The 7th Method is Withhold (le勒). “Still, settle, guard humbly (jing ding shou xu 静定守虚).” Very cryptic yet very powerful to higher level martial artists. The ability to read a persons intent is a powerful tool but even more powerful would be to hide your intent from the reader, making you a quagmire and someone very difficult to deal with. You must learn relaxation, quieting the mind, returning to your center, guarding your intentions — ultimately working towards emptiness. A fighter with bravado can be a great thing to watch, he or she is exciting and engaged. Yet It is even better to watch someone truly calm through the whole experience. Someone who cannot be hit or beaten. Someone in control of themselves and the entire situation. They do not lash out in anger or excitement, they are swift, fluid, adaptable — untouchable. Its beautiful and rare to see.
How do you begin to find your center, settle, and withhold? You learn to relax (song), quiet the mind, listen inward, and control yourself. You must learn to temper the seven emotions (anger, fear, joy, grief, anxiety, pensiveness, fright) and fight off the six desires (touch, taste, see, smell, hear, passion) If you learn to control /limit them you learn to control yourself. You will be able to restrain and quiet the spirit. You will find peace and stillness. From there you will settle and allow things to come to you. Your emptiness will calm your mind, allowing it to accept ideas and energy and giving it the ability to react without hesitation. You will be humble yet will have a sense about you.
Internally once you learn control, restraint, and stillness you will open up blood flow and energy ways. Your mind will be at ease. Your muscles will relax. Your heart will calm (you only have so many heart beats and the ability to lengthen those out creates health and longevity). Blood and energy will be able to penetrate organs and pathways with more ease. You will have no stress; you will fight off disease; and ultimately you glow with a health beyond your years.