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Inspired with information provided by Body Expert: Scott Abel

To be in complete control of your own Tao, you must realize your position in and of this moment alone. There is no past; there is no future, as they do not exist in this moment. To give meaning to this moment through expression or to try and capture this moment is a feat of negation and thereby not Tao. Tao is thought, without the judgment of thought. Tao is magnificence, without awe. Tao is strength without any measure.

No artist begins a creative act seeking an award at the end. No one reads a script and thinks, "This will earn an academy award" No. Instead, as artists they take on roles or create music that resonates within them. This is Tao in nature; the externals are nice but not sought after.

To embrace Tao into your health and well being mentally is a positive affirmation which helps increase your mental and physical energy. The Chinese teach about three energies which are worth mentioning here; all of which are with you from when you are born until when you die.

The first I will mention is Chi. Chi is the energy you have every day, spiritually and physically. This energy gets depleted and recharged in many ways throughout your day. You may meet someone who gives you Chi energy, and you may also come across people who negate your Chi; this is why it is so important to include proper rest and recuperation in your daily regime - to restore your Chi. Without this rest, you are more likely to burn out than to wear out; and, if during the time you are supposed to rest while instead you are obsessing about what's next, then you are not truly recharging.

Your Shen energy path is the energy you radiate out each day. It is a vibe if you will that you put out into the world. It is what the world experiences from what you radiate. Your Shen energy is real, it cannot be faked. It is not the vibe you want people to perceive, but is the actual real vibe you put out. Someone with a lot of Chi energy will also radiate a lot of Shen as well.

Your Jing energy is your life's spiritual battery. It is your stored energy that you are born with, and it is fixed at birth. We steadily deplete our Jing energy throughout our lives. Hating yourself, your body, your workouts, your job, your surroundings etc, will deplete your Jing; and this will deplete all sources of your energy because your Jing energy feeds your Shen and your Chi. Negative emotional attachments and emotions also intensely deplete Jing and prematurely age us.

Exercise, in the spirit of enlightenment to your energies and in relation to Tao, is the most perfect and powerful path to your achievement of good health, weight loss, higher self esteem and ultimately satisfaction and happiness. Tao is the easiest approach to synergize your fitness success with your fitness goals. Champions at life do not know the word 'try', they only know 'I will,' and 'I am.' This is the nature of the Tao process. When you are stuck and only measuring your worth on the basis of one or more external factors, you are likely to go up and down like a Yo-Yo in both mood and self-conception. It's not your diet that is weighing you down; it's your thoughts that are weighing you down.

Of course, that does not mean there will not be setbacks. It does mean we are only responsible for efforts and following a path just to 'be' a better athlete will lead to results. Life is always changeable. Higher levels of awareness neither force nor resist change. Self-assessment needs to replace self-judgment. This is the path to the Tao centre. The Tao centre is the trunk of the tree and the roots as well. It is the base, the strength, the power, the centre from which all else branches out. Your inconsistent and controlling negative thoughts are only reflections of oneself, not the 'root' of oneself. To recognize your imbalances are to find the way back to your roots, your true self.

This may be your introduction to Tao, Chi, Shen and Jing, or maybe you are adding to your own experience. Undoubtedly, you now have the knowledge to live in the moment, that which is Tao. Go forth and live without the doubt of weight-loss failure, because you are in the moment, with Tao and your fitness Tao centre. Good Luck!

Note: Thank you to Open Grove Claudia for introducing me to Scott.

Labels: health, success, tao, zen