Bit by Bit - Chapter 6, Part 4

Trey Smith

The True Man of ancient times slept without dreaming and woke without care; he ate without savoring and his breath came from deep inside. The True Man breathes with his heels; the mass of men breathe with their throats. Crushed and bound down, they gasp out their words as though they were retching. Deep in their passions and desires, they are shallow in the workings of Heaven.
~ Burton Watson translation ~

What does it mean to breathe with your heels? I take it to mean that a person lives their life with their whole being. It is a person of depth and substance.

Most of us tend to address life in a superficial way -- like breathing with the throat. We are easily distracted by our desires and only pay attention to what is going on around us in a half-ass way.

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