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The term “coordination” refers to the regulation of the body’s physiological functions and the relationship between the body and the external environment. The term “balance” has two meanings:
First, it refers to the dynamic balance of normal physiological functions among various parts of the body;
Second, it refers to the relative balance of the body’s functions during the exchange of materials with the natural world.
Coordination and balance are important theories in TCM health preservation.
1. Coordination and Balance in Life Activities
From the perspective of the unity and interdependence of Yin and Yang, TCM believes that organs, meridians, Qi, blood, and body fluids must maintain relative stability and coordination to sustain the normal physiological state of “Yin平 Yang秘”, thereby ensuring the survival of the body.
As Engels said: “The possibility of relative rest of objects, the possibility of temporary balance, is the fundamental condition of material differentiation, and thus also the fundamental condition of life.”
To achieve this “temporary balanced state” as the “fundamental condition of life”, maintaining the harmonious balance of Yin and Yang in the human body becomes an important health-preserving principle. Whether it is mental state, diet, daily activities, self-care, or the use of medicine, all are inseparable from the coordination and balance of Yin and Yang, with the aim of achieving平.
The process of life activities in the human body is also the process of metabolism. In this process, the various metabolic activities within the body are completed through the coordination of Yin and Yang.
Various contradictions within the body, such as absorption and excretion, assimilation and dissimilation, enzyme production and inactivation, acid-base production and excretion, etc., all maintain relative coordination and balance through the movement of opposites, and this runs through the entire process of life activities, thus keeping internal environmental factors such as body temperature, blood sugar, blood lipids, and blood pH relatively stable within a certain physiological range, maintaining the dynamic balance of Yin and Yang in the human body.
At the same time, the human body exchanges materials with the natural world through the movement of Yin and Yang, absorbing materials from the surrounding environment, such as water, air, and food, to meet the body’s needs; and expelling waste produced by the body to maintain the coordination and balance between humans and the natural world. Therefore, the human body is a unified whole of coordinated balance of Yin and Yang movement, and the course of life is a process of balancing Yin and Yang movement.
The balance of Yin and Yang is a necessary condition for human health. The fundamental task of health preservation is to use the principles of Yin and Yang balance to coordinate bodily functions and achieve internal and external coordination and balance. The complex life activities of the human body are a comprehensive reflection of the functions of the five organs.
Therefore, it is essential to first coordinate the physiological functions of the organs to make them an organic whole. When coordinating bodily functions, special attention must be paid to emotional balance. Excessive emotions such as joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, and shock can affect the organs, causing imbalances in organ functions and leading to various diseases. Conversely, diseases can feedback on a person’s emotions, creating a vicious cycle. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly adjust the relationship between the body’s physiology and the external environment to maintain a state of coordinated balance.
The life activities of the human body are regulated. Movements that conform to the laws of nature are beneficial to life, while those that violate the laws are harmful. Normal movement lies in the harmony between the body’s “internal movement” and “external movement”, and the appropriateness and coordination between them.
“Internal movement” refers to the physiological movements of the organs, Qi, blood, and essence; “external movement” refers to the totality of mental, physical activities, and sports. The former is the “supply-type” movement that maintains life, while the latter is the “expenditure-type” movement that keeps life vitality.
If this “supply and demand” relationship is not coordinated, it can lead to a “life crisis”, excessive fatigue, disease, or even death. A large amount of practical experience has proven that inappropriate exercise can disrupt the balance of the internal and external environments of the body, accelerate damage to certain organs, and cause dysfunction of some physiological functions, leading to diseases and ultimately shortening the lifespan.
It is evident that every movement has its limits. This limit is what the “Neijing” refers to as: “以平为期”.
2. Coordination and Balance in Health Preservation Techniques
Mastering the laws of life activities and focusing on the regulation of Yin and Yang for health preservation to achieve Yin and Yang balance is the key to TCM health preservation theory.
As stated in the “Suwen: The Great Discussion of True Principles”: “Carefully observe where Yin and Yang are and adjust them, with平 as the goal.” “以平为期” means to take maintaining the dynamic balance of Yin and Yang as the criterion. Traditional Chinese fitness techniques and methods embody this idea, summarized as: emptiness and fullness, hardness and softness, inhalation and exhalation, movement and stillness, opening and closing, rising and falling, releasing and collecting, advancing and retreating, known as the Eight Methods. This completely conforms to the principles of Yin and Yang changes, as well as the natural laws of “opposites in unity” and “coordinated balance”.
Taijiquan sees the human body as a whole of Taiji Yin and Yang, advocating that there is substance in emptiness, emptiness in substance, hardness and softness complement each other, and movement and stillness coexist. Each posture and movement reflects the characteristics of opposites and the balance of Yin and Yang. It is evident that coordination and balance are the core of the overall movement of life.
Based on this theoretical principle, many scholars have conducted research on balance health preservation and proposed new methods for health preservation, such as:
1
Element Balance Health Preservation Method
According to the ancient Five Elements theory, all things in the world are generated by the movement and changes among the five basic substances: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, and there exists a relationship of “generation and overcoming” among the five elements, thus maintaining the ecological balance of nature and the physiological coordination of the human body.
Modern research suggests that the formation of elements, the formation of the Earth, and human evolution are all results of material evolution reaching a dynamic balance at a certain stage. According to the laws of material evolution, for humans to be healthy and live long, they must follow the balance and coordination of material exchange.
Modern medical research has proven that during the life activities of humans, due to the lack of coordination in metabolism, certain elements may accumulate excessively or be insufficient, leading to an imbalance in elemental balance, resulting in diseases and premature aging. Many non-infectious diseases today are largely related to imbalances in elemental balance.
For example, the greatest threats to human health, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, are closely related to imbalances in material exchange within the body. Some endemic diseases, such as goiter due to iodine deficiency and Keshan disease due to selenium deficiency, have been proven through medical practice that scientifically conducting dietary health preservation can effectively prevent and treat many non-infectious diseases.
Strengthening certain trace elements can also prevent or improve many endemic diseases. Research on balance health preservation theory suggests that at different stages of life, it is necessary to study the balance of elements in the body according to different physiological characteristics, develop and produce corresponding health-preserving diets, correct imbalances of elements in the body, and maintain the coordinated balance of various elements, which will benefit human health.
2
Alternating Movement Balance Method
Systems theory and control theory research suggest that life is often in a state of symmetry, coordination, dynamics, stability, and balance. The imbalance, instability, and asymmetry of the human body are important causes of decreased physiological functions, premature aging, and diseases.
Therefore, the key to gaining health and vitality lies in regulating and mobilizing the positive factors produced by oneself, overcoming asymmetry, and achieving coordinated balance, which can enhance health and longevity. Based on relative medical research, some scholars have proposed the alternating movement exercise health preservation method.
This method is a fitness exercise that alternates the physiological functions within or between different systems of the body to overcome biased use and achieve self-coordinated balance.
For example, “body-brain alternation” can enhance physical strength while keeping mental acuity; “movement-stillness alternation” can effectively regulate the activities of all organs in the body to restore normal balance; “up-down alternation” can enhance the body’s agility, flexibility, and responsiveness, reducing the occurrence of cerebrovascular diseases; “left-right alternation” can regulate the physiological functions of an imbalanced body; and “front-back alternation” can prevent and treat certain lumbar and leg diseases, avoiding instability in lower limb activities in the elderly.
The above are just examples; there are many alternating movement contents in daily life. Everyone can implement alternating movements based on “integrating alternating movements into daily life” and their actual situation, anytime and anywhere. This will greatly benefit the enhancement of the body’s coordinated balance ability and the realization of the physiological potential of the human body.
Yin and Yang harmonize, and evil cannot invade,the five organs harmonize, and all diseases are eliminated.
When the meridians are unobstructed, the spirit thrives,the body is light, healthy, and longevity is extended.
Five elements discern Yin and Yang,the TCM Daoist health preservation technique.
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