Here is one of my favorite principles taken from T'ai Chi that should be required learning in all our schools from kindergarten through college. It is more than a principle; it is a universal law that applies to all things and in every situation. In order for anything to progress and develop there is a principle to be followed. It is a law that applies to development and it says that everything that grows, whether it is a plant, an animal, a business or a relationship, must follow the law of gradual progress.

What the law states is this: everything in its developmental stages of formation must follow a simple pattern of growth by starting small and gradually increasing in size until it becomes its complete size from smaller to larger. A tree, for example, starts from a seed and gradually grows bigger and taller until it reaches its full size. When a traffic jam happens, it starts with just a couple of cars and then grows larger as more cars come along to add to the congestion. When Buddha began teaching the practice of compassion, he had only a few students. As his popularity grew, he took on more students until he had quite a following. Today, there are millions of Buddhists all over the world. There is nothing, from the atomic level on up, that does not follow this principle. It is what is called a Universal Law, because everyone and everything has to follow it in order to progress as it naturally should.

Of course we all have freedom of choice that is the enigmatic human quality that holds us apart from everything else in creation . . . and that is where most of us screw up. When we do things out of order and try to get things done out of turn, we break this immutable law and end up suffering the consequences of our actions. If you are trying to bake a cake, you do not turn up the heat to get it done faster . . . it will burn. It needs warm heat over time to transform the ingredients into a cake. If you want to marry someone, you do not start off by planning the wedding. It is always best to begin by dating the person first, just to see if you like him or her. Then you look for compatibility and qualities that you admire. You slowly build a friendship, which may at some point turn into a relationship. As you work on your communication skills and allow the partnership to grow in depth and mutual respect, at some point you might become aware that you have a marriage of two people . . . a partnership. And, when you finally decide to let everyone else in on your secret, you might want to celebrate with a wedding.

It all happens best when it happens gradually over time. It is the law of gradual progress and if you work within the law, you will have the support of nature backing up your actions. If, on the other hand, you take the law into your own hands, things might not always go as planned. So when you're learning the ChiRunning form, follow the law and start slowly in small ways. Do not try to learn it all at once, or perfect it overnight. It takes a lifetime to master something, so be easy on yourself and keep your expectations reasonable. Running moves at the speed it does because of one big reason . . . it does not need to go any faster than it does. If you need to go faster, you can always ride a bike.

During your day, stop occasionally and ask yourself, "How often do I 'break' this law?" I would guess that we all do, every day. Take a day in your life and watch to see how many times you can see this law in effect. When you can recognize it easily, you'll be less likely to break it and your life will move forward without all the "bumps" you create by pushing the pace.

For more information on ChiRunning and ChiWalking, see www.chirunning.com.