Men's Breathing Exercises for Kidney Nourishment and Balance Training: Internal Nourishment Exercises, Abdominal Massage and Dan Qi Circulation, and Posture Stabilization Techniques

This exercise has the power to nourish the kidneys and rejuvenate the body. I. Preparatory Stance: Stand upright with legs apart, feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides, hands hanging naturally. Relax all muscles, look straight ahead, clear your mind of distractions, and calm your thoughts. II. Starting Posture: Take a deep breath, inhaling first and then exhaling. When inhaling, lift your heels and expand your chest. Beginners should inhale through their nose; once accustomed to this, they can inhale through both mouth and nose simultaneously, causing the lower abdomen to expand and inhale more fresh air. When exhaling, slightly contract the lower abdomen, bend both knees, and lower the heels to the ground, expelling stale air from the lungs and stomach through the mouth. Repeat eight times.

3. Full-body shaking: After taking a deep breath, pause for about one minute. Relax your whole body, keep your back straight, arms still at your sides, knees slightly bent, and then shake your entire body up and down elastically. At this time, the man's testicles will swing slightly back and forth between his thighs. Slightly bend your fingers; you should feel a tingling sensation when you straighten them. Shake like this for one minute, about 164 times. Note that during the shaking, you should feel a vibration in your breasts, all your muscles, jaw, and internal organs for it to be correct.

4. Shoulder Rotation (Left and Right): After shaking, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, parallel to each other, with your weight on the balls of your feet, knees slightly bent, and your whole body relaxed. Your mouth should be slightly open, and your arms should hang down. Then, alternately rotate your shoulders, first raising your left shoulder and drawing a circle from front to top, back to bottom. At the same time, draw a circle from back to bottom, front to top. Alternately rotate both shoulders in a coordinated manner, for a total of 16 repetitions. When rotating your shoulders, use your body to drive the shoulders, and your shoulders to drive the arms, causing your upper body to continuously twist and compress, expelling stagnant energy from your internal organs.

Note that during the shoulder rotation exercise, you do not need to actively breathe; instead, rely on the twisting and squeezing of your upper body to drive your breathing. After practicing for a period of time, you will hear the sound of your lungs breathing when practicing in a quiet environment. Due to the peristalsis of the stomach and intestines during the exercise, you may also burp and pass gas. Beginners should not use excessive force or sudden movements when rotating their shoulders. The rotation should be rounded. Once the movement is familiar and the body has adapted, you can gradually make the circle as large as possible. The effects of the Rejuvenating Exercise are to expel the old and take in the new, harmonize the internal organs, promote the flow of qi and blood, dispel evil and support the body's vital energy, and harmonize with the natural flow of qi.

Learning and practicing this exercise not only lays the foundation for other exercises, but also has effects on treating shoulder and back pain, abdominal distension, and even strengthening the body, improving sexual function, and aiding in weight loss and fitness. It can be practiced repeatedly. This is a holistic self-therapy method, primarily involving self-exercise by the patient, focusing the mind and adjusting breathing to strengthen various physiological functions. It also has good effects on stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastroptosis, gastric dilatation, chronic enteritis, chronic hepatitis, indigestion, habitual constipation, as well as tuberculosis, hypertension, and neurasthenia.

During the preparation stage before and during the practice, both the mind and body should be kept relaxed. The posture for practice depends on the patient's physical condition; it should be natural and relaxed, and there are no fixed rules. Elderly people, those who are weak, or those with more serious conditions can adopt a lying position, either on their left or right side, with their head slightly tilted forward and resting steadily on a pillow. Their upper limbs are naturally placed on their upper side, palms down, on the upper part of their hip joints. The other upper limb is bent at the elbow, with the hand naturally extended, palm up, about 2 inches away from the head, placed on a pillow. The waist is slightly bent forward. The lower limbs are naturally bent, with one leg placed on top of the other, or the posture is not restricted; the key is to be natural and relaxed.

The abdomen is home to the liver, spleen, and kidneys, and is subordinate to the stomach, intestines, and bladder. It is governed by the Ren meridian, originates from the Chong meridian, is bound by the Dai meridian, and is controlled by the three Yin meridians of the foot and the Yangming meridian. It is the source of life and transformation for both innate and acquired constitution. Therefore, massaging the abdomen can promote the vigorous function of the liver, spleen, and kidneys, invigorate vitality, and thus achieve the goal of nourishing essence and prolonging life. I. Abdominal Massage: Take a sitting or supine position. Centering on the navel, use one or both hands alternately to perform circular massage along the abdomen. Taking the right hand as an example, place the palm on the upper abdomen, move it down the left lower abdomen to the lower part of the lower abdomen, then down the right lower abdomen to the upper abdomen, and massage downwards to the middle abdomen, with the palm facing the navel. This counts as one repetition.

The left hand operates in the opposite direction. Repeat with each hand about 10 times. Depending on the need, if there is fullness or discomfort in the chest and abdomen, the chest-rubbing method can be used, that is, rubbing from the chest or upper abdomen through the middle abdomen to the lower abdomen, or kneading from the upper abdomen to the lower abdomen. If it is due to qi sinking or stomach prolapse, the rubbing and kneading should be done from the lower abdomen upwards. Second, acupressure on the Shenque point: Lie supine and use the middle finger vibration method on the Shenque point until you feel a tingling, numb, and trembling sensation in the abdomen. Third, pinching and lifting the abdomen: Simultaneously use the thumb, index, and middle fingers of both hands to pinch and lift the abdomen one by one from below the xiphoid process along the Ren meridian to the lower abdomen, while simultaneously shaking it.

Different postures have a certain impact on the structure and function of the human body, especially on the skeletal system. The human body is supported by bones; due to upright posture, the spine acts as a support, and the human spine is composed of many vertebrae. Standing posture, also called standing position, upright posture, or stance, is not the primary posture for everyone, especially older men, in daily life, but it has a significant impact on physical activity and mental state. The absence of obvious trunk deformities is one of the important standards for evaluating physical fitness.

The saying "standing like a pine tree" means that a healthy man should stand naturally, steadily, and upright, with his arms hanging naturally at his sides, chest out, and abdomen in. He should not lean forward, backward, or to the sides, and his lower limbs should not bear weight in any way, nor should he fixate on one side. Seated balance is one of the basic human functions and must be practiced repeatedly every day. Maintaining balance and coordination is also an essential condition for any sport. Seated balance is not only the foundation of body balance but also helps to improve muscle endurance.

In traditional Chinese bodybuilding training, maintaining correct posture has always been highly valued, advocating "sitting like a bell." Modern medicine believes that correct posture is related to health and longevity. Sitting occupies almost a third of a man's life, and for older men, sitting takes up more time than standing, making it even more important. To maintain balance while seated, one should sit down gently, smoothly, and softly. After sitting, the posture should be upright, natural, comfortable, and graceful. The upper body should be upright, the upper limbs naturally relaxed, the hands clasped together on the knees, the lower limbs naturally bent and extended, and the legs together. Avoid slouching or crossing one leg over the other.