THE PRIMORDIAL BREATH VOLUME I AN ANCIENT CHINESE WAY OF ATTEMPTING TO PROLONG LIFE THROUGH BREATH CONTROL

"With breathing, proceed as follows: (The breath) should be held
and it will be gathered. If it is gathered, it becomes magic. If it
becomes magic, it descends. If it descends, it quiets down. If it
quiets down, it solidifies. If it is solidified, then it germinates. If it
germinates, it grows. If it grows, it is attracted back (upwards.) If
it is attracted back, it reaches heavens. In heaven, it still presses
up. At the lower end, it still presses down. He who follows this
will live; he who acts contrary to this will die."Blue whales are known to live one hundred years and more. For
animals of their size, seals and dolphins also enjoy a long life-
span. The giant turtle has become legendary as to its longevity.
Turtles also hold the record in being able to remain over eight
hours under the water, without breathing.These amazing abilities, shared by all diving animals, could not
have remained unnoticed by the Taoists, since they were keen
observers of nature. Needham, in his monumental work on science
in ancient China, describes the Taoists as the first scientists in
human history, who carefully noted down their observations and
elaborated theories and methods based upon such observations.Considering that pearl diving, which started many thousands of
years ago in China, was an additional incentive for Chinese to try
to imitate nature, it becomes then evident how Taoists related
longevity to the capacity to control and stop breathing.