Effortless Effort

I was raised to work hard, make each moment productive and set the bars high in life.  What I experienced from this mental or "monkey mind" approach to life was stress, exhaustion, weakened immune system and unhappiness.  I had to learn a new approach to living.

As I opened myself to a new way of "being" the messages coming into my life centered around this concept of effortless effort.  I can still envision and co-create.  Now I bring along this sense of possibilities to what will unfold without any over doing on my part. I do not need to be the only doer, but rather a witness to what comes at the time when it is ripe to manifest. This doesn't mean that I do nothing, but that I look for clues or coincidences leading me along the way.  My spiritual teacher Ishwar Puri said, "Look at life as a relaxation.  Sit back and watch the show."  Just as there is a natural flow in nature, there is a natural flow in each life. 

Of course there can be challenges to face, but if we remain relaxed and at peace to all possibilities, we are more likely to be able to better face what arrives. 

​How does this connect with tai chi and qigong?  Tai chi and qigong is about calming our "monkey mind", relaxation, self-awareness, awareness of our surrounding and the present moment and replenishing ourselves when we feel depleted.  Tai chi and qigong embodies the concept of effortless effort.  Through gentle, calming movements we nourish our mind, body and spirit.  We learn to approach life in a more open way because our minds are open and relax, which helps our entire body to relax.  This will promote a greater sense of well-being and our spirit will feel more uplifted instead of anxious or depressed.  Everything supports each other in an effortless way.