From Knowing to Doing: Mike Taylor

OXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom — "No pain, no gain."

This is the fitness mantra that Mike Taylor, co-founder of Strala — a yoga practice and "moving meditation" that combines Eastern movement and healing techniques like tai chi, qigong and shiatsu — challenged onstage at VOICES, BoF's annual gathering for big thinkers, hosted in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate.

For Taylor, the biggest crisis people face – above any work-related, political or government crisis – is one within themselves.

“There is so much conflict here with so many people who are struggling with their bodies. We’re trying to be some other shape or copy some other person," Taylor said. "We go to war with ourselves. There is this fundamental belief that you can’t get anywhere real without some conflict and aggressions and struggle."

He thinks this negative narrative holds people back from achieving what’s within their reach — what he called a “world-limiting myth.”

The first step, Taylor said, is refraining from using mantras like “No pain, no gain,” or “The end justifies the means.” The better path, he said, is learning how to change behavior in the midst of life’s challenges.

He challenged the audience to move away from repetition — for instance, spending an hour a day doing the same work out, like yoga or high-intensity interval training — and to instead create "a place where you're comfortable and you're taking good care of yourself. Because everything becomes possible form there.”

To learn more about VOICES, BoF's annual gathering for big thinkers, visit our VOICES website, where you can find all the details on our invitation-only global gathering, in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate.