01:45

The Car of Meditation

by John Astin

Rated
4.6
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
1.6k

This short meditation invites the listener to let go of all doing and realize that experience is already unfolding perfectly and effortlessly, with nothing needing to be done to make it so.

MeditationPresent MomentSpontaneityEffortless MeditationPresent Moment AwarenessEffortlessnessLetting GoMeditative Experiences

Transcript

Most of the time when we take up a meditation practice,

We have some meditative goal in mind.

We want to feel more at peace,

More aware,

More present,

And so on.

And so with that goal in mind,

We get in our spiritual practice car,

Adjust the seat,

Buckle the seat belt,

Check our mirrors,

Turn on the ignition,

And start driving our car,

Manipulating the steering wheel this way and that,

Accelerating,

Braking,

And so on,

All in an effort to arrive safely at our meditative destination,

Whatever we imagine that to be.

But there's another approach to this thing called meditation,

And that is this.

Just notice that without any effort on your part,

Without getting in and driving the car of meditation,

Just see that the car is already going,

That life is already on the move.

This moment is already unfolding.

Experiencing is already happening,

Without you having to do anything to make it so.

You see,

There really is no need to turn the engine on,

For it's already humming.

Notice that you don't have to direct the car to go any particular way.

No steering is actually required.

Experience simply goes wherever it goes,

Spontaneously and unpredictably.

Just appreciate that without any doing or effort on your part,

You're being taken on the wildest,

Most astonishing,

Most unpredictable ride of your life.

Meet your Teacher

John AstinSanta Cruz, CA, USA

4.6 (116)

Recent Reviews

John

June 10, 2022

Loved it.

Jake

March 28, 2019

I love this. Really helpful reset button to relieve stress and just relax :) Nice job John.

Karin

November 5, 2018

Thank you - great wisdom 🙏🎶

Michele

September 10, 2018

Loved it! So true!

MeditativeStateOfMind

September 10, 2018

The Wildest most Astonishing Unpredictable ride I Ever been on ... My Life 🖤

Peter

July 25, 2018

Love the analogy......very helpful. You gave a lot to the listener in such a short time. Thank You.🍁

Cris

July 25, 2018

Good affirmative point

Kristin

July 25, 2018

Thank you. I really enjoyed that.

Mary

July 25, 2018

Wise words and very helpful

Bo

July 25, 2018

Great analogy! What a ride these experiences give one without even thinking about it.

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© 2026 John Astin. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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