Genes are a fascinating topics. And I don’t mean the ones you wear. Genes which have been passed down through your family, may hold the key to understanding your own body and health.
Ever since the discovery of genes in the field of genetics, our bodies and what we have inherited, has been the focus of medicine and health to explain a wide number of diseases, and thus the treatment of them.
The focus of genetics is the “gene”, which is an instruction book, activating certain processes in the body. The genes clump together forming chains called DNA. A complete DNA sequence is called a Genome.
At conception, we inherit half of our DNA from our father and half from our mother. Looking at this model, it appears as if we have the “pot luck” of the genetic pool, and medicine also supports this notion.
However, an emerging field called “epigenetics” is making waves. The basic understanding of epigenetics, is that we have control over which gene is expressed, through our environment and lifestyle. The DNA remains unchanged, however, whether a certain gene is activated, is the field of epigenetic study.
How we live life, what we eat, what our lifestyles are like, and what toxins and pollutants we are exposed to, greatly influence how the DNA is read, and what genes are activated.
The correlation between Primoridal Jing is quite similar in theory to genetic theory. Primordial Jing governs the growth and development of the human body, the inherited characteristics of our bodies such as hair and eye colour, the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and generally how we age.
Primordial Jing is acquired through our parents and thus from their parents and so on. In terms of comparisons, this Jing is the closest thing we have to the Western concept of genetics.
However, as expressions of our Jing, we have control over the expression of our Jing. Crudely speaking, the body is like a car which we inherit. How we drive the car, where we drive the car, and how often we service and maintain it is our life expression, and therefore will influence which parts will corrode, what will wear out first, and how far the car will go before it is taken to the car recycler.
Daoist theory and Chinese medicine has a particular area of study and practise called “Yang Sheng”. Yang sheng is the study of life through observation and training, and focuses on lifestyle choices we can make to encourage health and prevent disease. Included in yang sheng are things such as diet, sleep, energy practises, herbs, emotions and state of mind which can alter our health and longevity.
Yang sheng works with the cycles of life, the seasonal cycles and universal law to maximise health and wellbeing. The thought is that when we work with life, life works with us. Intrinsic to yang sheng is the understanding of the “3 treasures”, or 3 energies that are manifested in a human being. They are Jing, Qi and Shen.
Maintaining your Jing-essence, Qi-energy, and Shen-spirit, is an intricate study. Jing creates qi, qi is refined to Shen.
To find a more detailed description on yang sheng, try the book “Yang Sheng:The Art of Chiness Self Healing” by Katie Brindle.
