‘Children should become holistic warriors’ says writer

TAOSIM, the ancient Chinese guide to how to live your life should be part of the national curriculum, according to best selling columnist Stephen Russell, also known as the Barefoot Doctor.
The West Hampstead-based writer was talking about his beliefs at Dennington Park Road library last Wednesday, where he told the audience of 50 how Taoism has shaped his life.
He said: “I’d like children to become holistic warriors. It’s about developing emotional intelligence. It goes hand in hand with learning about breathing correctly, posture and all the basic tenets of Taoism.
“I’d like schools to think about teaching personal hygiene skills – and that’s not about washing. It is about developing intelligence inside yourself.”
Barefoot, as he calls himself, 50, described the way Taoism had changed his life. Promoting simple living in harmony with nature, Taoists believe that by following the natural world, pursuing a strict diet and meditation regime, they can achieve an inner calm, improved health and great martial power.
The author of self-help books Handbook for the Urban Warrior and more recently Manifesto: The Internal Revolution told the audience his philosophy revolved around “breathing slowly, using your fear and taking responsibility for your life”.
He said: “As a teenager, I was into drugs and sex but then the spiritual things came through.
“There are a lot of different disciplines which can address the spiritual gap in our lives but my take is about Taoism. This is about following your own Tao and the sound within you.”
And he said his writings were about taking Taoism to the masses. He resigned from writing a weekly column for Sunday paper The Observer three months ago to set up a website dedicated to promoting his beliefs – and says it has enabled many more people to discover how Taoism can promote good health.
He added: “It’s about making it accessible to everyone. My feeling is that I want to give love and the warmth I have as a brother to everyone else.”
He added: “I am a crap student but a diligent one. It’s about sharing that honesty rather than pretending I have all the answers.”
And he explained where he got his name: the original barefoot doctors were healers from China who would walk barefoot from one village to another, treating a number of different manner of diseases using traditional Chinese techniques.

• Manifesto: The Internal Revolution, £7.99, Harper Collins, is in the shops now.