Lately, many of us have been reflecting on how fortunate we are to find ourselves undergoing this training in such an exotic place as China and under such particularly magical scenery as found here in Yangshuo. Even after several months of walking the same streets in the same small community, we still go out each day filled with a sense of adventure that is feels much more akin to traveling than ordinary living. In China, it is unavoidable that life continues to present an unexpected variety around every turn. This helps to keep us alert and deeply fascinated – a feeling we all long for in our daily lives back home. So far, the Dao of Mind Control has been all about going inside and being excited about what you find there. On Thursday, Daniel related this to the experience of a child taking a car ride to a nearby destination. In the back seat they can’t sit still as they are overflowing with enthusiasm and anticipation of what they might find upon entering the unknown. Immediately after arriving, they may run around with curious excitement, marveling at simple wonders that are completely new and exciting. What’s interesting, is that after growing up a bit, this same child will probably drive his or her own car to that same destination, but have somehow lost the lust for exploration and the ability to see past the familiar, the ordinary. Our experience in China has shown that there are always interesting things to observe and interact with – even in one’s everyday environment – but if they aren’t screaming for attention as...
* Aixing, you came here to Yangshuo to participate in the Work/Study Program – would you like to introduce yourself? Yes, I’m a Vietnamese, I’m interested in learning to master the healthy life and the human harmony. * What is the reason you are here at Wandering Dao? I’m here to learn more about a healthy, organic lifestyle. That is not just only a physical heathy life but also a mental, spiritual life. Learning and praticing every day makes me feel more with each part of my body, it helps me to get in touch with my root, my soul, my energy. I’m here because I want to master me myself either in physical field or spiritual field. * What kind of work do you do here? My main job is to develop the menu, which includes detox diet menu and retox diet menu for using during the retreat and for the restaurant that is being built. * Were there difficulties or challenges you encountered? Well, there were some. The first day I came to Wandering Dao, I knew hardly anything about feeling my “dantian.” I had been introduced and done some meditation before but there had not had anybody to tell me that you should breathe to your different organs in your body, and I had never lived in a community like this before. But I always try to keep reminding Master Daniel speech “ When the spirit is low everything becomes a problem, when the spirit is average, everything is a challenge, and when the spirit is high, everything becomes an opportunity.” And I want to have the...
When the mess left behind comes to the surface… With the fast behind us, the crew here at Wandering Dao all assumed that the hard part was over and we would be able to simply bask in the golden light of health and wellness as we allowed ourselves to indulge again in fine cuisine and energizing foods. This was the case maybe for a few days, but the honeymoon ended quickly. The pain of healing and rebirth has been acute and all-present. Fortunately, qigong has provided us with many tricks to help ease the process. As Maris shares, “My true healing crisis came after the fast – my lifelong allergy popped up on my face worse than than it had ever been. It was torture. I automatically started looking for outside reasons for it and it took real effort to look from the inside. When I went deeper into my discomfort, I eventually reached the place where I recognized my rash, swelling and itchiness as healing. There is a sense of tremendous release at the other end of the pain. Realizing that healing is up to me and my self-discipline gives me a feeling of being in control of my own life and what’s more empowering than that?” Although release has tended to be unpleasant, some of our experiences have been more confounding – bordering on amazing. “I have been dreaming a lot more since the fast, and very vividly.” Jesse reflects. “Also, throughout the day, and during meditation as well, I keep having these strange memories and images of old friends… places, even just past acquaintances – many of whom...
There is a misconception in the world about healing. Our qigong and Daoist training has been teaching us that, ultimately, the only person who can heal you is yourself. What’s more, a crucial part of the healing process typically comes in the form of a surge – a healing crisis. This logic behind personal healing also seems to follow for the establishment of a healing center – in China anyway! We have each been feeling the crisis for Inner Happiness Wellness Center and Mood Food Cafe as renovation is now in full swing. Our excitement over having a new kitchen, an exciting project to work on, and an amazing cafe to share healthy food with friends and strangers has been muted by the incessant screech of power tools, endless pounding of hammers, and an extensive accumulation of debris, dust and filth in nearly every corner of our sacred living space. We have already moved and re-moved our temporary kitchen twice so that many of our essential ingredients and tools have been buried or gone missing. Even the city of Yangshuo, itself, has fallen into sync with our process as the street in front of our home has been ripped open to be replaced with a brand new sidewalk. You actually have to be careful when stepping out of the gate in order to not fall into a chasm! I suspect that any outsider visiting the Inner Happiness Wellness Center, a place that will be touted as a nurturing abode for health and relaxation, at this time, wouldn’t last more than a few minutes before losing it completely...
Immediately upon entering the Work/Study program at Wandering Dao, Nils was introduced to superfoods – e.g. chia seeds, raw cacao, maca powder, etc. The bond was instant, and it is clear to everyone that Nils and superfoods were made for each other. “I feel much more energy starting the day. I have more sunshine in my mind. My mind is more light, thinking is more in focus. I can use it for my work…” Nils reflects. In addition to superfoods, Nils also takes the prize for the one among us who pays the most attention to his nutrition. He is always experimenting with new recipes and ideas. However, we rarely see Nils enjoying his meals as he usually prefers to eat in private. “For me, eating my food is my favorite meditation of the day,” he reflects. “I need to feel; I want to enjoy the different perceptions of the tastes. It helps the digestion. When you are aware when you’re eating, then you are sending information to your digestive system and it produces more enzymes. Being aware allows me to get the most benefit of the nutrition in my food.” Whether eating “superfoods” or “normal foods,” putting that much intention into the process of eating will make any meal a super...
Breakfast gives us a physical boost in the morning and is the key to bring focus and the ability to problem-solve throughout the day. Science has provided evidence that without breakfast we are more vulnerable to cravings and less likely to make healthy choices throughout the day. Aside from this dry health-magazine talk, we here at Wandering Dao have all found that what makes our breakfast special is the way we look forward to it every day. What’s interesting, is that this anticipation can’t possibly only be due to the quality or flavor of the food, since we actually prepare and eat pretty much the same stuff every day! What is unique, however, is that we prepare the meal as a community and enjoy it together. This experience can be magical; it makes our morning fruit salad even more delicious too! When preparing our breakfast, we work together with a flow and try to maintain an intention of always seeking to improve our lives and the life of our small community through proper morning nutrition. In this way, we never tire of having the same meal every day, and the routine of having breakfast has become a daily ritual that helps to build community, friendship, and compassion. Since eating is something that most people make a routine of already, it is a natural place to start developing a ritual. And since breakfast is the first meal of the day, we’ve found it to be the perfect time to set an intention that can then be carried on to our work, training, and all other daily activities as well! Superhero Fruit...
We watch with careful attention as the Master surrounds each student with incense smoke and recites in a magical tone, “enlightenment, purification, protection.” Knowing that we will each be individually responsible for performing this ritual correctly each day, we focus intently on his every movement to make sure we don’t miss a thing. Looking up at our eager faces with a smile, Daniel says, “this act and the incense is all bullshit, you know.” To calm our surprise and clarify, he adds “it’s all about the intention behind the action. Calling forth enlightenment, purification, and protection daily and by really meaning it, that’s what makes it a ritual. The call, the movement and the incense just helps to invest our whole attention to it. Ultimately it is not necessary at all.” As we continue our qigong training, we learn repeatedly that for an exercise to be done correctly, one must engage and focus not only the whole body, but the mind as well. By doing this, we add intention to help focus the holistic being in a single direction. Doing an action repeatedly is a routine, but by doing an action with INTENTION repeatedly, it becomes a ritual. Our daily incense routine is a ritual in the guise of a ritual, but we are learning that even mundane routines become ritualized by fully engaging in the task. So, after morning meditation is finished, this is exactly what has happened with our breakfast routine, and we all couldn’t be more thrilled with the...
Along with the rebirth of the physical center, a new training, the Work/Study Program, has also just begun here at Wandering Dao. The four participants – Aixing (Vietnam), Jesse (USA), Nils (Germany) and Maris (Estonia) – have begun a six month training to prepare themselves and the center for six weeks of retreats beginning in the end of October. In the process, they are all experiencing a sort of personal rebirth as well, as they have just completed ten-days on a detox diet and a seven-day fasting protocol. Catch a glimpse of the team in full detox mode in this video shot by Nils. It also features an in depth interview with Daniel about detox. Holistic Detox 1: Why We Need It and How To Do It from wanderingdao on Vimeo. There are more videos on the Vimeo channel too! Even now, with the fast behind them, the purification continues as the students become more and more immersed in the deep practices of the Self Healing Empowerment Essentials Program. “It seems we are all standing on the rubble of our old life and discovering that there’s now room for something new,” Maris reflects. But this space hasn’t been left empty for long as everyone is busy with their own “work” aspect of the Work/Study Program. “It is a good balance of knowledge flowing in and productivity coming out. The practices allow me to be present and work more effectively, and the work helps to solidify the practice in my mind,” remarks Jesse. Each participant is looking forward to having a very successful retreat in October and learning how to put their new skills...
