{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/68777d335d5bb08874b34384/6a784dd1237988582e17f0ec?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"How to Meditate Without Even Trying: Peter Russell on Effortless Awakening","description":"<p>THE SHIFT HAPPENS RETREAT WITH SIMON &amp; ALEX (October 3rd in London): <a href=\"https://shift-happens-retreat.subscribepage.io/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://shift-happens-retreat.subscribepage.io/</a></p><p><br></p><p>In this conversation I sit down with <strong>Peter Russell</strong> – physicist, pioneering meditation teacher, and author of <em>How to Meditate Without Even Trying</em> – to explore what happens when we stop striving so hard to “do” spirituality.</p><p>Peter studied mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge and worked under <strong>Stephen Hawking</strong>, before realising that no amount of theory could explain the simple fact that we have experience at all. That insight drew him towards meditation, Transcendental Meditation, and eventually a life devoted to exploring consciousness from the inside out.</p><p>We cover:</p><ul><li><strong>Effortless meditation</strong> – why trying to meditate usually makes the mind more active, and how to approach practice as “just sitting quietly with yourself.”</li><li>My own <strong>kenshō-style shift</strong> – including the terror that came beforehand, the prayer “please be gentle with me,” and the subsequent recognition that it’s not “Simon” speaking, but the universe speaking through everyone.</li><li><strong>Big experiences vs gradual awakening</strong> – why Peter rarely talks about dramatic spiritual events, and why chasing them can keep us stuck.</li><li><strong>Intuition and the body</strong> – how real wisdom often emerges when we drop out of the story and into sensation, and Peter’s powerful example of tracking a current trigger back to a subtle childhood imprint.</li><li><strong>A new relationship to the ego</strong> – seeing the ego as a survival pattern that’s trying to help, and how simple gratitude (“thank you for trying to protect me”) can soften intrusive thoughts and reactive patterns.</li><li><strong>Forgiving humanity</strong> – Peter’s perspective on why our current global crisis is an almost inevitable result of exponential growth, and how inner stability and community become crucial as the pace of change accelerates.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>👉 Work with Me - free 15 minute 1:1 consultation: https://calendly.com/simon-wgw/simon-mundie-intro-call</p><p>👉 Website for endorsements and retreat info: https://www.simonmundie.com</p><p><br></p><p>👉 Free Course on 'Freedom From the Me Mind': https://www.simonmundie.com/courses</p><p>👉 My book on Flow and Real uccess: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/champion-thinking-9781526626486/</p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Simon Mundie"}