Meditation on Paradox

Find a comfortable position, with your feet flat on the floor, your back straight, neck relaxed and eyes closed or with a soft gaze a few feet in front of you.

Feel the connection of your feet on the ground and feel the energy of the earth as it begins to flow up through you, through your ankles, up to your knees, up through your thighs, to the base of your spine. Notice what your body feels like as it becomes energized.

Let the energy flow into your belly and feel the warmth there. Let it move up into your solar plexus and on up to your heart. Pause a moment and let your awareness rest at your heart. See if you can feel your heartbeat as it pumps blood throughout your body.

Now bring your attention to your throat and allow the energy to continue up, into your face, to your third eye (your seat of wisdom), out through the top of your head and upwards the sky.

On your next breath, let the energy move up and through, from the earth, into your feet, up through your body and out to the sky.

Notice your body as the energy moves. Every cell is alive and vibrating. You skin is tingling.

Now, on your next breath, bring your attention to a place just below your heart. This is the place the holds the essence of who you are. That part of you that is untouched by circumstances. In this place there is absolute stillness and a beauty so profound it almost hurts.

Now, on your next breath in, bring your attention back to the vibrations throughout your body. Then as you breathe out, come back to rest in the stillness. Follow your breath. Feel the movement and vibration on your in-breath. Feel the stillness on the out-breath. Movement on the in-breath, stillness on the out-breath.

Now slowly allow your awareness to expand so that your become aware of how you are both stillness and movement. There is no beginning and no end. It all lives within you. Stillness and movement. Joy and pain. Yes and no. Masculine and feminine. Light and shadow.

Stay with the feeling. Your body now knows what it is to hold paradox, and you can return to this feeling, and recall it, whenever you need.

Over the next 4 or 5 breaths, bring your awareness slowly back to the room, to the day, and to your place in time and space.

If you are so inspired, use your journal to capture the thoughts, feelings or insights you experienced in your meditation.