The Still Point

Meditation has been part of my life for many years. I was always encouraged to let thoughts pass through the mind, to release attachment and return to stillness.

Yet whenever I reached that elusive space of “no thought,” my mind would instantly celebrate; “I did it!” breaking the silence it had worked so hard to achieve. It felt like a child seeking praise for doing something right.

Over the past year, my only consistent stillness practice has been a one-minute “no-mind” ritual: eyes open, staring softly at a pen. Simple, but an effective moment to stop and reset.

So, when the Master Key Experience requirement was introduced -to sit still for 15 to 30 minutes, doing absolutely nothing – I felt a mix of curiosity and doubt. Could I really keep my body completely still for that long without a twitch or need to scratch?

The guidance was clear: thoughts could come and go as they pleased; the goal was not to silence the mind, but to control the body. That intrigued me. I set a timer, without an alarm, just to track the experience, and settled into position.

My Vipassana training kicked in naturally. I placed my attention on my breath, the cool air entering my nostrils, the warmth as it left. Gradually, I lengthened my exhale, allowing each breath to deepen my stillness. I began counting: one breath, two, three… until I reached 108 inhalations.

Then my fingers twitched. My body had spoken. The session was complete.

When I glanced at the timer, it read 18 minutes and 24 seconds. I smiled. Time had dissolved in the rhythm of my breathing.

What I discovered in that experience was profound: stillness isn’t about stopping the mind, it’s about anchoring awareness in the body. When the body is still, the mind follows more easily. There’s a quiet power in the discipline of not moving, not reacting, simply being present.

That 18 minutes showed me that when I bring structure; a simple focus on breath and body; I can extend peace far beyond the mind’s chatter. I now look forward to my morning still point, curious to see what unfolds in the space between breath, body, and being.