Taoism & Dyspraxia

[Magic_Lemur]

As a Dyspraxic, I'm always looking for solutions to the problems of Dyspraxia (in my case: coldness, chaos, lack of empathy & machine-like movements). I've tried Chiropractors, alcohol (in moderation of course ), advice from friends, fasting & religion/reason.

All of them have been moderately effective, but have limitations.

Taoism, however, is bizarre. I only got into it through reading James Frey's 'A Million Little Pieces' & found it was incredibly effective at eliminating the chaotic feelings & lack of connectivity of Dyspraxia.

Because it's spiritual, it calms energy levels, brings peace & connects you on a deeper level with other people.
And because it's a reasoned philosophy, it tells you what is right & wrong & what is the best thing to do in a given moment.
The idea of Woo-way (the Tao does nothing but leaves nothing, but leaves nothing undone) still blows my mind, but makes total sense & fills in for that element all non-dyspraxics seem to talk about of 'Just doing it without thinking'

Maybe this is why the Tao Te Ching is so effective in curing alcoholics/ drug addicts - it calms the inner chaos & brings you in rhythm with the universe...

Or maybe it's just me, which brings me to the reason for this thread: has anyone else tried Taoism/ Buddhism?
Does anyone find spirituality an effective substitute for emotional empathy?
And, most importantly, has anyone else got any effective ways of mitigating the chaos of Dyspraxia?

Namo Estay

[Magic_Lemur]

Double posting, I know, but, I had a good example of this idea working just today that I thought needed sharing.

Has anyone had a manager who really wants to embarrass you/ catch you doing stg wrong, so that they can treat you like a kid?

Me too.

Usually they find some error you've made & then make you feel about an inch tall , so that they can Lord it over you (while you sit there kicking yourself for being Dyspraxic...)

***

This time was different though. I was feeling very stressed & clumsy & had made many, many mistakes & generally been grumpy with the customers most of the day.

Fortunately, I'd been reading the 'Tao Te Ching' in my Lunchbreak & when the manager tried to pick me up on minor errors, they either turned out to be not errors at all or nothing major.
Either way, she didn't succeed & I ended up saying stg to the effect that I was a little stressed, but it was no reflection on her.

I'm not into the supernatural, and I don't think this was that.
Still, it struck me as very weird how what would normally be a deeply humiliating experience turned into a reassuring event with nothing clever or crafty done by myself to make it so. Truly - the person of the Tao 'has no mortal spot'...

***

I'm very curious as to whether this idea works with other people as I would sing it's virtues from the rooftops if I could.

If someone could get a copy of the 'Tao Te Ching' or tell others on this thread their experiences with other forms of spirituality, then I'd be most interested.
I think it might prove invaluable, as I've seen it work wonders for both myself & a good friend of mine...

[Osymandus]

Ah perfect . I should introduce myself as having been a Taoist for far to long . The attempt at Wu wei to achieve Tai Chi is most noble .

For beginners the Tao of Pooh (yes winne) By Benjamin Hoff is propably the best starting book on Toaism .
Aisde from Lao Tzu's materpiece (Tzu btw also means child like as well as aged master), Chung Tzu is also reargared as equal with Lao Tzu and teh Tao Te ching .
Also the film Kung fu Panda

There is no right or "wrong" way in taosim when they speak of right action it is that which is performed to allow the flow of thw way . And as each way is individual you must find it yourslef .
Tao is teh mother o fteh 10,000 things , Te is action and virtue (or "right action")

also there's no supernatural in Tao Man follows teh way of nature nature follows the way of heaven and heaven follows the way of the Tao

And re managers oh ys my last one , so you start acting in ways they do not expect and they cant mark yo udown for but they cannot control

[Magic_Lemur]

Phew - I'm not alone!

Was wondering what that 'Tao of Pooh & Teh of Piglet' was like - good to hear that it's not jst a gimmick.

There is a lot more to it than just a cure for Dyspraxia, but I think it goes a long way to answering some of the existential riddles that us Dyspraxics have & it certainly calms the chaos a little.

How long have you practiced Taoism?
Any advice for a 9 month novice?
Oh, and (of course) does anything you've learnt help our fellow Dyspraxics?

Thanks for the tip about Kung fu Panda - duly added to rental list...

In exchange, I bring this humble offering (from the Author of 'Tao: the Watercourse way'): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXmz605G ... HJHwvdZre8

[Osymandus]

Lol thanks , well essential finding techniques to bring yourself into balance is teh key for everyone . I learnt Wing Chun (which is a Taoist based martial art but a hard and soft style not just and internal art ) . Also chi Kung or Qi gong as its also called will help massively . When you can control your breaths you begin to get a better handle on your self and your own awareness . I know know that occupational therapists recommend both Yoga and martial arts for co-ordination purposes . Meditation of any sort . I maybe generalising here but do you have a good visual imagination do you dream in colour and vividly ?

Acting and moving with out conciseness though is something that helps me greatly as well which requires a level of practice and meditation . Which of course as a problem for most of use with attention problems and ADHD (trust me it works and does help. I'm lapsed in traditional taoist techniques but as everything is about finding and doing your way i do what i can .

[Magic_Lemur]

Hmm - I'd heard of Tai Chi (& have done some weird exercises to correct my dyspraxia), but I never realised that Taoism had so many physical off-shoots.
Maybe some genius mystic could come up with an exercise that would exactly counteract Dyspraxia's chaos & teach its users how to channel Praxis energy, or similar...

In terms of dreams, yes - I have many colourful & vivid dreams & have developed the habit of looking them up here: http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dream first thing in the morning. It's amazing how they all mean something distinctive and are just your brain playing with metaphors & solutions.
I also sometimes get dreams that are like visions & are so clear & vivid that it's almost like another world.
Is this a common thing amongst Dyspraxics?

And you say about meditation - is that just sitting with your eyes closed, or are there any books / aids that can enhance it?
I've tried meditation, prayer & hypnosis CD's, but I think I'm a little too impatient & intense for them - guess my ADHD is a bit too strong...

[Osymandus]

MEditation is literaly focusing soley on one action (Tai chi is refered to as a moving meditation ) yoga is also . It slike when you get in the zone . There is a few types simple breathing ones (counting your breaths 1 to 4 in hold for 2 then 4 out ) just counting up to 9 then start again , odd in even out . Try them all

Lucid dreaming is a type of dream control you can try as well (normally kicks in when you relasie your in a vivd dream ) . Dream interpretation is personal . But the good rule of thumb is symbols are "real" and people places , ie.e stuff of teh waking world are symbolic (or have other meanings . Jungs work is propably best for this .

Id like to think Dyspraxics have an abaility to have colour and vivid dreams a nautural

[Magic_Lemur]

Hmm - fascinating! Especially the bit about dreams.

This links in with another thread on this forum about 'Daydreaming' - I think vivid dreams & daydreaming must be somehow linked to Dyspraxics need for lots of sleep & also their clumsiness (dreaming is often the subconcious working on a problem overnight, so maybe it's one of the circuits that doesn't work properly...)

Thanks for the breathing exercises - will give them a go. With the one you mention, it's breathing in, holding your breath for two seconds, then breathing out, holding breath for 4 seconds then repeat, isn't it?

The count to nine one sounds like a form of hypnosis, but will defo try it. Have you heard of the trick you can pull when dating of synchronising your breathing with your partner (in order to increase empathy)? Haven't tried it, but may be interesting...

[Osymandus]

yup . Oh empathy with others now your verging on magick there dear boy (another hobby of mine )
Im not entirely sure deraming is just solving our problems but also how we perceive and know the world around us .

[Magic_Lemur]

I've joined a Tai Chi club & took to reading 365 Tao, but I have to confess that Taoism as a whole doesn't seem a 100% solution (though its the closest I've yet found).

Tai Chi is very weird & definitely brings out the clumsy kid in me. It gives me a weird feeling occasionally like I'm chipping away at a glacier of chaos, which is slowly melting, but is making me feel more dyspraxic & more clumsy for every piece that comes away (if that makes any sense...)

The books on Taoism feel like they've reached saturation point, although the 'Mortal spot' stuff & all the other stuff about balance is still there. Annoyingly, I found a verse (13) where it seems to suggest the opposite idea to this thread (i.e. Taoism is not a cure):

"Accept disgrace willingly.
Accept misfortune as the human condition.
What do you mean by "Accept disgrace willingly"?
Accept being unimportant.
Do not be concerned with loss and gain.
This is called "accepting disgrace willingly.""

(Not that anything about having Dyspraxia is disgraceful, but it does occasionally give you that feeling of wanting the Earth to swallow you up)

Still, I'd recommend the Tao & spiritual practices over all the other 'cures' I've tried...

Oh, and with breathing exercises, I did try them & they had some effect, but I think I've got ADD as I can't seem to persist long enough to see the long term effects. Will try harder, master!

[Osymandus]

Lol no dont worry meditation is a skill like everything you have to learn it and get good at it . Same with Tai chi , you wernt born perform a Kung fu or Wu shu (though you were maybe to tai chi )

The accepting disgrace ? Well its a prinicple of Taoism . You must accept everything all actions all emotions all of it .
The basic prinicple is to merge yin and yang into Tai chi . In the nature all things are comrpised of tyin and yang , teh wise man knows that everything is also change each will flow into the other . If you stop and say this is that and this will be then you will force yourself into absolute .

With Dyspraxia we are of course reduced in senroy input or overloaded . If we can find a way for balance that this offers it may help (it also may not ) it's finding your Tao

Also i dont believe there is a cure , as there is no disease . Only right action (Te).

[katrina]

I want to thank you Magic-Lemur for introducing me to melodysheep and the syphony of science. Amazing! Have you seen his new video that came out yesterday?

[Magic_Lemur]

Hi Katrina,

A pleasure - thank you for reminding me of just how amazing Melody Sheep is - every time I see one of their videos (especially the latest one), I can't help but feel really calm and peaceful. Just wish there were more channels like it...

[Evasura]

I read an article about intelligence in New Scientist yesterday. It said that one of the best ways to keep your brain fit is through meditation. I guess I'll have to start practising it more seriously and with more resilience

[Osymandus]

Meditation is actually to lose oneself in the moment or teh action your perform , not just sitting cross legged . It is about being aware of the present moment and there are many different methods to learn