《抱朴子别旨》

Embryonic essence consolidating the spirit (the gathering of the essence of embryonic breathing and the steadying of the spirit) and guarding the primal Qi are, at root, one and the same matter; all that is required is that the breath going in and out never be stopped. Some people, when drawing in vital Qi, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Two parts are expelled, and the one part that remains is pumped through the mouth and swallowed, producing a dull sound in the throat. This is not the Qi of the embryonic origin; it is merely swallowing coarse Qi. Coarse Qi accumulates in the abdomen and is not the same as primal Qi. What is called coarse Qi is simply the Qi of panting and gasping. Primal Qi, though extremely faint and slight, is not easily lost, because coarse Qi is constantly passing in and out.

One should not even let oneself hear one's own breathing, let alone make a sound while swallowing Qi. If the Qi drawn in is coarse and turbid, it will injure the lungs. The lungs are the canopy of the five organs (the organ that covers and protects them), and when Qi travels downward it reaches the lungs first. In every practice of nourishing primal Qi, one must not let the primal Qi go in and out together with coarse Qi; in this way, one will not be bound by life and death. If one pumps the mouth and swallows external Qi into the place where primal Qi is stored, one will instead harm the body.

When people exert themselves in their work, they rely on various kinds of Qi, that is, the Qi supplied by food, drink, and the like. This Qi can only help a person lift heavy loads, travel far, and move the body about. Storing it does not lengthen life, and expelling it does not cause an early death, so there is no need to shut it in. The art of circulating Qi also makes use of coarse Qi: it can move mountains, cut off rivers and seas, subdue tigers and leopards, and bind bandits. From this we can see that the Qi transformed from the myriad things is less powerful than coarse Qi. Coarse Qi may be expelled, but primal Qi must never be allowed to leak outward.

The Qi to be nurtured is primal Qi, not the Qi of the myriad things or coarse Qi. If primal Qi fills the body, coarse Qi will naturally recede; at that point, moving the body by coarse Qi alone, one does not necessarily need the Qi of the myriad things either.

Those who abstain from food do so out of concern that grain Qi (the Qi formed after food is digested) will steam and scorch the five organs. Now, once one practices the methods of Qi cultivation, grain Qi disperses of its own accord; even if one ate nine meals a day, it would not become a cause of illness, and even if one went the whole year without eating, one would not grow thin or weary. From this we can see that the effect of the way of cultivating Qi is truly profound.

Daoyin (exercises that nourish life by stretching the body and regulating the breath) does not consist in assigning names to various movements and drawing them into diagrams for people to copy; originally it has no fixed names or postures. Whether stretching or bending, leaning forward or backward, walking or lying down, leaning or standing, pacing back and forth or walking slowly, or reciting and practicing inhalation and exhalation, all of these can be regarded as Daoyin. There is no need to practice every morning; one should do so only when one feels the body is uncomfortable.

When practicing, one should always hold the breath, that is, temporarily restrain the breathing so that the impulses of Qi (vital energy) become gentle and unobstructed. Holding the breath need not be counted according to a fixed number of times; when one feels one can no longer hold it, first inhale lightly through the nose and then exhale through the mouth. If one holds the breath too long, the Qi will rush to the throat; if one opens the mouth and exhales directly without first inhaling, the breathing will become disordered and coarse, damaging the lungs. One should stop as soon as the bodily discomfort improves and not practice until one sweats; after sweating one easily catches wind-cold because the body has been continuously active during practice.

When practicing Daoyin, the joints may produce sounds: large movements produce loud sounds and small movements produce small sounds. This indicates that the sinews and bones are stretching and the Qi is flowing freely. Daoyin can nourish diseases that have not yet manifested and can also dredge disharmonious Qi. When the body is set in motion, the joints throughout the body and the Qi become unobstructed; if the body remains stagnant and motionless, the blood and Qi in the Three Palaces (important sites within the body according to Daoism) will congeal. Therefore Daoyin is an important principle of nourishing life and also a profound method for eliminating disease.