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/

Annoying People

Great spiritual masters often recommend that their students embrace the presence of those who they find annoying. The theory being that the annoying person reflects their own short comings and gives them an opportunity to look deeper at their own lives.

Easy to say, however the ability to remain centered and aware when we feel uncomfortable with someone is much more difficult than doing so when we are in the presence of those who we feel at ease with. But the truth is that we have an opportunity to cultivate both patience and acceptance when we are around people we find annoying. These qualities are vital to our spiritual growth. Annoyance can be an important teacher and our way of dealing with it can be an indicator of the progress we are making on our journey.

There are always going to be people and situations that we cannot control. The way we respond to these experiences reflects our spiritual development and mastery over our own lives.

Try to be a little more accepting of those around you. It smoothes the edges of life. When someone is really getting on your nerves...breathe deep and long until you settle back into yourself and can deal with the situation with mindful awareness.

in peace,
Aaron

Hoitsugan Seminars III

Well, I've finally been able to process all of the photos from the Hoitsugan Seminars III. The gallery of photos I've put up is here.

www.artofzenyoga.com/gallery2.htm

The Seminars were a fantastic experience. They took place on the campus of De Anza College in Silicon Valley, California. We had over 115 attendees with 45 different classes to participate in, taught by some of the best karate instructors in the world. The Hoitsugan Seminars are truly blazing a new path in traditional karate training. www.hoitsugan.com

Bringing Zen Yoga to the Seminars has been very gratifying. The response to the breathing & movement practice as a supplement to hard-style training is fantastic. The philosophy is perfectly suited to people looking to deepen their martial arts study.

in peace,
Aaron

Warrior - Healer - Shaman - Mystic - Sage

Warrior – Healer – Shaman – Mystic – Sage

At this moment in time we are less than five years from the winter solstice of 2012. Whatever your beliefs on the manner in which this Great Cycle comes to an end, it is safe to say that change is upon us. And while many would say that the shadows are growing darker, an optimist would answer that is because the light that casts them is growing brighter. A Taoist sage would smile and breathe in the present moment…for absolute reality is vastly different from what is real. And, of course, we have learned to obfuscate reality so well through technology and the media that it is no longer possible to definitively determine what is real anyway.

In the real world of business, politics, and sports 2008 is not looking too good. In the Mayan Cycle of 13 tuns that began in 1999, this year we reach the midnight hour or 5th night.

These times are like dynamite in a head-on with history, some fool’s gonna burn it all down, don’t care about you ‘n me. --- Alanah Myles

In times like these, wise men and women band together. It is not new. Along any journey it is useful to band together with like-minded people when traveling through difficult terrain. Sharing knowledge and skills is vital for survival. But now it is even more important. We are beginning to remember what we have always known…we are inseparable from the laws of nature and the laws of the cosmos…and what goes around, comes all the way back around.

In banding together each person imparts their wisdom like a piece of a great puzzle, which, when completed, creates a map showing the path forward. It is time for those who understand the difference between; knowing the path and walking the path, to walk it together.

This Earth is not much longer going to be content as humanity’s captive. It is time for us to vibrate on a higher level, to connect with the divine that exists within us all. It is time for the warriors, the healers, the shaman, the mystics, and the sages to recognize and accept their role in the present moment.

In peace,
Aaron Hoopes
12/28/07

Zen Yoga
Breathe - Move - Relax
http://www.artofzenyoga.com/

I Asked for Strength

I asked for strength, I was given difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom, I was given problems to solve.

I asked for courage, I was given obstacles to overcome.

I asked for favors, I was given opportunities.

I asked for love, I was given people who need love.

I received nothing I thought I wanted and everything I needed.

Live each moment without fear.

Confront the difficulties, problems and obstacles before you and you will overcome them.

Recognize opportunities and you shall learn to learn from everything.

Love yourself, and others will love you.

And always…remember to breathe.

---Aaron Hoopes