Hello and welcome to this practice,
An active meditation derived from a method founded in old Indian logic,
Said to have originated nearly 3,
000 years ago.
The intention of the practice is for you to open your mind and expand awareness in situations where you experience dilemmas.
Sometimes when we're stuck in a dilemma,
We can become indecisive,
Can't we?
Anxious,
Even reactively depressed,
And to unstick can lead to a sense of freedom,
Relief and empowerment,
Ready to shift and get on with your life.
So this particular practice is a really lovely,
Proactive way to help yourself to move forward.
I'll describe the instructions in terms of movement and you can choose whether you go through the practice by literally moving or by creating an inner mental space in which you create your shift through directing your attention.
So settle into whichever posture you'd like to,
Somewhere where you won't be disturbed and can relax and trust your inner self and spirit to serve you well.
Identify a situation of ambivalence,
Indecisiveness,
Conflict or uncertainty that has proven to be challenging for you to navigate and resulted in you feeling trapped or stuck.
Notice as you identify how dilemmas reveal themselves in our language,
Maybe in the form of,
I should do this,
But I want to do that.
A form of yes but,
Which can lead to a feeling of apprehension in making your choice.
When you've identified your dilemma,
Create for yourself,
Either on the floor in front of you or in your mind's eye,
An imaginary circle.
Give it a size and a colour and when you're ready,
Move your presence into it.
Feel yourself ground into the space of being you now.
Now imagine that there are four more circles around you,
One to the right,
One to the left,
One in front and one behind.
We might think of these as circles of possibility.
Now place one part of your dilemma in the circle that you've created on your right and then move into the space with that dilemma,
Either literally or in your mind's eye and immerse yourself fully from the inside out into the experience of being in that side of your dilemma,
Noticing how it feels for you,
Your breath,
Your posture,
Any sensations in your body.
Create a visual symbol for how it is to be in this place.
Give it a name.
When you've encapsulated the experience,
Move back to the middle of the circles,
Re-centre.
Now move yourself into the position of the circle on your left,
Allowing yourself to fully experience that reality,
What it's like when you're inside that side of the dilemma,
Noting again the somatic experience of it,
Your breathing,
Your posture,
Even the expression on your face.
Encapsulate the experience of being on that side,
Create a visual symbol and give it a name.
Move your presence back to the middle and re-centre.
Now repeat this process a few times,
Experiencing how it is to move between the two sides,
Into the right,
Into the left,
The yes and the but,
The shoulds and the wants,
Until you have a full sense of that movement and then re-centre.
Be still and calm.
Pay attention to your breath and to your body being supported and open.
Now make a movement backwards into the circle behind you,
Taking the position of observer,
As both sides of the dilemma are now in front of you.
From here you can see that both may be true,
Yet from this position of observation,
You know that you are much more than that,
Much more than the two sides of your dilemma,
With all that makes you your unique self.
And embody this state from the inside out,
Your physiology,
Your breathing,
The set of your shoulders and find a way to visually symbolise,
Name and encapsulate this somatic state.
Return to the centre,
Take a breath or two,
Now move forward to be within the circle in front of you,
So that both sides of the dilemma are behind you and re-ground,
Connecting to an energetic field which is way beyond the area of your dilemma,
Until you're able to experience the state where neither side of that dilemma is actually true.
Encapsulate the state,
Breathe into it,
Experiencing your expansive physiology fully,
Even the expression that you're wearing on your face and create your symbol for this state and name it.
Move back to the centre of your tetralemma and now you can hold all four truths in expanded awareness.
Allow yourself to be curious as to what you notice and have noticed.
Trust yourself to consciously and unconsciously generate ideas of what may be possible,
Remembering that you are always greater than the sum of your parts.
Take a few deep breaths now,
If you've been moving and standing you might like to sit down or lie down,
If you've had your eyes closed you might like to open them now and in any case become aware of the temperature of the air around you and centre yourself back in your now.
Now you may or may not feel some shift and you may or may not know what that shift is and can trust that in some way your awareness has been expanded and your possibilities have been broadened.
Thank you for participating in this practice,
Go well with your mind,
Your body and your spirit,
May you move in a direction that will serve you well.
