How to Effortlessly Meditate All the Time - Awakening to Being

Effortless Meditation

Chris West guides viewers through an approach to meditation that does not involve trying to create a special state. Instead, he suggests noticing the awareness that is already observing the body and mind. Returning to this awareness repeatedly may help it become a more continuous part of daily life.

Guided Practice and Key Ideas

• Check in with your body: Notice how it feels in the moment and describe it in a word or two, such as “tight,” “soft,” or “anxious.”
• Check in with your mind and personality: Name what you notice without judging whether it is good or bad.
• Notice what is aware of those experiences: Turn attention toward the awareness that knows the body, thoughts, and feelings.
• Test whether you can make that awareness disappear: West suggests that awareness cannot simply be pushed away, because it is already present without effort.
• Return to awareness during the day: When attention gets absorbed in thoughts, emotions, or screens, revisit this simple noticing. West says that repeatedly “tasting” it may help it feel more consistently present.
• Approach meditation as recognition, not an activity: Meditation need not require a separate practice session; it can involve recognizing awareness amid ordinary activities.

West describes this awareness as peaceful and joyful, and says that suffering belongs to mental and bodily reactions rather than to awareness itself. These ideas are presented as part of his spiritual perspective.

Presenter: Chris West