Natural Meditation
Conflict is something that has been with us since the dawn of time. The Chinese have identified two of these conflicts. They call them taming the Tiger (body) and taming the Dragon (mind). One practice that incorporates the taming of both the body and the mind is meditation.
Taming the tiger and the dragon incorporates the use of stillness. Stillness in this context simply means do not force the body or the mind to move. Simply let both the mind and the body “idle”.
Because breath is one of the few things that connects the mind and body it becomes very integral to meditation as you will see. The connection exists because the mind can control breathing if desired and it can be observed and felt even though it is a semi-autonomic function.
We are going to practice what is commonly known as “natural meditation”. The only “rule” is to remain comfortable and balanced (just as in your Tai Chi form). Begin by sitting with your back away from the back of the chair. There are three harmonizings that we will be practicing. First, harmonize the body; make it comfortable. If you need to move positions, or an arm or hand to get comfortable go ahead and move it. Secondly, harmonize the breath. This means simply to observe the breath without controlling how you breathe. Let it be natural. Avoid making the breath smooth or long or deep. Just simply observe it. Finally we harmonize the mind. When you find yourself drifting away from the present moment just go back to harmonizing your breath.
Sometimes you will get “tired” of sitting or your awareness of your energy will increase to the point where you might want to stand. If you feel like standing; go ahead and stand. The same harmonization techniques described above should be employed.