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If you ask people what is most important to them, many will respond with “health.” But how many people actually live by this belief? Here is a translated list from on of the Shaolin Classics. Complied by a monk who was also an amazing scholar and martial artist. Below, he gives his advice on how to stay healthy and young.

Ten Tips From A Shaolin Monk On How To Stay Young 

1. Don’t think too much. Thinking takes energy. Thinking can make you look old.

2. Don’t talk too much. Most people either talk or do. Better to do.

3. When you work, work for 40 minutes then stop for 10 minutes. When you look at something all the time, it can damage your eyes and also your internal organs and peace.

4. When you are happy, you need to control your happiness, if you lose control then you damage your lung energy.

5. Don’t worry too much or get angry because this damages your liver and your intestines.

6. When you eat food don’t eat too much, always make sure you are not quite full as this can damage your spleen. When you feel a bit hungry then eat a little.

7. When you do things, take your time, don’t hurry too much. Remember the saying “Hasten slowly you will soon arrive.”

8. If you only do physical exercise all the time and you never do Qigong this makes you lose your balance and you will become impatient. You lose the Yin of your body. Exercise balances the Yin and the Yang.

9. If you never exercise, just peace, meditation, soft training, Qigong, then this doesn’t give you Yang energy so you use up your Yang energy.

10. Shaolin Gong Fu gives you everything. The purpose of our training is to balance our Yin and Yang. How many hours is not important. It’s down to knowing what your body needs.

 [h/t Shifu Yan Lei]