A very common misunderstanding is that suffering is caused by external events. We think we suffer because of our job, our bank account, our relationships, or the state of the world. But if we’re honest: have you ever changed your circumstances, only to find the same anxiety and dissatisfaction creeping back in? I'd argue that suffering is not caused by reality. The real issue is that we live in a world of “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁.” We layer a massive conceptual world on top of real life. Even when we are safe and sitting in a comfortable room, the following things happen: - We obsess over a future that hasn't happened yet. - We replay a past that is already gone. - We judge ourselves against an imaginary standard of who we "should" be. - We resist the present moment because we think it needs to be different. We are constantly hallucinating a reality that does not exist, and then we react to that hallucination emotionally. That is a structural problem, and there is no way to fix it with positive thinking or stress-management techniques. We need to go deeper: we need to distinguish 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 from 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁. Next week (Feb 21-22), we're running our 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 weekend workshop. It's about identifying the core mechanisms that generate mental and emotional turmoil. When you learn to separate your concepts from reality: - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀: You see that your "problems" are often just thoughts you are having. - 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀:You stop being a slave to your own mental narrative. - 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀: You become capable of responding to what is actually happening, rather than what you fear might happen. 𝗔 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Most "spiritual" practices fail because they don't give you a way to bring the insights into daily life. We want this to stick. So, included with the workshop is a complete support package: - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: So you don't have to scramble to take notes. - 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗹𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻’𝘀 "𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀" 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲: A 6-week deep dive. - 𝟮 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Led by me, so you have a place to bring your real-world challenges.

Another great workshop in Paris

A very common way to approach life is to adopt a "more is better" attitude. When we are stuck, we look for more techniques, more routines, more methods… Basically, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. But if we're honest: after years of reading and learning, is a lack of information still the problem? I'd argue that, usually, knowledge is not the actual limiting factor. The real issue is that we always had a 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 to begin with. Even if we received, say, the "Ultimate Textbook" on how to live life, the following things would still happen: - Not really knowing what we want - Setting goals but not acting on them - Being stopped by external conditions and turning them into excuses - Constantly "shooting ourselves in the foot" in small or big ways Even with the perfect plan, we'd still waste massive amounts of energy fighting our own internal contradictions. That’s a structural problem, and there’s no way to fix it with surface-level techniques found in self-help books. We need to go deeper: we need 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀. Next week (Saturday, Jan 31st), we're running our 𝗻𝗲𝘄 6-hour interactive online workshop: The 4 Principles for a Free and Powerful Life. It's about identifying the core mechanisms at the root of your everyday experience. When you align with these principles: - 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 emerges: You know where you're going - 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 disappears: You stop fighting yourself - 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 open up: You realize you may not be as stuck as you thought - 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 and 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 return: You stop leaking energy on things that don’t matter Most productivity "hacks" stop working the moment we become internally stressed, or when too much external chaos appears. Conversely, principles are 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 looking at what causes stress and chaos, and learning to navigate 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. We're keeping this workshop affordable to make it a strong entry point for anyone new to this work. Even if you've worked with principles before, we'll approach them from a completely different angle, helping you integrate them in ways you likely haven't explored yet.

Have you wanted to train Body-Being or Body Consciousness? Do you have an interest to bring that same kind of conscious awareness and explore the Art of Effortless Power? These can be incredibly beneficial to embodying skills and principles as they apply to movement, physical skill, awareness, and more. Join us for the Winter Retreat at the Center. To learn more please go here - https://chenghsin.com/winter-retreat-learn-more/

Training with friends 🧡 between Christmas and New Year.