I began while doing yoga in the late 60’s. In the classes, I was taught to systematically relax my entire body by focusing my awareness upon and relaxing in turn each body part until I had gone through my entire body. I found that, once my awareness was spread throughout my body, my mind with its many thoughts had quieted and I was in fact meditating.

Later, after reading The Secret of the Golden Flower (translated from the Chinese by Richard Wilhelm, the translator also of the I Ching, I realized another important aspect of meditation. The Taoists, in this illuminating text, speak of the circulation of the light – light being awareness. They say that one should move the energy of awareness between the two primary poles of the body – the “Heavenly Heart,” which is the point midway between the eyes, and the “place of power,” which is located at the solar plexus. I found that when I did this, I would profoundly deepen my meditation.

When I began my work as a psychotherapist, I found people arguing as to which was best, meditation or psychotherapy. They are different, true, and they each do produce different results. Meditation can produce calmness and centeredness without necessarily increasing understanding. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, can produce increased understanding of self but often without ever leading to a calm and peaceful center.

Eventually, I came to use both meditation and psychotherapy in my own healing work. I would begin each healing session, either individual or group, with a meditation. This brief meditation centered my clients and me in the here and now and gave us a chance to slow down and see what was most important to work upon during our time together. It also led to greater empathy and awareness on everyone’s part.