Ancient poet Lu You: Changxiao
As a documented prolific poet, Lu You, who was born in the Song Dynasty, wrote more than 20,000 poems in his life. The reason why Lu You was able to write so many poems was that he was very talented, and more importantly, he lived quite a long time. According to historical records, he lived to the age of 85 and was the longest living poet in the Song Dynasty.
However, Lu You was easily infected by diseases when he was a child and his body was very weak. When he was taking the imperial examinations as a teenager, his illness became so severe that he had to stop writing exam papers early. So how did Lu You live with such a weak physique for so long?
In middle age, Lu You joined the army as a military advisor, and then began to exercise and learn martial arts. After two years of training, Lu You was able to shoot a flying eagle with a bow and arrow, and he could even kill a tiger.
In his later years, Lu You started an exercise called Chang Xiao, or shouting a long cry. Changxiao was quite popular in ancient times. It is not a roar or a scream, but a beautiful, serious and skillful way of health. When ancient people roared, they stretched their bodies and took deep, rhythmic breaths.
Chang Xiao can help increase the ability necessary to maintain life, relax the body, and keep people in a good mood. For Lu You, Changxiao helped him stay away from disease and medicine. When asked about the secret of longevity, Lu Youyou said: "After reading so many medical books and taking so many medicines, I found that Changxiao is the most effective way for me."
Su Dongpo : Long-distance running, five kilometers a day
The great Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo (Su Shi) preferred long-distance running. He believed that only through regular physical activity can one have a strong body and quickly adapt to seasonal changes.
In a letter to his friend Cheng Zhengfu, Su Dongpo talked about his exercise habit of running five kilometers a day. He slows down when he's breathing hard and speeds up when his breathing is even. Su Dongpo would run until he was hot enough to sweat, circulate blood, and stretch his limbs.
We can see that when Su Dongpo was running, he valued "qi" which represents "energy" or "the essence of life". Su Dongpo liked Qigong very much.
-A system of deep breathing as he ran in the morning and sat meditating in the evening as the chi flowed through his body. In his letter to his friend Zhang Andao, Su Dongpo said that after meditating for almost 20 days, he felt that his body was getting stronger and stronger, and he could go from the first floor to the fifth floor without resting. He believed that by exercising in this way, he could live forever. .
Huyanzan: Cold shower
. Ancient scholars liked to exercise so much, and military strategists were no exception. In the Northern Song Dynasty, there were two direct large families, one of which was the Hu family. According to historical records, people from Zhili Huyanzan trained children by having them stand in the snow during snowy winters and pouring cold water on their bodies.
In the early Tang Dynasty, there was a festival called "Pour Cold Water" in November. A group of almost naked strong men sang and danced on the street while the crowd poured cold water on them. This festival dedicated to God is believed to be helpful in shaping the body.
During the Song Dynasty, Huyanzan revived the tradition by removing the singing and dancing part and retaining the cold water pouring part as a way to exercise people's bodies.