Daoist Longevity and health cultivation practices date back thousands of years. The first mention of Small Circulation is found in the Xingqiming ( , 475-206 BC) and the concepts of movement based Qigong practice were already explained in the YinShu (186 BC) and Daoyintu (168 BC).  A specialized treatise on breathing with detailed analysis on methods and timing of practice was outlined in the Que Gu Shi Qi (168 BC). The concepts of the body as the universe, travelling through the viscera and the visualization of spirits therein was included in the Taiqing text as was the classic Daoyin Yangsheng Classic in the Fourth Century.  There are many many more classics and treatise on such Health cultivation and throughout history masters and practitioners have through experimentation and practice advanced our knowledge of such holistic universal approaches. It is these that the Taiping Yansheng Gong method was compiled with elements from a number of different practices and the underlying Daoist route to health cultivation.