I have been perusing: The Immortal – True Accounts of the 250 Year-Old Man, Li Qingyun looking for any secrets to his longevity and vitality. Li Qingyun died in 1933 at the age of 256 and the book gives accounts of conversations he had with people in the 20th century.
He left home around 10 or 13 years old to wander
the mountains and gather herbs. He said that many times he did not have enough food and subsisted on the herbs he gathered – many known for enhancing longevity. Okay this is a typical longevity formula: under-eating, peaceful surroundings, and lots of exercise.
The interesting part is that he didn’t meet a Daoist master and learn some longevity practices until he was 139 years old. The people that interviewed him said he wasn’t very good at them either. So what did he have going for him?
He says, “The main reason I could live to 139 years old and still be healthy is because after I was forty years old, I could control my mind and not be disturbed by outside issues. My mind was always calm.”
What would it take to have a calm mind?
Elsewhere, he claims that his good health is because of his way of breathing. In particular, he attributes the six healing sounds. He learned them when he was 30 and practiced them every day for about 110 years. He says, “Even when I became a Daoist, I never stopped doing them.
This may be the fundamental practice. The six healing sounds will clear the body of emotional blockages and burdens. And if he started them when he was 30 years old, they may be the cause of mental clarity and peace that arose at 40 years old.
He recommends the practice be done between 11am and 3pm. Speaking the sounds softly.
Now, I’ve dabbled with the healing sounds, and use them in my qigong classes. I even did a month of the wood element sound (Shuh) every evening hoping it might loosen up something. I didn’t notice any difference. But a daily practice at that time of day with all of them – what would that create?
Of course, this might have been his secret to longevity and vitality, but it might not be what would work for me. Anyway, you’ll probably be seeing a healing sound video soon at TESLI.CIRCLE.SO
