1.2 The 'four legs of a chair'

In the Chinese nourishment of life tradition, four practices are considered the most essential for our health and have the greatest impact on our well-being at every stage of life. These practices are compared to the four legs of a chair, a powerful analogy for the importance of balance and a holistic approach to health.

The four legs of the chair are:

• Cultivating the mind and emotions

• Regulating diet, which includes paying attention to how, when, and what we eat and drink

• Cultivating the body by finding a proper balance between rest and the right kind of physical activity

• Sleeping well and sufficiently

The analogy illustrates that when all four legs are strong, the chair is stable and secure. However, if even one leg is weak or broken, the chair becomes unstable; this instability increases if more than one leg is defective. The great importance of this concept is that it warns against the common tendency to pursue health by focusing exclusively on one aspect while neglecting others.

For example, a person might be dedicated to physical training but pay little attention to diet or getting sufficient sleep. Another might become preoccupied with diet yet fail to get enough exercise. Perhaps the most common imbalance is taking great care with diet and exercise while being unable to manage one’s mental and emotional life, leading to suffering from stress, anxiety, or depression. This ancient wisdom is captured in a warning from the 4th-century scholar Ge Hong, who stated, “The partial cultivation of one thing will not prove sufficient to rely on.” True, lasting health is not built upon a single pillar, but rests on the integrated and stable foundation of all four practices.

Which ‘leg of the chair’ needs most attention in your life? Keeping this in mind as you continue through the course will help you decide which techniques and ideas to focus on first.