I love the analogy of the “Still point” or “Breakpoint” borrowed from the “wave” jargon of surfers. The moment the wave builds up and curls to create “the green room” – a pocket beyond time, space and consciousness, where you are ushered trough a tube into the infinite. That liminal space transcends the concept of here and there into the all-encompassing “everywhere”. How do we access this omnipresent state in daily life?

Our mind can play tricks. It can dazzle us with straight lines that create intricate webs. But it is our heart — that spherical power of all-encompassing, womb-like love and compassion — that solves any and all problems. We are each and all part of the universal hologram, creating our world energetically. That energy is our constant prayer, the real prayer of our existence and our world. No matter how powerful our intent or sacred our ceremony, that “prayer” can be diluted or negated if our thoughts and actions are contradictory.

The Still point is the place of power that ushers us into the center. Once we get there we are firm and still like a mountain. Serene and detached, rising above the bustle of mundane affairs, we remain unaffected by the passage of time or the strife of the marketplace. We rise beyond the busyness of the min and have the advantage of looking from the vantage point of a lofty peak, into the valley of the mind, distant from its preoccupations and able to observe it with objectivity. And we can tap this well of abundance by everyday, even when we are walking and moving. All we have to do is consciously withdraw from thinking and rest into being. Without this periodic withdrawal, it is easy to become overly identified with one’s position and place in the hubbub of worldly affair and call it “me”.

Unfortunately, once you start to believe that life revolves around that “me”, the real treasures of your being are lost. “Me” believes that life’s meaning lies in doing, and if you follow the dictates of that belief, you are taken on a long and frustrating conundrum to achieve something that in the end only takes you away from your own truth.

The central point of meditation is to observe whatever is bubbling up in the mind and let it go. When thoughts are happy or fascinating in some way, the tendency of the mind is to grasp hold of them, or to adjust its vision of reality to reinforce them. On the other hand, wen thoughts are disturbing or painful, the mind works to get rid of them forcefully by suppressing them, or busies itself trying to assign blame to some external factor. So whatever your thoughts are happy or sad, the mind wants to engage them in some way, to work out strategies to direct them according to its own preferences.

Achieving Still point during meditation is a way of stepping out of the mind, putting aside preferential thinking that distracts you from living in accordance with the “Tao”. It is only from inside the wave or the inner mountaintop perspective that makes you aware that the real treasure you seek has always been within your reach. Once you are back in touch with this essential treasure, then it is easy to withdraw from any difficulties that might have been overriding your attention. Meditation should not be a serious, hard-to-manage affair. When you find it from within, you contact your Higher Power by approaching the Still point through conscious intent. The challenge is to make yourself vacant and empty for the flow of creation to work through you.

Understanding the Still point involves the nature of time and reality. Spirit doesn’t operate in our system of time, but operates in all-time-no-time. Our conception of time is sequential . . . one, two, three. But real time, what’s “really real,” is all at once, all the time. The past, present, and future are one. We sort events to make them fit our physical understanding of time, and thus we create the misconceptions upon which we base our actions. And we call these misconceptions “reality.”

This all-time-no-time, or “really real” time, is where you go when you connect with your Higher Power. That is the Still point, where all healing comes from, of touching your authentic self. It’s the single point from which all healing, spiritual, and energy modalities — Shamanism, Reiki, Flower of Life, etc— find their power, their Source of Being. All religions are based on the mechanics of reaching this Still point.

Still Point speaks to the heart and to the mind more often through symbols, not words. Words are left-brain, linear, rational. Whereas, our consciousness is right-brained – the place of dreams, intuition, and holistic conception.

Like dolphins and whales we strive to complete the circuit of right-brained/left-brained consciousness and bring this Still Point energy into 3D reality. When we tap it we elicit insight and guidance or to effectuate healing in self and others.

How do we find the Still Point? There are many ways – kinetic meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, sacred dance, etc…

If you are in a frenzy, overwhelmed, scattered and unsure of what your next move is, take a break. A real break – from thinking, doing, planning, entertaining options and seeking solutions. Savor the moment of being fully present and simply STILL.

In the words of A.T.S. Elliot “At the still point of the turning world… Where past and future are gathered… Neither movement from nor towards… Except for the point, the still point, There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.”

Centering Yoga Routine: Still Point (open level)

This Centering yoga routine opens the five pathways of the body and pins you down to the core of your being – so you feel fully centered. The sequence invites you to step up and imprint you presence firmly into the ground. Expanding through the five lines of the body you stretch into the pentagram of the Vitruvius Man. A gentle semi-inversion then takes you down to kneeling, so you can charge up your core through lunges and backbends and build up to standing poses with stabilizing arm binds. Shifting the weight gracefully while keeping a firm grip through your feet lets you transition between rooted standing and flying perched poses in an attempt to test your balance and gauge your internal compass. The standing crescendo cascades down into deep squats, soothing hip openers and oxygenating twists. The wind down moves through seated core toners to hamstring stretches and table-top poses to teach you the art of subtle balance through pose/counter pose. While reclining you are asked to open up like a cone and rather than seek you crux, simply receive your center. Shaking the tension off through intense contraction and release brings you back to neutrality where you can retreat in the core of your essence.