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October 2025
Being and Doing: A Taoist Path to Wholeness By Dr. Mao Shing Ni
This past September, we gathered in the breathtaking Swiss Alps for another Taoist retreat—a place where snow-kissed peaks, meandering streams and waterfalls, and the crisp autumn air reminded us of the quiet majesty of nature. Surrounded by mountains that have stood for millions of years, we reflected on one of the central challenges of our modern lives: balancing being and doing.
In Taoist teaching, life flows best when yin (being, receptivity, stillness) and yang (doing, action, expression) are in harmony. Yet in today’s world, the pendulum often swings too far toward doing, constant striving, achieving, and producing. This imbalance leaves many of us exhausted, anxious, and disconnected from our deeper nature.
The Alps offered us a living metaphor: the peaks reaching upward represent our doing, while the deep valleys and still lakes embody our being. Both are essential. Without the valleys, the mountains would have no form. Without stillness, action loses its clarity and purpose.
Taoist Principles of Being and Doing
North Star—the Still Point
Just as the North Star anchors the night sky while the constellations revolve around it, our still point anchors the heart and spirit, allowing us to engage in the busyness of doing without losing touch with the essence of being.
At the retreat, we practiced Dao-In and Qi Gong in a cave—an enormous studio built into the mountain! We practiced stillness and moving not with force but with flow.
By regularly returning to this inner stillness through breath, meditation, or a moment of silence, we cultivate clarity, direction, and resilience in a world that often pulls us off course.
Next time you feel rushed, pause and step back. Let the situation unfold before acting.
Balance of Yin and Yang
Taoism teaches that yin (stillness, reflection, being) must nourish yang (movement, productivity, doing). At the retreat, we alternated lectures, interactive dyad sessions and movement practices—a balance of yin and yang. Participants noted that they found themselves more in their bodies and less in their heads. When you can bring balance into your life you will find your creative insights flow effortlessly because stillness fertilized action.
Try to create daily rituals of yin to balance your yang—five minutes of morning breath work, an afternoon tea break without screens, or a quiet walk after dinner.
Returning to Nature
The Tao is often called the “Way of Nature.” The Alps reminded us that we, too, are part of this great living system. When we allow ourselves simply to be—listening to birdsong, watching the clouds, or gazing at the stars—we remember that we don’t need to earn our place in the universe. Being itself is enough.Try to schedule “unproductive” time in your week. Sit under a tree, lie on the grass, or listen to the sound of water. Let nature recalibrate your nervous system.
Integrating Being and Doing
In our everyday lives, the key is not to abandon doing but to root it in being. From this space, action becomes more sustainable, relationships more authentic, and health more resilient.
A Gentle Invitation
As you return to your own routines, I suggest that you ask yourself:
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Where can I allow more stillness to root my actions?
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How can I create space for being amidst my busyness?
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What daily practice will help me embody both yin and yang.
The mountains have returned to silence, but their lesson endures: When we honor both being and doing, we live in harmony with the Tao—and with ourselves.
