miss Molly, great balls of Chi!

Fall (Yin within Yang, Metal) seems to have a sort of dynamic, yet contented, balance of Yin and Yang leading to the contracted, internal, and often self-reflective “Yin within Yin” of Winter, whose element is Water.

“Early to bed and early to rise,
makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
–Advice for the month of October, Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1735

Our general health is influenced by the time of the year, and our activity should change accordingly to be in harmony with it. For instance, Chinese Medicine prescribes going to bed early and sleeping late in the winter. Not doing so is deleterious to the kidney and sexual energy (chi, jing or ching) . During the Yang of Summer, we can afford to go to bed late and get up early – yup, it’s summer vacation and party time! The seasons of Spring and Autumn are advantageous for going to bed early and awakening early. If you pay a little attention, you will see, and more importantly feel, how appropriate these habits are.

Based on this, one can see how a man’s sexual energy is most vigorous, at times even bordering on profligate, in the Spring and Summer. This may be the time to risk the hedonic pleasures of extra ejaculation. During the Winter is when he is best advised to be most careful, disciplined, and energetically conservative. Disciplines such as T’ai Chi and Tantric Qigong tend to both augment one’s vital energy and, at the same time, increase one’s sensitivity and ability to be in harmony with the flow of both internal and external Chi. Although this is true sexually for women as well as men as we will discuss later, I have to say that adhering to this principal is most crucial in preserving a man’s health and yang life force in general. This is most likely due to the fact that men will tend to “donate” their yang energy most liberally during sex, whereas a woman tends to be more receptive. These generalizations are less universal in men and women who are trained to generate, retain, circulate, and balance their yin and yang polarities through Taoist and Tantric practices.

Yin Yang Supreme Ultimate Male and Female

“During the cold of winter, a man should preserve his semen and avoid ejaculation altogether.
The Tao of Heaven is to accumulate Yang in winter…
One ejaculation in cold winter is a hundred times more harmful than an ejaculation in the spring.”
–Liu Ching

Seasonal Guidelines to Ejaculation Frequency

Season…… Frequency

Spring……. 1x every 3 days

Summer… 1x every 15 days

Autumn…..1x every 15 days

Winter……. 1x every 30 days
© 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Part 6: Ejaculation, Cancer, and Modern Medical Research

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Ejaculation Control: Peng Zu

Peng Zu

During the time of The Yellow Emperor, there was a remarkably young looking man named Peng Zu, who was rumored to be over a hundred years old. Some texts claim he eventually reached an age of over nine hundred years, though this is likely to be a bit of hyperbole. His specialty was the link between sex and health and certain Taoist Breathing techniques. I give a lot of credence to this linkage personally, as my T’ai Chi master, Yung-ko Chou, was seventy years old when I studied with him, but looked like he was in his forties. He had dark hair, was remarkably flexible, quick witted, and walked every where since he did not have a U.S. driver’s license!

The story of Peng Zu, his life and disciplines, was written down in a treatise called Peng Zu Ching, around 2700 B.C. Peng Zu claimed the secrets to longevity lie in sexual practices that strengthened both the Yang and Yin energies. Some of Peng Zu’s precepts I find to be somewhat manipulative, even misogynistic, however there is much truth in his more general and nonsexist health practices.

“Man cannot be without woman, and woman cannot be without man.

To be solitary and long for intercourse shortens a man’s life and allows a hundred ailments.

Ghosts and Demons will take advantage of such a man to copulate with him.

Jing lost in this way is a hundred times worse than the normal way”

–P’eng Tsu

According to Peng, there are four courses of sexual action that promote longevity in men. The two most important are:

Maximize contact.

–By this, he means regular, daily sexual activity of considerable duration.

Minimize leakage.

–Here he is speaking of ejaculation control.

Peng was also a big advocate of men having a lot of Taoist Tantric sex, and his preferred partners were mainly virgins. Though politically incorrect today, there is perhaps a grain of virginal truth here for a man who is too lazy to develop himself and master the unification of yin and yang within. However, I decline to extrapolate on the rationale and protocol for his disciplines in this particular Jade Arena. On a practical note, I do see a big problem these days with the supply side economics of Peng’s preference. I have traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands and even there it seems there is a currently a dearth of supply.

Peng called the leakage of semen (ejaculation) an injury to vitality. He said that clear thin semen was a sign of weakness and loss of vitality that could injure the flesh. Overly strong smelling semen indicated problems with the muscles and tendons, weak ejaculation implied weakness in the bones, and erectile dysfunction showed injury to the whole body. I suspect the routine prescription of Viagra inadequately addresses these underlying conditions.

Peng felt that these conditions could arise in part from crude, rough sex that resulted in ejaculation. Predating the Four Agreements by at least 4,000 years, Peng Zu states in his handbook (Peng Zu Ching) that man is harmed by dark emotions such as anger, and excessive expectation and poor communication between Yin and Yang. Furthermore, he explains:

“Many indeed are the things that harm man, but all of them have their root in the bedchamber. How people are deluded by this! Man and woman mutually complete each other, just like Heaven and Earth gave birth to each other. Tao nourishes the vital force (chi) in order that man may not lose his harmony. Heaven and Earth have obtained the Tao of sexual intercourse, therefore they are everlasting. But man has lost the Way of sexual intercourse, therefore he has become mortal. To be able to avoid all harmful things, and to obtain the art of Yin and Yang, this is the Way of Immortality.”

–Shang-ku-san-tai, Yen Kho-Chun, ed.

The implication is that in addition to ejaculation control, self-mastery and longevity depend upon emotional transmutation, harmony, balance, and unity between Man and Woman and within oneself. The sexual ideal could partly manifest itself as slow, gentle, loving sex with careful ejaculatory management, as is ideal in Tantra and neo-tantra.  Peng advised retaining the semen with the intention that it revert upward to the “Upper Vast Stream” in the brain. This sort of generalized kundalini yoga technique results in inner tranquility, peace, longevity, and can lead to enlightenment.

Peng Zu’s Guide to Ejaculation Frequency

Age… Frequency

20… 1x every 2 days

30… 1x every 3 days

40… 1x every 10 days

50… 1x every 15 days

60… 1x every 30 days

Comparing this to Su-Nu’s guidelines, Peng’s seem considerably more strict. Though if he did live to be 900, as he is alleged to, one might grant that he may have embodied some of the benefits of that which he prescribes. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.
Part 5: Ejaculation Control and the Seasons

Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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Ejaculation Control: Lady Su, The Plain Girl
In both Tantra and Taoist lore it is often the woman who is regarded as more knowledgeable about sexual matters. Courtesans and Tantric Initiatresses had the time to study these arts in depth, while the men were off doing various manly things, such as making war. The Yellow Emperor had three Tantric Initiatresses who instructed him in the bedroom arts, ejaculation control, and the relationship of sex to mental and physical well being. Perhaps the most famous of these was Su-Nu, sometimes known as Lady Su or The Plain Girl.

Lady Su and the Yellow Emperor

In “The Classic of the Elemental Lady,” Su-Nu is instructing the depressed and impotent Yellow Emperor. She counsels,

“The debility of men is caused by faulty habits in the joining of Yin and Yang. Women prevail over men, as water prevails over fire. They that know the Tao are like a good cook who can blend the five flavors into a tasty soup. They that know the Tao of Yin and Yang can blend the five pleasures. They that know not, may die an untimely death. You must first harmonize the life force and then the Jade Stalk will arise. If the Jade Stalk does not move, it will die”

The unification of Yin and Yang occurs both within and without. It is every person’s duty to balance these energies within as evidenced by the large number of Taoist exercises developed for this, including dietary regimens. However, like the practitioners of Tantra,  Daoists recognized that a healthy sex life was equally important, something which has only recently been addressed in Western medicine.

“The Emperor should make love with nine chosen consorts every night…Each of the nine consorts should be satisfied fully, so that the planets are pleased. Retaining his semen by proficiency in the Art of Love, The emperor concentrates powers within.”
– Lady Su

So gentlemen, if you are going to be able to do your kingly duty, even if only with one consort, one would be well advised to begin at least with some consideration and observance of the Taoist guidelines for ejaculation control and the conservation of energy.

Lady Su’s Guide to Ejaculation Frequency

Age… Frequency if Healthy… Frequency if not Healthy

20….. 2x a day………………….. 1x a day

30….. 1x a day………………….. 1x in 2 days

40….. 1x in 3 days…………….. 1x in 4 days

50….. 1x in 5 days…………….. 1x in 10 days

60….. 1x in 10 days…………… 1x in 20 days

70….. 1x in 30 days…………… none

You can see there is quite a spectrum here in her recommendations, from twice a day to none at all, depending on age and overall strength and health. © 2008 Keith E. Hall, All rights reserved.

Part 4: Ejaculation Control: Peng Zu

Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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The Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor (Huang Ti or Huangdi) is a semi-mythical figure of China’s Golden Age circa 2697 B.C. During his reign, writing, agriculture, animal husbandry, the compass, calendar, and silk were said to have been discovered.

Huang Ti reportedly had intercourse with, or kept a harem of, 1200 women during his lifetime, rivaling even the most venerable Sifu, Charlie Sheen. He is said to have commissioned a team of doctors to study sex, herbology, and health, resulting in the classic text known as “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine”, also known as “The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Jing” or “Huangdi Neijing.”

Most modern scholars believe the Huangdi Neijing to have been compiled from the original ancient sources between the Zhou and Han dynasties, some 2,000 years later than the reign of the Emperor (circa 300 B.C.) This book, whose form is a conversation between Huang Di and his various advisors including the physician Minister Chi Po (Qibo), is considered the “bible” of Chinese Medicine. Even today, it is still used as a primer in many schools of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Indeed even the famous Lao Tze acknowledged the Yellow Emperor as the foremost progenitor and practitioner of the Tao. In addition to Tantric Taoist sexual practices, this classic contains information on diet, herbs, meridians, and 12 different forms of massage.

“…The yin-yang arts at their highest can cure minor illnesses; at the next level, they can be used to avoid depletion. If a man knows the Tao, then the more he makes love, the better becomes his health.”
–Ko Hung

Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine

Huang Ti was a big fan of seminal retention (ejaculation control) although it was said that he did father 25 children, so it would appear that he was not absolutely dogmatic about this. He was credited with discovering the secret of blending the male and female essences during intercourse, and the technique of transmuting the Yin and Yang essences into an elixir of pure life force and spirit (there is a similar practice in Tantra.) According to legend, the Yellow Emperor’s sexual practices resulted in him becoming immortal after living to over 100 years of age.

Here is what he is said to have experienced through retaining his male essence (denying ejaculation):

“After the first time I stopped it, I gained strength.
After the second time my eyesight sharpened and my hearing became more clear.
After the third time, I felt no sickness.
After the fourth time, I felt my inner organs improve.
After the fifth time my circulation became smooth.
After the sixth time, my waist grew strong.
After the seventh time, my hips and legs became strong.
After the eighth time, my whole body glowed.
After the ninth time, I felt I could live long.
After the tenth time, I feel as if I am in Heaven.”

Whether the Yellow Emperor was an actual historic person, or if his existence was mainly a literary tool to focus a student’s attention on the relationship of the Tao to health and longevity, is really not very important. What matters is that a large collection of sexual, health, and natural wisdom was compiled and codified so physicians and other serious students of the Tao could access it. © 2008 Keith E. Hall All rights reserved.

Part 3: Lady Su, The Plain Girl

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Ejaculation Control and Mental, Spiritual, and Physical Health

Wilma asks:
Q: During the winter season, the Taoists recommend less ejaculation for both men and women.
Why exactly do they recommend that?

A: I some times get questions from men about this issue, but rarely from women, so let me take a moment to set down some of the history and rationale about this.

There is quite a bit of controversy within Tantric and Taoist and Western medical circles about the relationship of ejaculation to physical and spiritual well being. The Tantriks seem more concerned with the effects in regard to spiritual progress, while the Taoists seem more focused on health and longevity. The Taoists in particular have codified this precisely, to an almost dogmatic level.

Both Tantriks and Taoists feel that the psychic and somatic essence of man is concentrated in the semen, thus ejaculation could lead to a decrease in mental and physical strength. Western medicine has not really looked very closely at this precept, other than in relation to prostate health. The Tantriks are highly interested in harnessing the sexual essence to activate Kundalini so it can rise to the higher spiritual centers to promote spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

According to the Taoist physician Sun Si-Miao (Sun Ssu-mo), circa A.D. 600, “A man may attain health and longevity if he practices an ejaculation frequency of twice monthly or 24 times in a year. If at the same time he pays careful attention to proper diet and exercise he will have a long and healthy life.” Thus, if a man can manage the energy of ejaculation, he would be able to enjoy sex while becoming very youthful. This may be, in part, because men’s sexual energy is linked strongly to the Kidney Essence. A woman’s energy is linked more to the blood. Therefore, an untrained man’s ejaculation decreases the vitality of the Kidney essence more strongly, though there is some loss for a woman as well. There is a school of thought that implies that since untrained men project their energy so strongly through ejaculation, there is a net benefit to his female partner if she can absorb his energy. Even a trained tantrika or Taoist can “donate” this energy to a woman if he chooses; though much is to be said for mutual cultivation and conservation.

“Do not expel your semen needlessly. Do not expel your semen forcefully, as if dashing something down from the heights. You’ll upset the five main bodily organs, injure the life-energy channels and give rise to every kind of ailment as a consequence.”
– Ishimpo

Sun Si-Miao’s Guidelines
Age… Recommendation

30… Give up masturbation and study the Tao of Yin and Yang

40… Ejaculation control becomes mandatory and should be mastered

50… 1 emission every 20 days

60… 0 emissions, but frequent intercourse.
Exceptionally hearty men may emit 1x every 30 days

70… If very healthy, once in every 100 sexual couplings.

Dr. Sun thought that for most men, celibacy and abstaining from emission of semen was just as harmful as profligate ejaculation, a philosophy now being validated by modern Western medical science. His thought was that abstention disrupts one’s harmony of essence, energy, and spirit. He also says that abstinence will lead to erotic dreams and uncontrolled, unconscious nocturnal emissions. These he declared to be a hundred times more harmful than an ejaculation during normal intercourse.

Sun Si-Miao also recommended certain Taoist breathing and massage techniques to build power and longevity. © 2008 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

Ejaculation Control part 2: The Yellow Emperor

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Tantra and Kundalini Yoga

Tantra and Kundalini Yoga are sciences which use various exercises, breath patterns, and visualizations to activate, balance, and transmute our primal energies. As the polar energies ( Shiva / Shakti, heavenly / earthly ) come into balance, Kundalini begins to flow much more powerfully. Typically visualized as a coiled serpent residing at the base of the spine, this energy begins to rise and activate each Chakra in turn. There is a tendency for this energy to be attracted to whatever needs to be healed emotionally and physically. As we heal our fear, pain, and anger, we begin to experience more abundance, pleasure, and empowerment. Our bodies become stronger, our minds live in more peace and bliss. As Tantra enrolls the enormous power of our senses and sexuality in this process, this requires some delicacy in fine tuning the practices for the individual. Too much energy too fast can emotionally and physically unbalance the practitioner. I have even seen some teachers of these arts, particularly those who adopt aggressive cathartic techniques, reinforce their Karma, damage their bodies, emotions, and relationships permanently. On the other hand, with judicious and sensitive energy management, these traditions remain among the most effective technologies for transformation that we have. ©1998 Keith E. Hall

Next: Taoism

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Taoism

When we include T’ai Chi, the various form of Qi Gong (Qigong. Chi Kung, Chi Gong Chi Gung), and Taoist Sexology, this tradition encompasses all of the important Tantric techniques while adding Taoist grounding technology. Taoist Grounding gives us access to the tremendous strength and stability of the planet. It allows us to become a spiritual warrior, affording us the empowerment to deal with our own internal demons and external stresses. We can have our cake and eat it too: becoming able to reach the heights of spiritual bliss while walking in the world.

Taoism does differ greatly with some teachers of Tantra in its approach to processing Karma. While some Tantra techniques encourage cathartic emotional release, Taoism recognizes that this approach has little long-term benefit for most people, and can actually be harmful. The Taoist call it “circling the Midplane” Aggressive energy stimulation for catharsis is predicated on:

1. Activating primal energy (Qi, Chi, Kundalini) and directing it towards emotional patterns,

2. Fully releasing this energy physically, emotionally, and mentally, and

3. Being able to hold “Witness Consciousness” to observe yourself re-experiencing a given pattern and how it has affected and controlled your life.

This is a tall order and unlikely for the practitioner to be truly successful at. Although the catharsis can feel effective, even blissful immediately afterward, the patterns tend to re-assert themselves over the long haul. If you have one unit of ability to release and witness, and you activate 3 units of emotional trauma, you have effectively reinforced the karmic pattern by a factor of 2. Recognizing that often “less is more” Taoism tends toward working on grounding and strengthening empowerment while allowing karmic patterns to rise into consciousness more gently and naturally. The BodyMind can then more easily witness and integrate this experiential knowledge without the potential perils of a more aggressive energetic assault.(c) 2006 Keith E. Hall. All rights reserved.

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T’ai Chi Chuan

T’ai Chi Chuan is one of the traditional Chinese martial arts or Kung Fu (Gongfu). It is also one of the preeminent spiritual disciplines for the modern age. It can be practiced as an exercise for health, as an art for self-defense, and as a meditation or a Taoist Yoga in motion for sensitivity and awareness.

"Stretch Left Hand Up" The Red Rocks of Sedona are a good place to experience grounding.

As an exercise, Tai Chi Chuan may be practiced by people of all ages, indoors or out. When practicing, use little muscular strength and move the limbs and body softly. T’ai Chi will adjust the breath down to the Tan Tien (dantien) and circulate the Chi (Qi, Ki) to all parts of the body.

The movements of T’ai Chi Chuan are very natural and not forced. No stress or strain is placed on any part of the body. The entire body is exercised evenly and moderately. Thus, it tones up nerves, brain and muscles; while invigorating the circulation, oxygenation and filtration of the blood.

Daily practice is essential, preferably once in the morning and once in the evening. After long and conscientious practice, one’s general health, physical and mental, is invariably improved. T’ai Chi Chuan is particularly suitable for persons suffering from chronic ailments such as arthritis, spinal troubles, high blood pressure, over-eating, etc.

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