Instinctive Meditation changed my life. After 11 years of practicing yoga, my path took a transformative turn when The Radiance Sutras found me.
During my yoga training in India, I was given a mantra and instructed on how to meditate. Dutifully, I practiced. Yet, instead of peace, I surfaced from my meditations more irritated than when I began.
The mantra grated on my nerves — an unspoken friction that left me feeling disconnected and ashamed. In a community where everyone else seemed to follow protocol effortlessly, I felt like an outsider. My rebellious spirit took over, and I abandoned the mantra. I let go of the rules and instead began to meditate in my own way. For years, I explored solo, trusting my instincts and intuition to guide me. I experimented with laying down, swaying while sitting, guided meditations, meditations with and without music and tried various other meditation techniques and doorways. Those years were both liberating and challenging. I knew I could no longer use the mantra I was given because it literally hurt to do so. Following my inner guidance felt right. Yet, this was challenging because I had no one to share this with and no one to receive counsel from.
Then one day, I found myself in a small bookstore in Seattle, attending a talk by Dr. Lorin Roche, the author of The Radiance Sutras. The room was buzzing, packed with people eager to listen to him and his wife, Camille, share their wisdom. Their playful, unconventional approach to meditation was like a breath of fresh air. Lorin said something that profoundly shifted my world: “For every person on the planet, there are potentially that many ways to meditate.” It was a revelation.
In that moment, I felt an unspoken permission that the way I had been meditating was perfect for me. I didn’t have to conform. I didn’t have to feel shame. I could lay down, sway, listen to music, or be outside—whatever resonated with me. When I confessed to Lorin after the talk that I meditated lying down, he validated me with a gesture of acceptance, a nod that said, “Keep going.”
Eight years later, I’m still in awe of how this practice continues to shape and brighten my everyday. The textures of life have become richer, more vivid. It’s like seeing the world through new lenses—colors brighter, details sharper. I’m intoxicated by the sheer aliveness around and within me, daily.
Freedom to Be Yourself
At the heart of Instinctive Meditation is freedom. It’s a permission slip to be wholly and unapologetically yourself. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, the practice is rooted in foundational skills that you tailor to align with your instincts and desires.
For years, I struggled with understanding the concept of “Instinctive Wisdom.” Intellectually, I got it. But it wasn’t until last year—eight years into my journey with Instinctive Meditation—that it truly clicked on a deep, embodied level. The Instinctive Meditation community celebrates moments of discovery, no matter when they arrive. There’s no timeline, no pressure to “get it” immediately.
If your current meditation practice feels rigid, frustrating, or leaves you more agitated than at peace, this is your invitation to re-evaluate. How does your meditation practice make you feel? Does it align with who you are? If not, let this be your wake-up call. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Life is Movement, You Are Movement
Camille and Lorin’s book, Meditation Secrets for Women, introduced me to a phrase that became a guiding mantra: Life is movement, you are movement.
Even when we appear still, our bodies are alive with constant motion—electrical signals, heartbeat rhythms, the flow of breath. Instinctive Meditation invites us to follow these currents of movement as a doorway into meditation.
This philosophy extends beyond the meditation practice space. In daily life, we can choose to notice the swaying trees, the rhythm of our steps, or the dance of a butterfly. When seemingly stuck in sadness, frustration, or loneliness, we can remind ourselves: Life is movement, and so am I. Emotions are currents; they will move along, making space for the next wave of aliveness. Our meditation time is an opportunity to be an active participant in the process of moving emotions. Learning how to allow for all the inner movements inside of a meditation practice, is a skill we learn to develop the more we practice in a way that suits of our own intrinsic nature.
Spend Time Doing What You Love
One of the most beautiful aspects of Instinctive Meditation is its starting point: joy. Instead of beginning with 20 minutes of stillness, we ask, What do you love so much that you’d replay that moment over and over again?
The answer becomes your homework—spend time daily doing what lights you up. This shifts your nervous system into a state of relaxation and ease, creating a foundation for meditation. When we replay these joyful moments in meditation, we initiate the body’s natural relaxation and healing responses.
This approach is both simple and profound. By immersing ourselves in love and joy, our outer lives become more vibrant, and connection with our internal landscape becomes more intriguing. The two feed each other, creating a cycle of well-being that’s both practical and transformative.
A Framework for You
If you feel stuck in your meditation practice or are hesitant to begin, let this be your framework:
1. Give yourself Freedom: Explore a variety of meditation techniques and doorways. Stand, sway, listen to music, or be in nature. There’s no wrong way to meditate. Expand your understanding of meditation, create a working definition of what meditation is and why you are choosing to meditate. This will help inform your practice.
2. Follow Movement: Life is always in motion. Let curiosity guide you to notice the currents of movement within and around you. You can use this as a meditation technique.
3. Do What You Love: Spend time with activities that bring you joy. Let these moments infuse your meditation practice.
Instinctive Meditation isn’t about following rigid rules; it’s about discovering and honoring your unique rhythm. Trust yourself. Explore. And most importantly, let meditation be a space where you feel completely free to be you.
Leave a heart if you read or listened to this. Leave a comment about your own meditation practice.
Thank you for being here. You are appreciated. ✨
With love, ~HB~
