While Maoshing Ni quickly makes it clear that a major focus of this 2 CD set is on developing the capacity to meditate to achieve cleansing detoxification, harmonisation and rejuvenation, he also focuses attention on the importance of mastering an understanding of energy, health and time.
      This is achieved through stories relating to centenarian secrets, Chinese medicine and the causes of premature aging. In respect of the latter, Ni makes a most effective point by noting that 73 percent of Americans over 65 are in receipt of some form of home health care.
      In addressing toxins, exhaustion and energy blockages, he reminds of the importance of fresh, nutritious food and positive emotions, the need for sufficient sleep and appropriate relaxation, and the role of acupuncture and acupressure, of exercise and of meditation. These are the simple fundamentals to maintaining the balance, wellness and rejuvenation that are within the easy reach of all, are the essential foundation of living to 100, but are frequently neglected in the face of the imperatives of contemporary life.
      Ni warns that toxins from our environment are a major cause of modern disease and emphasises the importance of eating local and whole food and avoiding the dangers associated with common materials like soft plastic.
      He notes that 60 percent of heart tissue is composed of nerve cells making that organ highly sensitive to emotion and positively responsive to laughter and joy. Moreover, this reality greatly favours the health of those who find it easy to forgive and forget.
      In emphasising the dangers of exhaustion, Ni jokingly refers to sleeping one’s way to 100, as well as the benefits of 30 minute power naps during the day.
      In addressing the need to clear blockages in energy and other body channels, he highlights the importance of retaining a constant awareness of and attention to one’s physicality and spirituality.
      Ni emphases five keys to success in explaining the way to approach meditation – setting goals; using a relaxed, attentive mind; maintaining a comfortable posture; breathing correctly; and being persistent. Like so much Chinese wisdom, it seems totally unexceptional once one has become familiar with it, yet its absence is commonplace in most contemporary lives. Its discovery, or rediscovery, can be transformational.
      Ni does not neglect to ask and answer the question – why live to be a 100 years old? He explains simply that wisdom comes with age and that if one is to enjoy the pleasures that come with mature insight, then it is important to live long enough. He recounts how older people often gain great pleasure and satisfaction from simple and active lives, finding joy in every moment and thing. This is particularly so when life is untroubled by health or related ailments. Moreover, Ni does not neglect the power of words and simple invocations in establishing the correct goals and patterns of life.
      The first CD concentrates on imparting an understanding of Ni’s Meditations to live to be 100. The second takes the listener through a carefully guided set of meditations that will instil a profound familiarity with many of the basic perceptions that inspire traditional Chinese approaches to health, vitality and longevity. These are intended to be formula not just for living, but for living well, to 100.
      As someone whose own life has been enhanced by various forms of Chinese wisdom, one can only welcome more contributions that help deepen Western comprehension of much-needed traditional understanding of human well-being.