Pavlov, a famous scientist in the former Soviet Union, once said that "tension is a time bomb". With the rapid development of society and the extremely accelerated pace of life, people are often in a state of tension, which will destroy the dynamic balance of people's internal systems, affect people's hearts and brains, and even endanger their lives. Long-term stress is not conducive to physical and mental health, and idleness is not a poison that corrodes life. Especially under the current social system, retired people have a sense of security, have a material life to rely on, and have no specific work tasks. If they are at a loss all day, it is not conducive to their physical and mental health. Practicing calligraphy is a combination of static and dynamic exercise, which is a necessary condition for good health. A person can't just move or stay still, let alone stay still. Therefore, on the one hand, practicing calligraphy can relax people from nervousness, on the other hand, it can enrich themselves from doing nothing, thus playing a role in regulating the pace of life and balancing the internal system.
Zhou Xinglian pointed out in "My humble opinion on Linchi": "Writing books can nourish qi and help it. When you sit quietly and write a book with dozens or hundreds of words, you feel arrogant and calm. When you walk along the grass and sprinkle it casually, you will feel refreshed. " The "Qi" he mentioned here mainly refers to spiritual Qi and aura, which includes both spirit and matter, and can make the physiological function smooth, the hand, wrist, arm and body coordinate, and the breathing, blood circulation and cranial nerves coordinate. The whole exercise process is carried out in the harmony of physiology and spirit. That is to say, if there are some psychological or pathological diseases, and because these diseases lead to a person's psychological or physical disorder, then writing has the function of gradually harmonizing the mechanism of disorder. Cai Yong, a great writer and calligrapher in the Eastern Han Dynasty, once said that before writing, "sit quietly and meditate, feel at ease, keep silent, hold your breath, and be mysterious and colorful. If you are supreme, there is nothing wrong. " Calligraphy emphasizes pranayama, breathing and practicing qi. Pretending to be a calligrapher must calm down and cultivate qi. Before writing, you should adjust your mood, express your heart and get rid of distractions, so that you can concentrate on writing (this is especially suitable for static fonts such as seal script, official script and regular script). From this point of view, calligraphy is no different from the meditation kung fu of Buddhism, which is "one mind is the same, one mind is delusional, six windows are silent, and one sits quietly" (Zongmen Arsenal). It is exactly the same as Qigong, paying attention to pranayama, concentration, guiding qi with heart, and mobilizing the instinctive power in the human body by nourishing qi. For example, Zhou Xinglian wrote, "You must sit up straight first, then the qi is self-harmonious, the blood is self-penetrating, the arm is automatic, the wrist is self-spiritual, the finger is self-coagulation, and the pen is self-ending. That is, arms, wrists, palms, fingers and pens are all used in one heart. " If we do this, the "natural qi" will be popular in the body, the mental and physiological mechanisms will be harmonious, and we will really enter this realm, which is different from the contemporary popular "psychotherapy"