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Author: Alain Herriott

The Quiet Mind

When our mind is quiet, we are in harmony in our world; nothing is pushing us.  When our mind is quiet there is no conflict to push us out of balance, things arise and we deal with them, things end and we are equally at peace.  Feeling the sensations that are inside us, allowing ourselves to gently feel them allows them to change, unwind and find a new balance.  This unwinding again leads to the quiet mind.  ~Alain & Jody Herriott

balance, harmony, Presence, quiet mind

Simplicity, balance, compassion

I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being.  From the Tao te Ching # 67

When we choose to be balanced in ourselves these three things are simply present.  We act, we see the ease and rightness of our action and everything unfolds in perfection. ~Alain & Jody Herriott

balance, compassion, Simplicity

Teachings are easy

Number 70 of the Tao te Ching says:
My teachings are easy to understand and easy to put into practice. Yet your intellect will never grasp them, and if you try to practice them, you’ll fail
 
Most of us have been taught that striving to achieve anything is the best approach to success.  However the striving often creates conflict and a sense of never really being good enough.  We are actually inherently good enough and while we of course do things, the internal doubts and conflicts within striving actually get in our way.  Allow yourself to feel as you work, if doubt finds you, let it unfold and you will find that you have achieved your goal seemingly effortlessly.  ~Alain & Jody Herriott

easy, grasp, intellect, Teaching

The gentlest thing

Number 43 of the Tao te Ching says:  The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world.  That which has no substance enters where there is no space. This shows the value of non-action. When we as individuals choose a softer path, often referred to as a Yin or more feminine approach to situations, conflict and life in general.  We listen, and we act from a place of balance.  Feeling, the gentle sensations within us naturally produces this kind of experience.  Choose to feel it is safe and leads to harmony in one’s life.  ~Alain & Jody Herriott

balance, gentle, gentlist, hardest, overcome, Presence, sensations, Yin

Expressions of Tao

#51 of the Tao te Ching says:

Every being in the universe is an expression of the Tao.  It springs into existence, unconsious, perfect, free….  The act of Being allows us to experience this type of freedom.  As mind and body blend, the experience is quite simply there.  The only effort required to experience this is to allow feeling to have an equal part in our lives. ~Alain & Jody Herriott

Body, conscious, existence, Expressions, mind, Tao, unconscious

Stop thinking

Number 20 of the Tao te Ching begins with: 

Stop thinking, and end your problems.

What difference between yes and no?

What difference between success and failure?

Must you value what others value,

avoid what others avoid?

How ridiculous!

When the mind is at peace, when feeling and mind work together, harmony is the result.  The internal conflict drops away and comparing everything and everyone relative to ourselves is no longer necessary.  We now have the opportunity to live without the conflict of an overactive mind and we realize we are enough, happy and whole simply through being alive.  ~Alain & Jody Herriott 

Quiet and harmony

Quiet–when the mind is quiet harmony rules our world.  We are at peace and ease is our word for the day.  Take the time to sensate the feelings within you; allow them to bubble up and link body and mind.  Enjoy. ~Alain & Jody Herriott 

ease, harmony, peace, quiet

Intention and Attention

Intention and attention. In many disciplines intention and attention are baselines within the application of their work. The Wonder Method uses them as well. Many models use them with a very active or critical mental approach.

In TWM we use them only as a way to access sensation. This is where things get interesting. Feelings, or more accurately stated, sensations, arise and are given greater access by lightening the amount of attention we apply to an intention. For example if you want to touch your toes (this is the intention) most would bend forward and reach or push the body as far as the flexibility allows, and how far you got would be the result.

With TWM we choose to make it more of a journey versus an end result. We allow sensation to be enhanced by using the Breath with Wonder, and then allow that added sense of continuity to be present in our body while gently and gradually descending or pouring toward our toes. Any strain or overt stress is counter productive and implies the mind has gotten overactive and is striving. We still have an intention, to melt or flow toward our toes but only to the extent that this motion continues to be connected to a sense of inner continuity or flow.

When we reach the limit of that action (ie. touching our toes), whether we have reached them or not, or exceeded that action (like palms flat on the floor) then we reverse the motion continuing to experience that flow as we flow back up.

The whole purpose of the exercise is discovery of inner continuity versus touching the toes. This brings an entirely new spin on movement and when this is applied to emotional upset or limiting beliefs everything changes. We reawaken to the discovery of being, much as we did as a young child.
 

~Alain & Jody Herriott

attention, beliefs, emotional, Intention, Journey

Define self through others

Most people define themselves by what others think of them.  What if instead they felt the sensations within themselves, used any technique that fostered self awareness and chose to feel who they are vs what they believe other people want from them.  In our experience better balance is had for both the individual and those they are around.  Presence is usually experienced as a relative sense of balance and harmony when one is around someone who practices presence.  We encourage you to be you.  Balance naturally springs from this way of living.  ~Alain & Jody Herriott 

balance, define self, meaning, others