Contemplation Three

The practice of somatic meditation allows us to realize a series of developmental outcomes that mark a gradual loosening of samsara. An outcome noted in the second turning is emptiness - simply defined as experience that is empty of all we think. Note a moment from today - during your practice or your everyday activities - in which you glimpsed emptiness.

Looking over today’s ‘to do’ list. Even when extraneous ‘I’s’ are eased out of my inner dialogue - even when ‘I have to pick up a squeegee’ is loosened to ‘pick up a squeegee’ - pressure, tension, edginess remain. ‘I need to get this done today,’ presents itself as part of this tension. As do ‘There’s not enough time’ and ‘I have too much to do’ and several others. Each is pushing, demanding, insisting in some way, shape, or form. Each is uncomfortable.

‘What if I loosened these as well?’ I ask, again recalling our forum explorations. Attention comes into the body, finds something holding deep in the belly, envelopes this until there’s some kind of release. Right away, a sigh is freed. Shoulders drop. My jaw lets go. There’s a sense of warmth and tingling. A man rushes by outside, pushing a laughing child on a tiny bike.

The practice of somatic meditation allows us to realize a series of developmental outcomes that mark a gradual loosening of samsara. An outcome noted in the second turning is emptiness - simply defined as experience that is empty of all we think. Note a moment from today - during your practice or your everyday activities - in which you glimpsed emptiness.

- Neil