Tao Te Ching - Verse 5

"Hold on to the center. Man was made to sit quietly and find the truth within." 

This is the last part of the 5th verse of the Tao Te Ching (this part is from "Living the wisdom of the Tao" by Wayne Dyer). In this part, Laozi is underlining how the authentic way is the one emerging from the inside, without any external requirements. These words made me think a lot about judgment, and I am not talking only about external evaluation but mostly about self-judgment. Truth is, we are our most fearsome and ruthless judges, we have the ability to hurt ourselves with comparisons and degradation and rarely we treat ourselves with love and compassion. It's very hard to sit quietly and trust our center which is directly connected to the source of energy. We already have all the answers, but we are never really quiet and those answers cannot reveal themselves to a confused and doubtful mind. Centering is one of my favorite movement in Tai Chi and Qi Gong. When I practice Centering I really feel connect and quiet, open to listen and to trust my truth within. This is connected to the first part of this verse, which is about changes and the ability to accept them as a natural part of life. A strong attachment to things and people could lead to pain and disappointment, driving us away from our truth within. Of course, this is really the hardest part to practice, but I've personally developed my own way to deal with this: I imagine myself as an observer of my own life and I try not to be judgmental while observing all the things which are hurting me or those which are keeping me from evolving. Observation without judgment is a great way to be aware of what is going on in our lives without adding any other pressure. After observing I practice my Centering exercises and then I let my Center guide me back to my own truth. - Please remember I'm not teaching the move but just showing it. -