Firmness and gentleness are never separate. They complement each other. In Firmness and Gentleness we can find the possibility of harmonizing our mental and emotional activity, so that they can support each other.
Firmness comes from the knowledge that “there is a body.” Gentleness comes from the presence of our natural feelings which, nonverbally, express gratitude for being alive. When we are present, the body naturally manifests firmness and gentleness.
When the mind participates, through simple registration of the body, our touch is firm. The feelings, in the absence of reactive emotions, give us gentleness. These two aspects are simultaneously expressed through the body as one unified quality. In the moment we have a taste of being present, the body naturally manifests firmness and gentleness. Every activity of the body—moving, talking, looking, listening—becomes Breema, nurturing our essential self by expressing the harmony of life.
When your mind, feelings, and body work in cooperation with each other, you are inviting Conscious energy into your life. And with Conscious energy, you can see the meaning that underlies observable phenomena.
To know you exist, you only need a simple, receptive relationship to life. All you need is to know you have a body. Existence starts to enter through your connection to the body. That which knows there is a body can know you have life, and can know you exist.
Every time we practice Breema, we wish to have two qualities: firmness and gentleness. Real firmness is always gentle. Real gentleness is always firm. We refer to the presence of these two qualities as the “Breema touch.” Wherever our hands touch, the whole body is nurtured.
You can also download a "Firmness and Gentleness" poster here.