A drowning person with arms desperately flailing to keep their head above water, closely describes how we can feel when severely stressed. It also describes the sometimes extreme efforts serious meditators exert trying to achieve desired goals during meditation practice.
When - and only when - not overwhelmed by the fear of imminent drowning, we may realize that by simply relaxing in water, and retaining air in our lungs (while breathing), our face naturally comes to rest above the water line, without further need for other movement / exertion.
This is a huge shift in understanding - the complete opposite of panicked flailing, wherein we exhaust ourselves with frantic physical & emotional exertion, including hyperventilation. Sadly, a drowning person is not even capable of hearing swimming instructions, never mind making good use of them.
HOWEVER, we all CAN practice & learn the above manoeuvre in shallow water.
SIMILARLY, we can learn to meditate FAR more effectively AND naturally, by practicing the meditation below - initially while minimally stressed.
“MEDITATION: Resting in the gap
Generally the mind is filled with an uninterrupted flow of thoughts and feelings that can feel overwhelming or oppressive. If you practice mindfulness, you may gradually develop an inner spaciousness that allows you to breathe deeply and negotiate the flow. In the direct approach, you may spontaneously discover natural spaces or pauses between the thoughts where an inner silence and stillness reveal themselves effortlessly.
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and pay mindful attention to your breathing. Now turn your awareness to the cascade of thoughts and feelings. Even though it may feel incessant, every now and then you’ll notice a tiny gap between the thoughts that’s open, silent, unfurnished. One thought arises and passes away, and before the next thought arises, there’s a gap.
Let yourself breathe into this gap; sense it fully, and gently prolong it. For the next ten minutes or so continue to notice, sense, and prolong the gaps or pauses between thoughts in a relaxed and gentle way, and feel into the silence and stillness that these gaps reveal.
You may notice that the sense of a me disappears in the gap; that is, unlike thoughts, the gap is not self-referential, it’s just open and aware. This is a glimpse of your natural state. Continue to explore the gaps from time to time as you go about your day.”
Stephan Bodian. “Beyond Mindfulness. The Direct Approach to Lasting Peace, Happiness, and Love.” Non-duality Press, 2017. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK with MANY other valuable PRACTICES
Fine Stephan Bodian interviews: https://batgap.com/stephan-bodian/
AND: "The Direct Path: A Conversation with Sam Harris" https://www.stephanbodian.org/video
