Chapter 1
Step 1
Illumination of Yangsheng
Lao Tzu the great Taoist mythical philosopher sage once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." This is where that step must be taken upon the Earth Path of Zhong-Li and Lu, and a most enlightening experience it is, too.
Some people stride along this pathway of life and achieve the ultimate goal: to live to a ripe old age and remain contented and healthy throughout. Others may not be so fortunate and find ill health has come to visit, either from birth or arrives later in life. Its impact is not only felt personally but it ripples out and negatively affects their closest family and friends. It destroys dreams and aspirations, lowers self-esteem and confidence, and causes stress and anxiety, introducing more conditions that compound the existing problem.
As you stumble along the Earth Path, not knowing what lies before you, this is where you will discover that there is another way. It is time to sit quietly (jing zuo) and look back at yourself with fresh unemotional eyes, as if you are assessing someone else. If you are living with or without health conditions, be they mental or physical, you can learn from what is about to unfold.
Yangsheng
Yangsheng ("illumination") is a sensible first step along the Earth Path, as it is concerned with nourishing life, promoting vitality and health, and living long. It should start at an early age and remain throughout life, but for those just now stepping into the light after perhaps having spent most of their life in darkness, it is better late than never.
The term yangsheng breaks down as follows:
Yang—Nourish: This is where you embrace life and live it to the full, while maintaining the protection of the Yin and Yang Cycle of Life (See Figure 33) and conducting your life with a consistency centred on self-preservation. The word nourish has a broad meaning, including to feed, sustain, nurture, and cultivate. "But we do that anyway," I hear you say, and you would be right. But can you honestly say that you are doing the best for yourself? No doubt your intentions are pure and sincere, but you may be falling just short of the desired level of nourishment necessary.
Sheng—Life: This refers to life in its purest sense—present in the newborn baby, the earliest shoots of life itself, and categorized as postnatal qi and the birth of shen (life spirit). This untainted innocence is to be protected, and as it grows and matures it still should be kept to its purest origins. This is seen in Taoist and Buddhist monks who emit a childlike persona combined with the wisdom of an elder. By nourishing you are protecting—in this case, your spirit, the eternal you, which needs guarding against physical, chemical, and emotional attack.
Promote Vitality and Health
In simple terms, this means to make time to practice a healthy daily exercise and lifestyle regime, fully in tune with Yin and Yang and feng shui principles, meaning balanced, regular, at the same time, and in the right place.
Longevity
Genetically, we are scheduled to live a specific period of time, as long as we follow the rules of the Tao, which sets this universal period of time. Broadly speaking, this period is somewhere between 80 and 100 years for both men and women and is classed as a long life in the context of longevity. Barring illness, accident, murder, or natural disasters, we should fulfil the programme.
Yangsheng and Earth Path Connection
The Earth Path is for everyone who wishes to acquire contentment and happiness through improvements to their health and work–life balance. Yangsheng encompasses the specific processes you need to follow while on the path. It is the light bringer and the illuminator that allows you to see the way ahead and avoid the obstacles that would otherwise disrupt your longevity journey. Every page of this book is yangsheng and should provide the power source of your illumination.
Yangsheng and The Tai Chi Classics

The Tai Chi Classics is the ancient textbook about how to tune in to the Tao by balancing Yin and Yang throughout the body. Within the scope of yangsheng, the material contained within The Tai Chi Classics has an important role to play, as it dwells at the heart of all things related to posture, breathing, mechanics, and qi circulation. (For an in-depth look at the Classics of tai chi and qigong, please refer to the author’s previous book, Healthy and Fit with Tai Chi: Perfect Your Posture, Balance, and Breathing, published by Findhorn Press, 2015.)

The following is a brief summary of the origins of The Tai Chi Classics, and how to apply these Classics in the context of yangsheng.
Origins and Introduction
The Tai Chi Classics are attributed to Chang San Feng (see Figure 31), the reputed creator of tai chi chuan, and is in simple terms an historic manual into the correct practice of tai chi. It is a head-to-toe analytical breakdown of the body (external) and how to increase the qi circulating through it (internal). One of the more well-known instructions in The Tai Chi Classics asks the practitioner to "suspend the head as if by a string that has been attached to a cloud." This is suggested because it will raise the spirit of vitality and influence the whole body to zhan zhang ("stand long"), as discussed in Step 2. The string in question should theoretically be attached to the Baihui crown-point, as shown in Figure 44 in Step 7. Just this one small but significant adjustment to your resting head position will prepare you for the many beneficial mind, body, and spirit adjustments that are to come in the steps that follow.
The Tai Chi Classics further comments: "When the Baihui, the hundred convergence point on the crown of the head lifts, and the Yu Chen—Jade Pillow point at the base of the skull where it joints the neck stands out, then the shen (spirit of vitality) will rise to the top of the head effortlessly."
In this way, the Classics gradually work their way down the body, with the goal of creating perfection in human form, stating, "When all the Classics are in place, the body stands in natural repose."
This small introduction to the gems that are imbedded in the science of tai chi is designed to whet your appetite and give you the gift of this, the most important of all the Classics. So now you can integrate it straightaway to rejuvenate your mind and body.
Before we take the next steps, we must examine the cause and effect of premature ageing and disease, in order to avoid the pitfalls before mistakes are made, and by doing so, inform future generations.
How to Age Prematurely
According to a census carried out by the United Nations Population Fund in 2023, the average age of life expectancy for humans is currently set at 73 years worldwide, and China and Japan, along with some Scandinavian and Mediterranean countries, still lead the way in longevity. The United Kingdom and United States do not even get a mention, despite the fact that people in the Western world are living longer due to advances in medicine (2023 figures for UK males = 81 and females = 84. USA for males = 77 and females = 82).
This worldwide average means that, in fact, many are surpassing this figure and comfortably striding into their nineties and beyond. And let us not forget the UK and USA statistics represent what you could achieve providing you live a healthy life with the full support of advanced medicine.
So, in principle, we should be expecting to live longer, and yet, how many of us know someone who has unwittingly chosen to follow a different path, one fraught with stress, frustration, limitations, and low expectations. In other words, lost.
Down endless paths I wander in my search for me,
But each one leads to nothing, and nothing is all I see.
~ Sifu
The words for "lost" in Chinese are yishi de, which can be understood to mean "lost and confused," a good description for most people taking their first tai chi and qigong classes. Yet, after only a few lessons, those who arrived lost show signs of finding themselves and exhibit an awakening of their spirit. This spiritual awakening is what the ancient Chinese call the shen, and in Step 7 you will learn how to open this amazing human potential.
If you believe you can only live as long as society tells you,
Then your wishes will be fulfilled.
~ Sifu