Non-Doing
We all recognise when things are working smoothly like this - it is there in the actions of a performer with great natural skill, in the easy adaptability of an animal to it's surroundings, and in the free, easy movement of a young child. The ability to consciously direct how we go about things brings with it a sense of confidence and spontaneity into our lives, a feeling that we genuinely have a range of choices within any given situation instead of being stuck with a fixed set of reactions.
In lessons we learn how to stop working against ourselves, and instead how to make a reasoned, appropriate response to what is happening. Awareness reawakens to include a sense of not only how we are balanced within our bodies, but also how we are relating to what is going on around us. This open quality of attention brings real flow into our mental and physical actions, all aspects at ease with one another without conflict.
Fung Yu-lan - Chuang-tzu chu (tr. Bodde)