Contradictions ?

I've noticed that sometimes the way I describe how I try to live my life seems contradictory. Soar, but stay grounded. Take action, but be still.

These concepts are not contradictory. When I describe stillness or being grounded, I am sometimes being literal but more often than not, I am describing a feeling at my center, at my core. Not being centered or grounded is when I feel like various parts of me are pulling in different directions. My heart might be saying one thing;my mind another. I might be thinking so hard that I pull the energy away from my limbs and I get cold hands and feet. My head might even feel that it is disconnected from my body, that it is just slightly off of center. (This is similar to the stuffy, clouded feeling that cold medicine can invoke). I once said to a friend when I was mountain biking that I felt ungrounded. The trees and bushes felt like I was going past them too fast and I felt like a bullet train traveling down a track without control. He suggested that I picture the pedals and wheels as extensions of my feet and legs. The suggestion helped.

In contrast, when I am grounded, centered, or still, I feel integrated. My mind and body are working together. A friend asked me how I felt skiing moguls, and my answer is that when I ski moguls well, I concentrate on keeping my core strong and the rest of me soft and fluid. My mind is still working but instead of yelping and screaming for attention, it is calmly and efficiently working in the background. Instead of my mind thinking about lunch, the difficulty of the run, or the weather, it is focused on uniting with my body and my body responds to that lack of interfering stimuli with power. I love that feeling of togetherness, of unity between mind, body and spirit. When I am integrated, I can be active and the activity takes on flow and joy. When I am integrated, I can be still and I am full of joy. I can be both active and still at the same time. Soar (in your spirit) and be grounded (in your self).