Start from Zero

A fit, healthy body and a calm, clear mind lay the fertile ground for our spiritual nature to grow and develop --zin

One of the biggest hurdles we face when making life changes in body fitness is starting from a negative.

The first step is to approve of the body you have right at this moment - NOT the body you want, NOT the body you are going to have in six months after you work out, NOT the body you had last year or ten years ago, but the body you have right NOW.

Oh no!...you say...OH YES!...that body with the belly that pops over the belt buckle or the thighs that rub together, or with the yellow stained teeth, or whatever you think is wrong with you.

Regardless of all the faults, real or imagined, it is the only body you have.
And here you are...alive.

If you have to live with it, you might as well come to terms with it instead of fighting it.

Acceptance of that fact is like opening a door to a new world.

Imagine a line of numbers

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Zero is the center point..the place to begin so you can go up into positive numbers.

Instead, if you begin with a negative number, you spend all of your time trying to get to zero, so you can begin.

Your body…right now…exactly as it is….is zero.
From zero...go up.

How strong, how fit, how healthy you are is how strong, fit and healthy you are.

Start from there.

Everyone can do some sort of breath and movement practice in order to start the process of getting the body feeling better.

http://www.artofzenyoga.com/

Remember...

We are certainly beginning to see the scope of the changes that are ahead of us. The next few years are going to challenge us beyond anything we can imagine. It is at times like this that it is best to go back to the basics. Often when it feels like things are spinning out of our control it helps to practice that which grounds and empowers us. Breathing is such a practice. Taking a deep breath when we are stressed or worried is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. It boosts oxygen levels, opens constricted energy pathways and provides more oxygen to our brains.

There is an old adage that says:
If the only tool you have is a hammer, all of your problems begin to look like nails...

If we realize that deep breathing is also a tool it becomes available to us when we need it. And we can start to look at our problems differently.

There are going to be plenty more challenges ahead of us in the days, weeks and months to come. When things start to get a bit crazy please Remember to Breathe!

wishing you much peace,
Aaron Hoopes

www.artofzenyoga.com

The Zen Anti-Diet

Aaron Hoopes and Zen Yoga are happy to announce the publication of the new ebook

Eat Smart: The Zen Anti-Diet

This little book is a daring approach to eating and losing weight, except that it is not a diet book. Instead, it is an application in the context of Zen about healthy food and eating habits that should be part of everyone’s life. It provides anyone the framework for achieving their ideal weight.Eat Smart starts with the basic proposition that most of the diets we are bombarded with daily on television, in books and other media just don’t work! They just don’t. And the dieters who appear to benefit generally gain all the lost weight right back.

The Zen Anti-Diet is a practice of learning to be mindful of what you are putting into your body and allowing your body to reach a natural state of peace and contentment.Fundamental point of this book is about Zen and becoming attuned to the present moment. Practicing the Zen Anti-Diet is a recipe for happiness, health and long life.

Aaron Hoopes’ book Eat Smart is a holistic approach to eating which follows the precepts of Zen in its emphasis on experiencing the present moment and on connecting with the core of one’s being.Starting at the most basic levels, Mr. Hoopes counsels a slowing down of the food consumption process and underlines the importance of water in the human circulatory system. He suggests maintaining a peaceful and happy environment for eating and urges you to pay attention to the usually unheralded nutritional value of chewing longer. He also recommends you try to avoid achieving sensations of fullness by being mindful of the timing and the size of your meals.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the book is to refrain from consuming the many additives, chemicals and poisons found in processed foods.Hoopes provides a number of exercises to help imprint the Zen Anti-Diet concept in your mind and offers tools to enhance the beneficial habits of food consumption.

ORDER NOW!

Chasing Happiness

We seem to be chasing happiness. Modern life tends to be barely controlled hysteria as everyone is hurrying towards the future. We believe that if we acquire the newest fashion or buy the latest CD it will give us the happiness we are seeking. It is like a new, modern disease “I’ll be happy when…” We take holidays in search of happiness only to find ourselves worrying about all the stuff we left behind. Happiness always seems just around the corner, if we can just get there.
The truth is that this is an illusion. There is no happiness but in the present moment. Seeking happiness is like a dog chasing its own tail. Around and around we go, never quite reaching our goal. Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. It is the experience of living every moment with full awareness and awe at the beauty and grace of life. Happiness is not next week.
It is now.