The way of Simply Stillness

Whatever the reasons, it did seem that the fast-pace of life had yet to realise the potential of this. It was very clear to me that meditation was exactly what was needed to balance the high stress of living at speed in the industrialised world.

As I thought about this, I realised that meditation would have to become an easy everyday practice. The benefits of meditation would need to be relevant to the lifestyle of the greater population who were not meditating. Specifically, and in my view it was today’s consumer driven society that had the most to benefit from what meditation could offer, especially the “Inner-Peace” aspect of meditation.

Science and technology is a beautiful invention. It holds a great promise for our future as our servant, but not as our master – as we are creating it. If we are to realise its true potential, there is a balance to be achieved within us. In this balance, we will act naturally to position the scale and place of technology in tomorrow’s world.

“and where has gone our sense of spirit, our natural connection with the intuitive universe?” . . .

“It is within us still – dwelling in the shadows of our unconscious. Its absence from our waking leads us to stress, sickness and disease”.

Yes, it is a good time to take stock of where we have come to. It is a good time to look at ourselves – from within.

All things considered, I could see clearly the place of meditation to heal and transform. What came to me was a universal method with no–frills and no strings attached. It was a simplified approach to meditation that maximised the essential benefits. Music was an important link in its accessibility.

Because it is natural, meditation is fundamentally simple. When it came to creating a simple form of meditation there were only a few points to be made. These related to “going with the flow” rather than concentrating or focusing. To the western mind, the mental pressure of concentration and focus aligned more with being stressed in life. A simple approach to meditation needed a release from that bondage.

Spending years writing the music brought home the most fundamental element of meditation. “Stillness” was where meditation began. Being able to maintain a state of continuous stillness while staying awake was the core essential of meditation.

When we become still, something very remarkable happens. In meditative stillness, where physical vibrations become almost non-existent, a deeper vibration that corresponds to the spiritual plane is exposed. This subtle but profound energy awakens our deepest awareness of being at peace. In the stillness of that peace, profound insight and universal wisdom is available to us.

The purpose of the music was to empower the continuity of stillness. The most amazing thing was finding how the music perfectly suited that purpose.

When I think about it, it was always in profound stillness that the music came . . .

Making the connection with nature in the Botanical Gardens would always begin in stillness. For no reason I knew of at the time, everything would stop as if remotely controlled . . .

In the stillness of that moment, I would find myself caught in the gaze of nature. In the stillness of that moment, its music would play . . .

Simply Stillness meditation was exactly that. It was simple and its essential requirement was stillness – firstly in body, and by osmosis the mind. You couldn’t “force or make it happen”. You just participated in the natural flow of what meditation naturally provided.

The regular practice of sitting in stillness develops an essential awareness of self. Connecting with this on a regular basis forms a conduit to accessing Universal or Chi Energy. As stress is released, this brings healing, balance and rejuvenation to all aspects of our wellbeing.

The Simply Stillness approach is a great beginner’s entry into meditation. This said; there are no experts of meditation or ways of measuring one’s ability to meditate. I have benefitted greatly from many years of practice and each time I meditate, I begin again.

The more I get to know myself, the more I know there is more to know – this is the way of “Simply Stillness”

With eyes closed, stillness of body soon becomes stillness of mind.

Excerpt from “In the Key of Peace”