During more than thousands of years of practice, oriental practitioners of Tao or yoga have experimented with tremendous ways to achieve wellness and longevity. Their experiences had been recorded and can be applied to our benefit.

In the West nowadays, the word "yoga" is so popular, you could easily book into a yoga studio and explore this ancient art. You could be well-equipped with all sorts of yoga books, music, tools and clothes, most of which don't have much to do with the ancient yogis, however. Yoga is more of a unity of healthy lifestyle. Looking into the wisdom and life of real yogis can help us master the principles of the art of wellness.

In the East, original India yoga spread over the Himalaya into Tibet and Central China one thousand years ago. This ancient teaching was integrated into local culture and well kept even though the original Indian culture was destroyed by foreign invaders. Tibetan yogis integrated Indian yoga into Buddhist practice, while Chinese Taoist yogis absorbed the Indian yoga into their longevity approach. In 1973, a silk painting 2,200 years old was unearthed in China that revealed Taoist yoga practice with therapeutic description. 

A related document introduced how to apply herbal supplements to enhance the yoga practice, which was the first record of yogi herbs ever found. The Taoist yogis found that specific herbs work well with different meridians to develop energy balance during their practice. At different levels of their practice, specific herbs were formulated to improve circulation or adjust the inner organs performance. For instance, some formula could help relieve the muscle tension and ache during training; other herbs could cultivate the mind for meditation practice.

Yogi herbs were included in the first Chinese Medical Herbal Pharmacopoeia, called Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. The Taoist idea of using solar energy, botanical essences and internal energy in the pursuit of wellness were incorporated into traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as the "Three Treasures" theory, i.e. "Jing (Essence), Qi (Vital energy) and Shen (Spirit)", which is equivalent to the popular words "body, mind and spirit". Herbal power is a must in Taoist yogi practice, just like today's gym goers use nutrition and supplements for their training.

In Tibetan yogi training, herbal essences have been taken as a secret power to achieve enlightenment. The famous Yogini Yeshe Tsogyel was told by Guru Rinpoche when she was too weak to continue her yoga practice, "You are too repressed and too fervent in your practice. You should use essential elixirs of herbs and shrubs to cultivate the play of your intelligence and restore your body to health".

As a result of 20 years of study of Taoist and Tibetan yoga, I have integrated TCM wellness and traditional yogi herbs. Intensive research after two years of Taoist longevity practice in the famous Taoist yogi mountain Mount Laoshan have inspired me to found a herbal product line called Dr. Herbs. Taoist yogis in Mount Laoshan enjoy a long history of unique practice and have set up their own school of practice that highly values the usage of herbs to help wellness and yoga practice.

My formulas - Moonlit, CardioQi, PainAway and ImmunoPlus - are especially suitable for those who practice yoga. Modern body and mind balance can be improved thanks to thousands of years of yogi herbal practice.

The Care Centre
Wenrong Chen, RTCMP
213-1529 West 6th Ave 604-518-6455
1467 Bellevue Ave 604-913-2262
518-510 West Hastings St 604 518 6455
Vancouver & North Vancouver, BC
Free consultations to HANS members and a 15% discount on treatments.
www.thecare.ca

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