Holding Opposites
WelcomeYoga nidra offers us a space to rest deeply and gently notice what is present. Within the practice, we sometimes explore the experience of holding opposites: two sensations or feelings that might seem contradictory, yet can exist at the same time.
This is a practice I return to both within yoga nidra and in everyday life. I hope this page gives you a few simple ways to explore it for yourself.
You may wish to rest with the yoga nidra, or continue below to learn more about holding opposites and explore a few simple practices.
with warmth,
ShelaghBecause we live in a culture that prefers the ease of either/or to the complexities of both/and, we have a hard time holding opposites together. We want light without darkness, the glories of spring and summer without the demands of autumn and winter, the pleasures of life without the pangs of death.
-Parker Palmer
What’s yoga nidra?
Yoga nidra is a gentle, ancient meditation practice that guides you from your busy outer world to a deep state of resting awareness. It feels like healing nectar for your entire being.
One of the beautiful things about yoga nidra is that there is nothing to achieve and no way to do it wrong. You are simply invited to rest and notice what is present.
Practicing yoga nidra regularly:
soothes and balances the nervous system
relieves tension and stress, shifts brain waves into a nourishing state of regeneration
restores peace and rejuvenation to the whole body
awakens creativity & increases clarity
brings you back home to your wisdom, insight, and intuition
Within this deeply restful state, we can also gently explore what it feels like to hold two seemingly opposite experiences at once.
The practice of holding opposites
When a strong feeling or sensation arises, it can easily take up all the space. We may become caught in sadness, fear, anger, or uncertainty, as though that is all there is in the moment.
The practice of holding opposites gently widens our awareness. Rather than trying to push away what we're feeling, we make room to notice what else might also be present: sadness and gratitude, uncertainty and hope, longing and contentment.
In yoga nidra, this practice is explored through holding opposite sensations in the body, such as heaviness and lightness, warmth and coolness, or through contrasting emotions and experiences.
You learn to witness opposite sensations in the body in which both are held and received equally.
What happens when you hold opposites:
helps you loosen your grip on one experience as the whole truth
frees you from over-identifying with a feeling
presents you with an awareness that you contain a multitude of feelings or sensations
Three Practices
Holding opposites isn't only something you can explore during yoga nidra. It can become a gentle practice to return to in everyday life, especially when a feeling, thought, or experience begins to feel overwhelming.
Here are three ways to explore it: through the world around you, through sensations in your body, and through a guided yoga nidra practice.
Witnessing Opposites Practice
Throughout your day, witness the opposites that are around you. Simply noticing these opposites is a helpful practice.
It is both sunny and cloudy.
The earth is both wet and dry.
The flowers are both blossoming and decaying.
The sun is warm, and the wind is cool.
The more you do this, the more you may become aware of these opposites that make up the whole experience.
Holding Opposites Practice
You may first want to try this practice using the sensations hot and cold. You can also practice holding opposites with emotions.
Everything is optional in this practice.
Listen to what feels nourishing for you at this time.
Get in a comfortable position for your body at this moment.
Take three slow breaths. Tune into your body. You may choose to close your eyes or keep your eyes open.
Become aware of an emotion or sensation that you have been feeling lately. Resist labelling it as “good” or “bad”. Bring awareness to that emotion or sensation. Notice where you feel it in the body.
Take three slow breaths feeling this in your body.
Release the emotion or sensation.
Now welcome the opposite emotion or sensation into your body and notice how that feels. Welcome it without judgement. Notice where you feel it in the body.
Take three slow breaths feeling this in your body.
If you like, practice going back and forth from one emotion or sensation to the other. Feeling one, and then the opposite.
If it feels right, you might like to sense both emotions or sensations simultaneously. Let your experience be whatever it is. If you feel resistance, that’s okay. It may be helpful to sense or imagine the two emotions or sensations dancing themselves towards one another until they are intertwined.
Now bring your attention to the space between your eyebrows. Rest here. Notice sensations in your body.
Take three slow breaths and bring your awareness back into the space where you are.
You may wish to journal after this practice. You may also wish to bring some movement to your body with some gentle shaking of your limbs and torso.
Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest
If you'd like to experience this kind of noticing within a guided practice, settle in for this 31-minute yoga nidra for deep, restorative rest.
You may want to try resting with it at different times of the day - in the morning when you first wake up, in the afternoon, or at bedtime.