A New Understanding

In my life-long quest to unleash my Unlimited Self, I have applied an ever-evolving array of techniques and ideas, practices and philosophies, and recently I came unto a great realization:

Effort is counter-productive.

Now, what does this mean? Does this mean that we should not practice yoga? Is meditation a waste of time?

No, no, no, of course not. These practices have worked for thousands of years, and continue to prove valuable today.

What I've realized is simply that the soul exists in a permanent state of effortlessness, or stillness, and until we have learned to bring ourselves into stillness, the light of the soul cannot shine through us.

My experience of stillness has deepened immensely recently, and I will describe it here.

Our existence has many, many layers, and each successive layer can only be perceived from a deeper level of relaxation. True stillness exists within us at all times, but we do not experience it because we always have something "going on". We do not notice the great stillness of the lake while we are busy swimming on the surface.

As we sit and TRY to relax, we can only achieve partial success. We must attain a state of absolute ease. We must simply allow ourselves to be taken over by relaxation, without at all attempting to influence or direct the process. Of course, we are responsible for initiating the process, but we should then begin at once to simply trust in the natural function of the Life within us and "let it ride".

On a deeper level still, we have the DESIRE to relax. The soul exists in a desire-less state of wholeness. The soul knows that it is One with All Creation and any desire that we feel comes from our misperception that we are not already one with our desires.

Desire is movement.

Desire says, "I want this thing that I do not have. Life would be better if I had it. I will try and get it."
While all of these statements are great in a practical sense, the Soul never experiences any of them, so they must be released entirely if we are to allow the Soul to manifest fully in our lives.

In the state of pure stillness and relaxation, there can be no desire or effort to relax, there can only be stillness. And stillness, by the way, is never empty, it is full.

True stillness is full of the absolute Oneness of all that exists.

So how can we use this knowledge to help us live our lives more fully?

The first step is to acknowledge that the Soul is always with us, always within us, always available.
We each have great, untapped resources available to us for guidance and support, but they will never force themselves upon us. We must acknowledge them and allow them to manifest in our lives.

The second step is to understand that the Soul exists in stillness, and in the experience of stillness, you will come to know who you truly are.

When you TRY to experience the soul, you are not still.
When you DESIRE to experience the soul, you are not still.
When you feel that life would be a lot easier with the help of the soul, you are not still.

We must release all effort and all desire.
Do not try to relax. Relaxation happens when you stop trying.
Even the desire to relax, connect, and receive must be released.
Stillness exists within you always, but it is hidden by the movement created by desire.

Imagine the calm waters of a pristine lake.
It is the most beautiful and tranquil lake you have ever seen.
The lake and its surrounding areas exist in a permanent state of peace.

Now imagine that you are in the middle of the lake, and every movement you make creates ripples on the surface of the water.
When you try to relax you create ripples.
When you want to become more relaxed, you create ripples.
When you notice that you are doing very well at becoming relaxed, you create ripples.

If you notice that you are creating lots of movement on the surface of the lake, do not fret.
There is no amount of movement, no matter how intense, that cannot return to stillness.
Stillness always prevails whenever the movement ceases.

This all boils down to the yogic teach of non-attachment.

Non-attachment means that:

Even in the midst of your practice, you are not attached to any results that you may or may not experience. Whether you achieve anything or not is irrelevant. You feel very light and easy about it all. Whatever happens or does not happen is all perfectly alright. You are free from all desire, expectation, and need. You learn to let go of the practice of letting go.

And in THAT state of being, the True Nature of the Self is finally free to reveal itself.

So let us now let it all go, including the endeavor and desire to let go, until there is nothing left but the unfiltered experience of Self.

Let's go!