
Non-Striving Meditation
In this meditation, Dr. Julien Lacaille gently guides you in cultivating a non-striving attitude in your mindfulness practice.
Transcript
Okay,
So just settling into a seated posture.
And for now seeing if we can be satisfied with just this moment of sitting like nothing else has to happen for me to be satisfied.
Maybe just sitting here is good enough for now.
So setting kind of that intention.
And nothing else has to happen.
Because plenty is already happening.
And we don't have to do anything about it.
So for example sounds are already happening.
I mean they've been happening since we stepped in here maybe before.
And seeing if it requires any effort to hear the sounds.
So maybe kind of noticing the difference between like listening for sounds,
Like going to seek and grab sounds versus kind of like leaning back and seeing if we can just let the sounds come to us.
Like hearing the sounds.
And we may notice that without even doing anything,
The sounds in this room and outside this room,
They just keep kind of doing their own thing.
They just keep kind of evolving,
Coming and going.
And we can just sit here and just notice them coming and going.
Like the sounds have their own agenda maybe.
And for now we just have no agenda.
And so sounds are continuously happening and there are other happenings happening right now.
For example in the body there are sensations of breathing already happening.
Again you don't need to do anything.
You don't need to start breathing.
You don't need to change your breathing.
Just like the comings and goings of sounds,
There's the coming and going of the air in your body.
So maybe breathing has its own agenda and seeing if we can kind of just lean back into this moment and just accompany the cycle of breathing with kind of each step knowing that it leads to nowhere.
Can I allow myself to just be present with this in-breath and this out-breath?
So sounds are happening,
Breathing is happening and maybe other sensations in your body are happening.
They have their own agenda,
They're kind of doing their thing,
They're keeping you healthy and alive.
And then again you can just kind of like peek in through the different parts of the body.
There might be sensations you like or you don't like,
Pleasant or unpleasant.
And seeing again if we can just put the agenda to the side for now.
The agenda of wanting to feel better,
Of getting rid of pain say.
Seeing that aside and just seeing if we can just rest in being with the comings and goings of all these body sensations.
Then while this is happening,
There's still even more things happening like thoughts,
Judgments.
And seeing if we can notice even those as just happenings of the mind.
They have their own agenda,
Obviously the mind has its own agenda.
It wants to get things done,
It wants to get better,
To fix things,
Solve things.
And can we,
The observer,
Just rest in awareness,
Awareness of those thoughts coming and going and saying whatever they have to say without having to change those.
And seeing if there is a desire to change something,
To get somewhere.
A desire to strive for something,
Maybe to achieve a certain pleasant state in meditation.
To get better.
And seeing even that desire,
This urge as just another thing that's happening right now.
And the observer just kind of lean back into this moment and observe this happening.
And as maybe we become aware of the whole flow of experiences,
Sounds coming and going,
Breathing,
Other body sensations,
Thoughts and urges.
Seeing if we can just notice this coming and going and us not getting involved and interfering with any of it.
Just letting it flow through us effortlessly.
And just accompanying one moment to the next,
Whatever's showing up.
We're practicing non-striving.
Just enjoying the process of experiencing from moment to moment.
This is it.
This is my life unfolding.
Can I be there for it?
Can I lean back into this moment?
We'll finish with a poem entitled Enough by David White.
He writes,
Enough.
These few words are enough.
If not these words,
This breath.
If not this breath,
Then this sitting here.
This opening to the life we have refused again and again until now.
Enough.
These few words are enough.
If not these words,
This breath.
If not this breath,
This sitting here.
This opening to the life we have refused again and again until now.
Until now.
Thank you.
4.7 (642)
Recent Reviews
Wendy
April 2, 2025
I love your meditations!
Angelo
June 20, 2023
That was enough π Thank you!
kit
February 10, 2022
Julien speaks in a way that shows he understands and lives what he offers. Also i always feel that he is speaking to me as a friend or equal, and that allows me to openly receive.
Jeanne
December 15, 2021
Thank you! During this meditation I thought of the poem Enough, it was a nice surprise that you read it! Beautiful practice.
Janet
September 1, 2020
I return again and again to this meditation. I hear it differently as my relationship to striving shifts. Thank you!
Kate
July 15, 2020
Very helpful, well paced and relaxing. Thank you. πΌππ»ππ»ππ»πΈ
Letisha
June 8, 2018
L O V E this, Thank You β€
b-
April 26, 2018
Very Creative perspectives! Going to replay for sure
Judith
April 25, 2018
Thank you for guiding me into a state of non striving. I will come back to this one again.
Maggie
April 24, 2018
This is enough. I am enough. Thanks!
Judy
April 23, 2018
Thank you for sharing. Namaste π
Sue
April 23, 2018
Great - loved it
Tipawahapi
April 23, 2018
The Dao in meditation. Loved it. Simplicity of cooperating with life as it presents itself. Thank-you. π
Teresa
April 23, 2018
Lovely to practice letting go of Agenda πππ«
Charlotte
April 23, 2018
Excellent, to the point and with kindness. It gave me a different perspective with the observation that I can observe without striving because everything has its own agenda already and I donβt have to make anything happen.
Martha
April 23, 2018
Lovely meditation. Thank you for the bell!
Lauren
April 23, 2018
Exactly what I needed - thank you
Bonne
April 23, 2018
A different approach for me to practice.
Amy
April 23, 2018
Simple but powerful words. Thank you!
Jim
April 23, 2018
Very well done. Thank you.
