I grew up in a single-parent home. Like many, that meant figuring out a lot on my own—learning how to solve problems without a clear blueprint. One of the unexpected gifts of that experience was developing a kind of creative strategy: doing the opposite.
We’re often told to trust our instincts, but what happens when those instincts are conditioned, reactive, or looping in a pattern that no longer serves us?
That’s where today’s meditation begins.
Inspired by teachings from Stoicism, the Bhagavad Gita, the Buddha, and even a famous episode of Seinfeld, this practice explores how holding opposites can become a doorway to peace. The inhale and the exhale. Pain and pleasure. Memory and presence. Winning and losing. All part of the same dance.
🧘🏽♂️ What to Expect in the Practice
We begin by anchoring attention in the breath—watching it move in and out like a tide. I then guide you through a reflection: recalling a moment from your day that stirred something within you, then inviting its opposite. Through this, we explore where tension, resistance, and even empathy live in the body.
We’re not trying to get rid of thoughts. We’re learning to become students of the mind—watching, receiving, and softening into what arises.
And perhaps most importantly, we’re practicing how to give ourselves the grace we often seek from others.
⏱️ Time-Stamped Breakdown
00:00–00:46 – Opening remarks + invitation to share and review
01:06–02:05 – Personal story: Growing up with a single parent & creative thinking through opposites
02:05–03:47 – Epictetus, Seinfeld, and spiritual teachings on opposites
03:52–05:53 – Setting the stage: shifting from doing to being
05:53–10:21 – Anchoring in breath: exploring the inhale and exhale
10:21–13:57 – Body awareness and receiving emotions as sensation
13:57–17:06 – Recalling a moment from your day and exploring its physical imprint
17:06–19:41 – Introducing the opposite memory and observing the contrast
19:41–21:38 – Holding both: practicing equanimity and witnessing presence
21:38–26:07 – Cultivating compassion, grace, and self-kindness
26:07–30:11 – Returning to breath: integrating love and letting go
30:11–31:44 – Closing reflection, gratitude, and invitation to the Substack community
🪞Why It Matters
The ability to hold opposites without immediately rushing to resolve them is the foundation of emotional intelligence, compassion, and inner strength.
You might be holding joy and grief in the same moment. Or love and fear. This practice doesn’t ask you to pick one. It asks you to witness both, and in doing so, discover something steady beneath the shifting.
Because you are that steady presence.
💬 Want to Reflect Together?
I’d love to hear from you:
What’s the opposite you’re holding right now?
Can you identify where it lives in your body?
Have you ever made progress in your life by doing the exact opposite of what you thought you should?
Leave a comment or reply—I read and appreciate every note.
Until next time,
With Metta,
Dominic
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