Master Yi-Shi Yang () (873954), also known as Yang Shaoshi (), was a

famous calligrapher in the Wu-Dai period. He was especially known for his drafting-style
calligraphy, which is attributed with changing Chinese history. Unfortunately, there are
not many pieces of calligraphy left in the collection that was discovered. It is said that
master Yang burned most of his calligraphies when he was 70 years old as he felt the
calligraphy could not bring people a real sense of peace and health. Instead, he decided
to pay special attention to self-care and Yang Sheng (nurturing life) techniques.
Master Yang wrote a famous drafting calligraphy on the subject of Immortal Living-
Massage Method () at the age of 76, in an attempt to promote a self
massage method from traditional Chinese medicine. The original piece of this
calligraphy is preserved in the Changzhou Museum of Jiangshou Province.
I heard about Master Yang and learned his story and Yang Sheng method from qigong
master Yan Wang, when she was 75 years old, living in Amsterdam, Netherland. Whats
even more interesting, is that she learned this self-massage method from her master
when he was 95 years old! Surely, this Yang Sheng method must play an important
role in their health and longevity, so I decided to share it here as part of our exploration
of the secrets in longevity.
The famous drafting calligraphy by master Yang, the Immortal Living-Massage
Method, is a five-word regular poem ().

Calligraphy by Shaoshi Yang on Immortal living massage method.

Here is a brief translation of the poem:
The first sentence: You can do this exercise at any time and under any circumstance,
just have the inside edges of both palms massage your rib and stomach.
The second sentence: You will feel happy and experience comfort after repeating this
movement. Then use both hands to massage your stomach area with spiral motion.
The third sentence says: Move yours hands to the sides of your waist, apply fists to
massage the two Shen-yu points (kidney area).
The fourth sentence: Repeat these many times, you may ask your family to help if you
feel tired.
The fifth sentence: Massage the three parts of body multiple times, the more-the
better, do not feel tired of it.
The sixth sentence: The more you practice, the more you benefit; practice after
practice, you will walk toward the path of immortality.
To help reader actually perform this simple exercise, Master Yan Wang (maybe it was
her master), has summarized the immortal living-massage into the following three
movements. You can do this exercise by standing or sitting down. All movements
come as massage. The more you massage the better.
Palms face up, and put the edge of your palms on each side underneath the liver and
spleen. Push fairly hard into the body, and rub back and forth.


Make the right hand into a fist (women), left had into a fist (men) thumb on top of the
index finger. Put the first onto the navel, and the other hand on top. Massage in circles
around the abdomen; first clockwise minimum 72 times, (This is effective against
constipation).
Then, massage counterclockwise, minimum 54 times, (This is effective against
diarrhea).
If you are constipated, massage only clockwise. If you have diarrhea, do only
counterclockwise. If neither, massage both directions, accompanying with deep
breathing, and make the digestive system smooth and strong.
Massage the kidneys with the back of the fists. As many times as possible.
Try this exercise daily for a month; you will feel the difference in your daily life.



Dr. Kevin Chen
Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. is an associate professor at the Center for Integrative Medicine
and Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine (USA). Dr.
Chen was educated in the universities of both China and the United States, and
has years of experience and training in blending eastern and western perspectives, and
in the practice of life-nurturing methods. As a long-time practitioner of Qigong Yang
Sheng, he is one of the few scientists in the U.S. to have both hands-on knowledge of
mind-body practice, and an active research career in mind-body medicine, which is
funded through grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and various
foundations. Dr. Chen devotes his career and life to the practice of Yang Sheng, and
promotion of self-healing and mind-body-spirit integration through the non-profit
organization, World Institute for Self Healing (WISH) (http://www.wishus.org).