Here are some methods for nourishing the spirit: reducing selfishness and desires and regulating emotions.

Introducing several methods for nourishing the spirit

Few selfish desires and a little greed: "Selfishness and desires arise from the heart. Excessive selfishness and unrestrained desires will disturb the spirit and disrupt its tranquility." Therefore, the *Neijing* (Inner Canon of Medicine) points out that "a calm mind and few desires," and "preserving the inner spirit," are the keys to longevity. If a person can reduce selfish desires and lower their cravings, they will reduce unnecessary mental burdens, which helps to preserve the inner tranquility of the spirit and maintain good health. To achieve this, one should pay attention to the following two points:

First, one must use reason to calm the mind and clearly understand the harm that selfish desires and cravings cause to the body. The *Treatise on Nourishing Life* states: "A state of tranquility and peace, with few selfish desires, is aware of the harm that fame and position inflict on virtue, therefore one should refrain from pursuing them, not by forcibly suppressing desires. One should recognize the harm that rich flavors cause to one's nature, therefore one should abandon them, not by suppressing greed." If one forcibly suppresses desires, they will not cease; if one suppresses greed, greed will only deepen, and the effect of calming the mind will not be achieved at all. Li Ting's *Introduction to Medicine* also says: "If one focuses on reason, human desires will disappear, the mind will be clear and the spirit joyful, and one will not need to seek tranquility."

Secondly, one must eliminate the six evils and correctly handle personal interests. The *Taishang Laojun Yangsheng Jue* (太上老君养生诀) states: "Those skilled in preserving life must first eliminate the six evils, and then they can maintain their lifespan and prolong their lives to a hundred years. What are they? First, be indifferent to fame and profit; second, abstain from lust; third, be frugal with wealth; fourth, moderate one's appetite; fifth, eliminate flattery and falsehood; sixth, eliminate jealousy." If the six evils are not eliminated, all things will cause distress, and how can the spirit find peace!

Suppressing Eyes and Hearing: The eyes and ears are the main channels through which the spirit receives external stimuli, and their function is governed and regulated by the spirit. When the eyes and ears are still, the spirit is internally preserved and the mind is not weary. If the eyes are restless and the ears are agitated, the spirit will be troubled and the mind will be disturbed. Zhuangzi said, "Do not see or hear, embrace the spirit with stillness." The Thousand Golden Prescriptions says, "The key to caring for the elderly is to avoid listening to unnecessary things, speaking unnecessary things, moving unnecessary things, and having unnecessary thoughts. All of these are beneficial to the elderly." Appropriately suppressing the eyes and ears reduces adverse external stimuli to the spirit, which is undoubtedly beneficial to health.

Regulating Emotions: Emotions originate from the spirit and are governed by the heart. Therefore, emotional activities are closely related to the spirit. Health practitioners throughout history have advocated regulating emotions in four aspects: ① Maintaining Optimism: Optimism can stabilize the spirit and promote health. The *Guanzi* states, "The life of a person depends on their perspective. Worry leads to loss of discipline, anger leads to loss of control. Worry, grief, joy, and anger-the Way has no place." The *Neijing* also advocates "taking tranquility and pleasure as the priority." Sun Simiao said, "To calm the spirit, one should be joyful." The ancients believed that "joy leads to forgetting worries," and optimism not only helps to forget worries but also harmonizes qi and blood, strengthens the nourishment of the spirit, and benefits health. ② Harmonizing Joy and Anger: Joy and anger are normal human emotions, but excess is harmful. The *Neijing* says, "Those who are joyful have a spirit that is scattered and not stored." "Those who are extremely angry are confused and cannot be governed." Therefore, health practitioners throughout history have listed "harmonizing joy and anger" as one of the major principles of health preservation. ③ Moderifying Thoughts: Thoughts are one of the manifestations of the spirit; less thought leads to a harmonious spirit, while excessive thought leads to a scattered spirit. The *Neijing* states, "Excessive worry and anxiety injure the spirit." Therefore, the ancients advocated "minimizing worry to nourish the spirit." Here, "minimizing worry" should be understood as avoiding excessive anxiety. *Yang Sheng Fu Yu* says, "When a person engages in thought and anxiety, each thought generates one part of the spirit, each intention generates one part of the spirit, like dividing a fire. The more the fire is divided, the drier the oil becomes, and the smaller the fire; the more the spirit is divided, the more exhausted the essence becomes, and the less spirit remains." Therefore, worry must be moderated. ④ Eliminate sorrow and grief: The *Neijing* says, "At sixty years old, the heart qi is almost depleted, and one suffers from sorrow and grief." The elderly experience a decline in essence and qi, and insufficient heart and spirit, easily leading to sorrow and grief. Incessant sorrow and grief agitate the spirit, damaging health. Furthermore, ancient health practitioners also advocated for regulating likes and dislikes, and harmonizing speech and laughter to nourish the spirit. Likes and dislikes originate from the spirit, and speech and laughter arise from the heart. When likes and dislikes are correct and speech and laughter are regulated, the spirit and qi will naturally be clear.

Adapting to the Four Seasons: The different climates of the four seasons enable all things to follow the natural law of birth, growth, transformation, harvest, and storage. Besides the adaptation of the human body's organs, qi, and blood to the changes of the four seasons, the activity of the spirit (shenqi) must also adapt to these changes to maintain a state of tranquility. The *Neijing* states, "When the qi of heaven is clear and pure, the will and intention are governed; following this, the yang qi is strengthened. Even if there are evil influences, they cannot harm one. This is due to the order of the seasons. Therefore, the sage transmits the spirit, follows the qi of heaven, and communicates with the divine." The *Zhuangzi* calls the great method of nourishing life "movement in accordance with the laws of heaven," which also means that the activity of the spirit must conform to the laws of natural change. The *Neijing* strongly emphasizes regulating qi according to the four seasons, including a dedicated chapter, *Regulating the Spirit with the Four Qi*, which discusses the influence of the qi of the four seasons on the spirit. It argues that the spirit's growth, transformation, and storage in accordance with the seasons is a state of tranquility and inner peace; otherwise, moving against the seasons will cause the spirit to become restless and perish.

Regularly practice stillness exercises: Stillness exercises are a type of Qigong, encompassing both breath cultivation and mental focus, equivalent to ancient methods such as meditation, breathing exercises, breath regulation, and breath absorption. "Mental focus" (also known as "mind regulation") involves regulating one's mental state to achieve a state of tranquility. The *Neijing* (Inner Canon of Medicine) states, "Breathe in the essence of Qi, stand alone and guard your spirit." The *Four Essentials of Nourishing Life* says, "The study of health preservation involves daily meditation and breath regulation, which is precisely the practice of stillness." However, when meditating and regulating breath, eliminating distracting thoughts is paramount, and the purpose of meditation and breath regulation is to guard the spirit. Therefore, achieving mental tranquility is the primary goal of Qigong practice.