The Source
“It’s crazy out there!”
As I sat down the other day to begin writing this column, this opening line immediately jumped to mind. Truth be told, though, I’ve had the same thought again and again over days, weeks, months, years… While the causes of such craziness seem endless, the fundamental question remains: What to do now?
Recently, I was teaching mindfulness to middle-school students. I would often begin with a demonstration where I would shake a jar of water filled with glitter. The students were delighted to watch the spinning, sparkling lights. But then I asked, “What if I wanted the glitter to stop spinning?” Of course, someone would quickly say, “Stop shaking it!” I paused, but then shook it again, asking, “What if the glitter were thoughts, and that exact thought – ‘stop!’ – made the jar shake more, and the more you wanted the thoughts to stop, the faster they would spin?” No response.
The sheer speed of modern life can feel overwhelming, but how to slow it down? Just thinking “stop” doesn’t work. Steven Mitchell’s fine translation of Tao Te Ching, an ancient Chinese book of wisdom, offers one clue, reminding us that “each separate being in the universe/ returns to the common source./ Returning to the source is serenity.”
So, what is the way back to “the source”? Recent scientific evidence points to the effectiveness of practices like T’ai Chi Ch’uan, a slow, gentle Chinese martial art that mindfully engages the moving body. Mary Layton, who co-founded the Modesto Tai Chi Academy with Naser Ataee, describes its benefits as follows: “What I have loved about Tai Chi is that it is a total exercise, including the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects that make up my humanity. After practicing Tai Chi I feel a sense of wholeness; whatever was disjointed or depleted in me before is brought back into harmony. It’s a happy, energizing feeling to be reconnected to one’s original nature.”
Best of all, such magic is available for all of us, so may I share a “shout out” to the Modesto Tai Chi Academy, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in May
