ENTERING THE STILL POINT : SOMETHING TO PONDER

The still point is where “it” is at. The still point is what “it” is all about! It is the point where stillness resides. It involves a lack of doing and includes a sense of…simply…being.

Being can be considered by some as a passive doing but is anything actually being done when you’re not actively doing anything except being?

Often is the case that the river’s current of life rushes past and through us with an enormous ferocity of pre-occupation. In the modern world, this can appear as simple, not so simple, being busy, being distracted, being caught up, and being overwhelmed. This sense of being isn’t the same “being” as the being that occurs in the still point where a passive observation and presence of passive awareness. So often is the case that many of us have moments of dread and fear when that may arise in this stillness, in this silence, in this peaceful existence. There are many individuals that find discomfort with this stillness, with this silence. To some of them, it can seem that the silence is screaming in their ears and that they can become highly stressed. They would rather constant distractions so that this still place isn’t faced or embraced. For some, this still point creates great inner conflict because of a feeling of disappearing, not existing, not having any value, not feeling any purpose, not being acknowledged, and in some ways not seeming alive. They can feel overrun and therefore seeking out distractions and “busy-ness” is more comforting. Yet, at the core of our human existence, is the seed in which consciousness dwells with an omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent expression. This can be scary sometimes and to some.

Meditation is a tool, consisting of countless expressions, variations, and techniques that involves going/coming inward in a way that connects us to this place where the still point resides. Within the breath, according to yogic science, contains four points: the inhale, the point of junction between the inhale and exhale, the exhale, and the point between the exhale and inhale. When we simply “meditate” on these four points we can have profound internal experiences. This slowing down really allows you to connect more to the essence of who you are at the core, rather than caught up in the identity of who you think you are. The point between the inhale and the exhale, vice versa, are pauses in time. Time is considered, to some degree, as a way to qualify the human experience and connect us to this spiraling action as we ride this planet’s rotations and revolutions through the cosmos. It is understood in yoga, that the inhale represents the future to some extent and the exhale is the past. The points between the breath are simply in the present moment that we call now where the vacillation of the mind’s pendulum halts momentarily. Nothing is happening…except for simply being. It’s as though nothing happens until some organic trigger, called Ksoba in Ayurveda, creates a ripple. It can be as subtle as a baby’s breath, or even an ant’s breath.

When doing yoga, there is a “doing” to get into and out of the pose but the transitions from one to the other is a suspension in time in space as is the place between the breath’s movement. Then, we arrive within the pose, the place we just hover within, not really thinking of the next pose and not thinking about the pose we just came from, essentially.

As we make our way to bed at night, we tend to have the thoughts that remain at the end of the day, of the day(s) that just passed. We have thoughts of what tomorrow and the next day will bring. However, from the moment we close our eyes and fall into sleep land and the moment we open our eyes to perceive the day that has risen we are suspended in time and space somehow. Sure, the body generally continues and we know this because we woke up to it but the body is sustaining itself with consciousness still in it until the last breath. You see, the exhale is the past, and when we have the final exhale we let go of the past which ultimately results in letting go of the body because it is also subject to the elements, space, and time. The body is resting during our sleep time while suspended between yesterday and tomorrow. It is in a type of pause.

Even with the observation of the thoughts themselves, we can notice how regardless of how many thoughts are flooding our mind that there is still a space that exists, whether delayed or quickly filled. There is a space between one thought to the next. It is possible through meditation that the space can widen over time and that we can learn how to spend less time succumbing to the inundation of thoughts.

These thoughts that I share with you all come in a timely fashion as we have arrived at the darkest time of the year which is the winter solstice and as we enter into the depths of later winter when nature is hibernating. Nature is suspended in time and space during this season; but nature is still alive, just another expression of it. What is no longer serving it dies and what does serve it will return with the blossoms of spring as new hope is infused into the atmosphere. As we transition through the winter solstice we can observe the increasing daylight, with each day; but things are still slow to a basic pause. Taking this opportunity to reflect upon such things and how we are a part of nature can shift the winter blues. This alignment with the season, and all seasons, can support our moving forward and closer to what we are within. What better way to get intimate with the love of your life than to slow down and be with yourself and connect with the being-ness that exists in the still point?

I share these reflections and recent thoughts I’ve had with many of my patients recently, with a hope to take a moment and sit with the potential discomfort of not doing, not being busy, not being distracted so that you can acknowledge the inner invitation of the being that lives at the center of being-ness. Your nervous system will thank you, your immune system will thank you, your digestion will thank you, your health will thank you, and your mind will appreciate it on some level. Taking the time to answer the inner calling of the still point is crucial for our “well-being.” There’s no getting away from it. We can deviate from it by being so busy but we can’t outrun ourselves forever. We can’t hide from our Selves forever. We can attempt to do so but time will show us especially in the end as we transition from this life to wherever we go or don’t go. The exhale is the final connection to this body and its history. The inhale is not guaranteed. The yogi’s new to incorporate as part of the yogic sciences the fundamental and advanced understanding of the crucial importance of the breath and that through these teachings we learn that we are born with a “certain number of breaths” and that is it! Should we speed up this number by breathing quickly and fast as per a stress response? Do we cause the breath to become stagnant, which then affects everything and then inevitably halts our aliveness?

It is my hope to share these thoughts as a means of provoking inspiration in you and to possibly have you entertain the possibility of this shifting perspective that can lighten your worries, your anxiety, your lethargy, your mental/emotional, and/or physical malaise. As we transition through this time of year, and each day, day by day, breath by breath, and thought by thought I invite you to use this as an opportunity to bring in the next chapter being the new year with more of your Self which can occur by slowing down to the still point and remembering what has been there waiting for you all along. It may not be easy but it is worth the effort. This effort is the letting go and surrendering when you can, and when you allow, to create space for what is already here underneath the turbulence and ripples on the surface of the infinite ocean of our being.

DISCLAIMER: This information is meant for educational purposes only. Any changes in lifestyle should be reviewed with a qualified practitioner and primary care physician if you are currently under their care for specific conditions.