There are many Taoist health methods, all aimed at nurturing life and attaining longevity. Below we introduce the three Taoist methods of swallowing in the qi of heaven and earth.
Taoist swallowing methods mainly comprise three kinds: swallowing the qi of heaven, swallowing the qi of earth, and swallowing the qi of mountains. Below we describe how each is practiced.
1. Taoist Health Cultivation: Swallowing the Qi of Heaven
Choose any direction—east, south, west, or north—and stand with feet together, the toes of both feet on one straight line. Drop the shoulders and sink the elbows, hollow the chest and raise the back, with the middle fingers along the side seams of the trousers. Relax the whole body naturally, stay quiet, and let the mind settle. Once still, raise the head so that the face turns toward the sky, eyes slightly open, breathing naturally. Open the mouth fully and, with the mind, draw the qi of the entire sky into the mouth and swallow it quickly into the belly; then slowly exhale, without applying the mind. Once still again, swallow the next mouthful. If you cannot swallow the qi of the whole sky in one mouthful, you may take it in several—that is, swallow the natural qi of heaven in several parts—but how much of heaven's qi is swallowed must be controlled by the practitioner's intention, and the swallowing is done in continuous succession.
2. Taoist Health Cultivation: Swallowing the Qi of Earth
Choose any direction—east, south, west, or north—and stand with feet together, the toes on one straight line. Drop the shoulders and sink the elbows, hollow the chest and raise the back, with the middle fingers along the side seams of the trousers, and relax the whole body naturally into stillness. Once still, lower the head so the face turns toward the ground; the eyes may be closed or open. Breathe naturally, open the mouth fully, and, with the mind, draw the qi of the whole earth into the mouth; once drawn in, swallow it quickly into the belly. Once still again, do the next round.
If the practitioner cannot swallow the qi of the whole earth in one mouthful, the earth's qi can be swallowed section by section with the mind, following the five directions of east, south, west, north, and center in turn. Swallowing the qi of earth must be done continuously.
Note: The qi of earth must be swallowed in fields and meadows that are fresh, open, and clean; never swallow it in places of mud, foul water, or filthy air.
3. Taoist Health Cultivation: Swallowing the Qi of Mountains
When you see a place of beautiful mountains and waters, or of majestic mountains and rivers, you may swallow their qi freely on an empty stomach. Mountain qi is the yang within yin and can replenish the body's liver qi. The practitioner stands facing the mountain or river to be swallowed—or an entire mountain range or an entire river—in the same posture as in the method of swallowing the sun. Once still, open the eyes, open the mouth fully, and, with the mind, draw all the essence of the mountain or river, or of the whole range or whole river, into the mouth, and swallow it quickly into the belly. If you are surrounded by mountains, you may face each of the eight directions in turn and swallow the essence of all the mountains into the belly, or you may choose only the main ranges among them to swallow.