This quote floors me:
I love this.
Here, Einstein, the epitome and icon of intelligence, reminds us that if we want to solve problems—any problem: personal, social, or global—it's essential to change our fundamental level of consciousness.
Most problems arise from the limitations of either/or or this/that levels of consciousness. This mindset itself constitutes the problem. It's akin to the paradox of an autoimmune disease: the body essentially fighting itself in a misguided attempt to achieve wholeness.
Instead, I propose a revolutionary approach to problem-solving.
Yoga Nidra Changes Our Level of Consciousness
Yoga Nidra is a non-dualist practice that helps us to exit our either/or, this/that consciousness and reminds us of our innate Both/And nature.
It doesn't deny opposition; instead, it utilizes the illusion of opposites, our apparent separateness, and our natural inclination toward either/or, this/that consciousness as an incredibly effective tool. This tool reveals what has always existed: a wholeness that cannot be divided into anything less.
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.
"A Great Wagon" by Rumi
Translated by Coleman Barks
Stereoscopic Consciousness
In my Yoga Nidra teacher training one of the ways I facilitate the experience of wholeness, of this Both/And nature in Yoga Nidra is by leveraging opposition. I call it "playing opposites," or "stereoscopic consciousness."
I drew inspiration from how our eyes utilize stereoscopic vision to perceive depth. Each eye functions like a camera, projecting an image onto the part of our brain responsible for processing visual information. Individually, the image captured by each eye appears flat and two-dimensional. However, when we have the benefit of two eyes, the slight disparity in perspective due to their separation enables the brain to combine these two images into one cohesive representation, imbued with the illusion of depth.
Similarly, our consciousness operates on a similar principle. During a Yoga Nidra session, I guide participants to observe various objects—such as a physical sensation, an emotion, or the concept of another person as "other"—as they arise in their awareness. The practice involves simply acknowledging each object without judgment and witnessing its presence. Then, I encourage participants to alternate their focus between different objects.
In a pivotal moment, I facilitate a shift in perspective by urging participants to embrace both objects simultaneously in their awareness. It's akin to the magician's act of pulling the tablecloth out from under the dishes, disrupting the ordinary and revealing what lies beneath. This requires relinquishing the rigid dichotomy of either/or thinking and embracing a more inclusive mindset that can accommodate both. This state of consciousness, often referred to as the non-dual Self or Both/And nature, represents the authentic essence of the individual.
Just as our eyes blend two images to perceive depth, the simultaneous awareness of two seemingly disparate objects engenders a deeper understanding that transcends individual perspectives. In this way, the integration of dualities yields a unified perception that reflects true depth and insight.
To me, there is no greater teaching that the idea of holding two different viewpoints simultaneously to create true sight, one with a truer perspective, one that transcends the two-dimensional world of either/or, this/that.
The new third thing is where both the truth and the magic lies in our being human.
Both as individuals and as a species (another blended perception if separateness) we are all meeting at the fascinating intersection between our humanness and our beingness. Here, we experience firsthand the truth that, as Rumi says, "is too full to talk about," where "ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense."
So the next time you're confronted with a conflict, the next time you find yourself at an impasse, the next time you find it impossible to reconcile or get your point across, considering changing your state of conscious with something like a Yoga Nidra practice.
Ask yourself how you might be able to experience your problem from a Both/And mindset to find true sight and perspective.
I hope to meet you at a yoga or Yoga Nidra class very soon where we can lie in that grass that Rumi points to and experience that world which is too full to talk about, where the phrase each other doesn't make any sense.
Live and In-Person
and via Zoom
Salt Lake City, Utah
An in-depth Yoga Nidra training
for teachers, coaches, and therapists
interested in facilitating powerful transformation
for self and others.
Schedule: May 11th 11 am–5 pm. May 12, 18, 19 9 am to 4 pm.