The essence of Tai Chi regimen lies in keeping the heart in good condition. Only when the heart is not disturbed by trifles can one keep his/her Qi and blood unobstructed and defend diseases. In Tai Chi of the human body, to prolong life, one must have mastery of yin and yang, keep moderate movement and stillness, mold his/her temperament, and behave in a way that coincides with nature.

Nurse the Spirit

The “spirit” must be nursed to preserve health. This is at the root of Tai Chi regimen. All human activities rely on the spirit.

“Spirit” here may be understood as vital spark, emotion, mind, and so on. Nursing the spirit means regulating the mind status and stabilizing emotions. Only with good mental status, stable emotions, and an optimistic and open mind can one's Qi and blood be sufficient and the body healthy. Even when one of his/her emotions goes too far, his/her body's yin and yang will be out of balance, affecting his/her health.

The ancient Chinese also believed the spirit to be governed by heart. Heart is the source of all mental and conscious activities, and the governor of the spirit. Nursing the heart is the foundation of nursing the spirit and the concrete action of it.

Keeping the Five Internal Organs Healthy

In ancient China, the five internal organs referred to heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys, which were believed to maintain the normal functioning of the human body and have a direct bearing upon human life. Closely associated with the five body constituents (tendons, bones, blood and vessels, muscles, and skin and hair) and the five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and mouth), the five internal organs govern all functions of the human body.

The health condition of the five internal organs is connected with the “five evils”, i.e. wind, hotness, dryness, dampness and cold, the most common factors causing illness to the organs. Each of the five evils corresponds to one of the five organs.

The change of human emotions is also closely associated with the functional behavior of the five organs, with anger hurting the liver, joy hurting the heart, pensiveness hurting the spleen, grief hurting the lungs, and fear hurting the kidneys.

For daily foods of human beings, the five internal organs have their respective favorite flavors and taboo ones, with sour regenerating the liver, bitter the heart, sweet the spleen, acrid the lungs, and salty the kidneys. When a pathological change happens to one of the organs, foods with flavors doing good to the organ can be taken as a therapy. However, preference to any one flavor does harm to the corresponding organ.

Conforming to Sishi

The ancient Chinese believed that the natural changes of Sishi (referring to climate, seasons, etc.) have certain laws to follow and that the human activity is interlinked with the changes of the heaven and earth, yin and yang, and Sishi. Only by conforming to the change in yin and yang of nature can man sustain life, be healthy and prolong life. Thus, preserving health in a way that conforms to yin and yang and Sishi is a basic principle of Tai Chi regimen, too.

Spring and summer are warm and hot, during which all things on earth grow and develop. These two seasons are attributed to yang. In spring and summer, therefore, one should preserve yang within the body so as to adapt to the increasing Qi of yang in nature, but may not go too far so as not to hurt it. Autumn and winter are cold, during which all things on earth converge, and the two seasons are attributed to yin. In autumn and winter, therefore, one should store Qi and preserve yin within the body so as to adapt to the increasing Qi of yin in nature, but may not exhaust the essence so as not to hurt the Qi of yin. By preserving health according to Sishi in this way, one can balance yin and yang, resist external evils and prevent illness.

Moreover, the changes of Sishi in nature are also manifested in the alternation of days and nights. Preserving health according to Sishi also stresses the regulation of work and rest as per the law of day-and-night alternation, for example, working and recreating in the day while resting and sleeping at night. Only by doing so can one maintain the coordination and unity of physiological functions of the body and ensure longevity.

Geology-based Health Preservation

According to Tai Chi regimen theory, the geological environment is closely connected with health. A beautiful environment with fresh air, sparse population, and freedom of infectious diseases, is an important condition for health and longevity. Living in such an environment, people are happy, free of worry, and for sure can live long.

The ancient Chinese believed that cold climate slows down metabolism and prolongs the growing period and the process of ageing. To the contrary, hot climate shortens human life. For example, the percentage of long-lived people in cold mountainous areas is apparently higher than that in other areas. For different regions, therefore, different life-nourishing methods should be adopted. Life nourishing masters in ancient China usually pursued regimen by selecting and improving their living environments.

The ancient Chinese also believed that in high places the Qi of yin is sufficient and people usually can live long while in low places the Qi of yang is deficient and people usually die at early age. Since ancient times, therefore, the ancient Chinese preferred to live in remote mountains where there were dense trees and tranquil environment, so that they could make the best of the surrounding environment for nourishing life.