Stillness indicates depth. Strength. Focus.
Stillness has potential waiting to be expressed.
Think of the stillness of a piano maestro before a performance.
Or how an Olympic sprinter is so still just before the gun fires.
Stillness is so vital to human endeavor, yet so difficult for most of us to achieve.
In Heartfulness meditation, I have observed three levels of stillness so far. First, I am able to bring my body to a calm, steady posture. I realize how restless my muscles have been, always on the move. Even sleep is restless sometimes. Heartfulness relaxation creates the first level of stillness, at the physical level, and prepares me for meditation. It allows me to be alert and in the moment.
Once the body is still, I feel the activity of the mind. It is planning, solving, understanding, analyzing. And not just one thing, but several things at the same time! It’s like a busy train station. Then with my attention gently turned towards the heart, the choppy waves of the mind ease out into smoother ripples. As my attention gets drawn into the heart, the mind becomes still. Another window opens.
I perceive another layer of activity, of my identity. A layer below the thoughts and mental chatter. Something within me is reaching, longing and wanting to become. It is trying to express itself. In some meditations, when I am able to be in tune with the yogic transmission being poured into my heart, a deep stillness is felt at this level, with a feeling of complete acceptance. It feels so wholesome and perfect. Things are as they should be. It is restorative and refreshing.
It feels like this is where real meditation begins, so there must be several levels of deeper stillness to experience.
Article by SANTOSH SREENIVASAN
