The Tao of Lifestyle

In my book The Three Sisters of the Tao, I had a great of fun exploring the fine art of living a balanced lifestyle. Like everything else in life, there is no one lifestyle that is right for everyone. We each get to discover and create it from the inside, out! May this taste of The Three Sisters wise musings about the Tao of Lifestyle™ sweeten your Way….

Bon Appetite!
Terah Kathryn Collins

“Harmony is made from the threads of pleasure you weave into your everyday experiences. The more these threads intricately embellish the matrix of your daily life, the better. Your work, play, and rest are a trinity of influences that each contributes to the tapestry of your life. By honoring them as equals, you balance the synergy of your body and spirit, and restore the natural grace of being a human being.”

“Work often has an active, time-dependent quality that presses you to be productive and accomplish specific tasks requiring a focused output of energy. This can be full of the pleasures of manifestation and the fulfillment of completion. Because you are the steward of your own well-being, it is your quest to seek out and magnify the thread of joy in your work.”

“You are meant to be life enjoying itself – life, loving life. Be always generous with the gift of time. Hurrying is like a strong wind rattling the windows and doors of your heart. When such a wind howls continuously, your harmony is swept away. You leave the halcyon climate of the Way and enter the storm whenever you squeeze time and leave it breathless.”

“You resuscitate time when you let every day be an invitation rather than a forced march. You are a human being, not a human doing. Even during your work, let hurrying become a thing of the past and leave time to meander between your commitments. Enchantment awaits you there.”

“While work is focused on productivity, play naturally follows the amorphous slipstream of pleasure. Here, you engage in the activities that bring you joy, feast on gathering with favorite friends and family, cavort with the ever-flowing font of your creativity, and relish in the pastimes that make your heart sing.”

“Your rest, sleep, and introspection sustain your tranquility. Here, you open up the space to commune with your inner guides and helpers whose whispers can only be heard in silence. Your daydreams and night dreams are some of their gifts to you; numinous signs guiding you along the Way. Rest gives you time to lay in your own arms and feel who you are. When you rest, your connection with heaven and earth is restored and deepened so that your heart remains tranquil and open to the pleasures of your work and play.”

“Your lifestyle is hierarchical rather than humane when work reigns. You sacrifice your tranquility and sensuality, thinking it makes you more productive… until you discover such an arrangement has little duration. Only balance endures.”

“Treasure the blessings inherent in every moment. Celebrate the ever-unfolding love affair between your spirit and flesh. Let your imagination soar, gather what was once unimaginable, and return ecstatic. Invite your creative genius to shape every moment. Be gracious to your body and offer her what she asks for – a walk in the sunshine, a rest in the middle of the day, a favorite flavor. Infuse being into doing. It’s more than taking the time to smell the roses; it’s taking the time to sink fully into the mystery of the roses, and all of life. Make this your daily practice. Your kind attendance to your inner and outer worlds – your whole being – restores your heart and calls forth the full expression of who you are.”

To order a copy of The Three Sisters of the Tao – Essential Conversations with Feng Shui, Chinese Medicine and I Ching, please visit www.efsgallery.com