The pig knew the truffles had to be there somewhere… He had observed the other pigs, saw the way they searched, what they wanted, why they wanted it and knew he must want it too. He had his qualities, he had a very stable, GROUNDED nature. Able to calculate unemotionally and systematically. Really good at DELAYED REWARD.
All he had to do now was find them….The truffles.
Compulsively day after day he sniffed and dug through the mud to find the hidden treasure buried somewhere below of great value to all the pigs that he knew, beyond a solitary doubt, that he needed too.
Then along came the Buddha and sat down beside the pig in a meditative position, radiating immense LOVE. “Pig? What are you doing?”
“Leave me alone! Can’t you see I’m busy!”
“Why are you sniffing through the mud? Are there no better ways to spend your time?”
“What am I just supposed to do? Just sit around and meditate all day like you??! No. no. It is YOU who is wasting your time.”
“Well, the short answer is… YES. There are different forms of meditation. Some more passive. Some more active. And Wealth does not only come in truffle form. The understanding that at root what we’re all after is LOVE, PURPOSE and VITALITY. Sure we need truffles to function in society. But if we’re held captive to a race to the top of truffle gain to the exclusion of some of life’s most enriching, inspiring, rewarding, present moment, human experiences, we’re losing track of the end result we were looking for in the first place.
Look up there…”
A monkey swang branch to branch high in the trees above in glorious PLAYFUL delight, full of life and VITALITY. So free and unbounded by gravity and her physical form. Performing giant leaps with playful ease, able to ADAPT at a moment's notice, enjoying the pure feeling of moving her body in space, sensing the movements of her limbs and playing a game of catch and throw with her body.
“Pffffttt. Nice show. Enjoyed watching it. Thanks. What’s your point?!”
“Do you see how happy the monkey is just enjoying feeling the rush of gravity and momentum and the feeling of mastery of her physical form in space, she's just PLAYING”
“Easy for her to say, she’s tiny! Look at me… I’m an 800 lb pig! I could never ever do that!!!
Right then, The buddha, similarly 300lbs, from the lotus sitting position he had been meditating in…bounced up from the floor, jumping high into the air, flipped full rotation and a half and landed softly on his hands, absorbing the landing.
“What what what!!!!” The pig was astonished. “How did you do that????”
The buddha said nothing for a long time. Only held noble silence. With a big grin on his face.
Finally he spoke:
“First, Love. Self-Love. Trust yourself. Trust that your abilities are greater than you currently know and that you just need to start exploring possibilities; “play”, so you see there is more out-there, or rather more in-there…in YOU. Then develop a driving reason WHY you want to accomplish it. Find the flame inside. Attune with the quest for an “ideal” greater than yourself. Next, set your mind to tunnel vision, hanker down for the long haul and stoically persist through failure. And remember to always PLAY… Play acts as a catalyst for greater vitality, motivation, energy, enjoyment and success.
So inspired was the pig by the Buddha’s abilities and philosophy, that the pig dropped his searching for truffles right then and there and dedicated his life to his new ideal…”One day I will fly”.
He became hyper FOCUSED. Of strong INTENTION. Every day, day after day, he trained, researched, experimented, sharpened his mind and body, visualized and conceived of new ways of flying… Many times he failed. Many times he tried again. Small steps, day-after-day, LEANING INTO DISCOMFORT. He kept the faith in himself, in his abilities, SELF-LOVE, and his capacity to learn over time.
And after 333 days (*the number of movements in the full Paragym curriculum)
Pigs flew.
EPILOGUE
Did the pig, a highly corpulent being, learn to fly by his own two feet in this story? No…he made a “jet pack”, but he HAD THE EXPERIENCE of flying. And that’s the first fundamental proposition PARAGYM has in store for you. That people of all ages, shapes and sizes can experience fantastic, inspiring, motivating, fully assisted and safe “Acrobatic movements” that boost vitality, discover hidden potential, connect people with their inner child (and each other); and realize a new definition of health and truly vibrant being.
