Zing Tao (The Way of Zing!)

The practice I teach I call Zing Tao.
It is the Way of Zing!

First, we center within the body.
This is called Coming to Earth.
Next, we center outside the body.
This is called Opening to Heaven.

Centering within the body creates calm and clarity.
All movement arises from here.
Centering within the body is also called
Confronting the Lion in His Den.

Centering outside the body is essential.
Is Esse-ntial. Is within and of our Source.
Centering outside the body is also called
Accepting the Empty Circle.

Centering outside the body is
"laying up your treasures in heaven."
Centering outside the body is "dying before you die."

It's the two-step.
(1) Confront the lion within his den.
(2) Accept the empty circle.

First we land, then we take off.
Advanced practice is doing both simultaneously.

Zing Tao Bibliography

Alves, Rubem. The Poet, the Warrior, the Prophet. SCM Press, London: 2002.

Ames, Roger T. and David Hall (Tr.) Dao De Jing. Ballentine, New York: 2003.

Breed, George. Embodying Spirit: The Inner Work of the Warrior. iUniverse, Lincoln: 2004.

Chuen, Lam Chan. The Way of Energy: Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercises. Simon and Schuster, New York: 1991.

De Caussade, Jean-Pierre. Abandonment to Divine Providence. Tr. by John Beevers. Image, New York: 1975.

Chia, Mantak. Taoist Ways to Transform Stress Into Vitality. Healing Tao Books, Huntington: 1985.

Coelho, Pablo. Warrior of the Light: A Manual. HarperCollins. New York: 2004.

Gleason, William. The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido. Destiny, Rochester: 1995.

Harding, D. E. On Having No Head. Arkana, London: 1987.

Lo, Benjamin Pang Jeng et. al. The Essence of T’ai Chi Ch’uan: The Literary Tradition. Berkeley, North Atlantic Books: 1979.

Merton, Thomas. The Way of Chuang Tzu. New Directions, New York: 1979.

Murphy, Michael. The Future of the Body. Tarcher, Los Angeles: 1992.

Payne, Peter. Martial Arts: The Spiritual Dimension. Crossroad, New York: 1981.

Red Pine (Tr.) Lao-Tzu’s Taoteching. Mercury House, San Francisco: 1996.

Stevens, John. The Secrets of Aikido. Boston, Shambhala: 1995.

Von Durckheim, Karlfried. Hara: The Vital Centre of Man. Unwin, London: 1984.

Wong, Eva. Cultivating the Energy of Life. Boston: Shambhala: 1998.

"We become like our cousins, the trees. We root and ground while spreading our branches to the cosmos. This is a practice of great trust. Like trees, we do not go away with adversity. No matter the weather, we stand and open to life. With continuing adversity, we extend our roots even deeper, thus being able to open and engage even further. As trees `planted by the rivers of water,' we maintain the symmetry of our roots with our branches. The deeper and more firmly based our roots in the Source of our being, the more successfully we engage the wound of this world." --George Breed, Embodying Spirit: The Inner Work of the Warrior