As mentioned previously, essence or Jing is the main source of energy in the body. The amount of essence in our body comes from three different source: Pre-heaven Essence, Post-heaven Essence, and Kidney-Essence.

Pre-heaven essence is the melting of sexual energies from both parents during conception. These energies from the mother and father come together to form the child. This form of essence nourishes the embryo and fetus during pregnancy. This essence is what determines a person’s basic constitutional make-up, vitality, and individualstrengths. Some correlation can be made between DNA and pre-heaven essence, but pre-heaven essence encapsulates much more that physical characteristics. Pre-heaven essence is a fixed quantity and quality, and can be only depleted during the course of life. The only way to affect the this form of essence is to balance one’s life. Find a balance between work and rest, balance your diet, and restrain sexual activity. the only known way to affect  one’s essence positively is through breathing exercises like Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong.