~ old school dao is a living art of coherence ~
a natural philosophy that cultivates stillness to perceive,
vitality to act, rhythm to adapt, and poise to refine,
uniting thought & practice into
~ one breathing intelligence ~
Welcome to old school dao Library
"Theory without action is empty,
Action without theory is blind."
— my Philosophy 101 professor,
paraphrasing Kant,
whose name I’ve forgotten,
but whose teachings I cannot
This page gathers the living body of old school dao ~
the core ethos & logos; guides, models, essays, and field notes that explore what it means to practice coherence in thought and action.
Here you’ll find my writings on a philosophical, historical, scientific & systems view of taijiquan, qigong & meditation, martial arts & movement, osteopathic philosophy & manual therapy, complexity science, agroecology & farming, surfing & random life stories of cultural significance, and the naturalistic & mystic threads weaving them all together.
Also included are supplemental readings & supportive research for the Optimal Breathing Program.
Scroll on to explore the garden: a growing crop of ideas, maps & methods that give old school dao its living shape/xing 形.
an open field for those who
Think with their Bodies & Breathe with their Minds
"When your body is not aligned
The inner power will not come.
When you are not tranquil within
Your mind will not be well ordered.
Align your body, assist the inner power
Then it will gradually come on its own."
Neiye (Inward Training) 內業 vs. 11 ca. 350 BCE
Logos & Ethos
~ old school dao ~
old school dao is the foundational ethos of my work ~ a natural philosophy that unites body-breath-mind into one coherent practice. It explores how stillness, vitality, rhythm, and poise form a living art of coherence.
These writings outline the ethos & logos behind all my teachings ~ my old school dao/way ~ and the theoretical roots of the Breath-Spine-Core method.
Complex Adaptive Systems
The Energy Flow of Complexity
Complexity science explores how order emerges through feedback, flow & adaptation. These writings translate modern systems theory into practical ways of understanding health, movement, and learning. By viewing the body–mind as a Complex Adaptive System, we see how coherence organizes itself from within ~ and how that same intelligence reaches outward into relationship and environment. Knowing, in this sense, is rhythmic: an ongoing exchange between what moves within us and what moves around us.
Modern Approaches to Ancient Methods
My Way of Inner Cultivation
Nèi xiū dào 內修道 (the way of inner cultivation) is a naturalistic neigong framework for internal cultivation ~ where classical yangsheng & gongfu wisdom meets systems science & embodied practice.
It reinterprets neigong as a living technology of coherence; refining perception, stability, and adaptability from within. Ancient insights with modern clarity ~ one integrated path of cultivation ~
Martial Arts & Movement Science
"Be water, my friend"
Martial arts practice reveals our body-mind intelligence in motion. While rooted in traditional martial arts, my work centers on movement itself ~ as expression, exploration, rehabilitation & embodied learning.
These writings bridge martial & movement arts with modern understanding, blending philosophy, practice & science to study how the body organizes, adapts & refines itself through motion.
A study in structure, flow & adaptive strength.
~ the art of moving with coherence ~
Orthopedic Bodywork
Find it, Fix it, Leave it Alone
Orthopedic bodywork ~ manual & movement therapy ~ restores balance through intelligent touch & skillful motion. These essays connect osteopathic & orthopedic philosophy, biomechanics & biodynamics, as well as bodywork methods that support the body-mind's innate ability to self-organize. The aim is simple: understand structure, improve function, and let the system heal itself.
Self-Organizing AgroEcosystems
A Farmer's Footsteps
Cultivation applies to both soil & self. This section explores farming, ecology, and systems design as living models of feedback, resilience & adaptation. A farmer’s footsteps remind us that presence, observation, and care are the true sources of growth in land and in life.
Clark Little photography
Surf-Paddle-Swim
Everything Flows to the Sea
I've spent most of my life in or around the water ~ surfing, paddling, lifeguarding, or simply listening to the ocean breathe & the swamp pulse. The sea has been my greatest teacher, along with the old salts & sailors who shaped how I understand movement, rhythm & balance— as well as life & death. In these writings, I explore the mechanics & dynamics of the surfer's dao ~ lessons that reach far beyond the shore. This is the waterman's way as I've lived it.