Soft thinking
Being of service without burning out
Lately I’ve been sitting in different communities led by Vedic meditators who are guiding leaders, creatives, care takers, and entrepreneurs to live as their most authentic selves while creating something meaningful in the world. There’s a beautiful fire in these spaces. A longing to serve, to contribute, to live one’s purpose as an act of love and devotion. Yet I’ve also seen the moment when that fire begins to waver. When what once felt light and full of grace starts to feel like effort. A subtle resistance creeps in. The current reverses and suddenly it’s as if we’re pushing uphill, wondering why something born of love now feels heavy. I’ve come to see this as a symptom in our society of a missing foundational wisdom or what we call the philosophy of action. A way of moving in the world that begins, always, with our daily Vedic meditation practice.
Consciousness technology.
Think of it like a bow and arrow. You want the arrow to hit the target, but in order for it to go forwards, you first have to pull it back on the bow. Now, if you’d never seen or heard of a bow, you’d think this was quite strange. How could going backwards help you to go forwards? But sure enough, if you pull the arrow back to the point it cannot go any further, then aim, and let go, it flies towards the target with great power and precision, and very little effort on your part. This is an example of the philosophy of action.
In life, a desire arises. A spark to create, to contribute, to do something great. The target is clear, and there’s an instinct is to rush toward it, to give everything, to push, to force momentum. But that’s like picking up the arrow and throwing it by hand, running after it, and hurling it again until you finally reach your goal. Now, you might get there, yes, but by the time you do, you’re exhausted. When we’ve never been taught how to string the bow of the mind, action becomes draining rather than nourishing.
Then you learn Vedic meditation, the bow gets strung, and you awaken your own consciousness technology. Each time you meditate, you draw the mind inward back toward the source of thought. Here you arrive in silence, but it’s not an empty silence. It’s alive, awake, humming with creative intelligence. All the laws of nature are gathered ready to serve the one who has a thought. This is where the arrow of thought gathers its power. From here, every possibility is awake within you.
So how do we aim? How do we hit the target? Maharishi tells us: soft thinking. As the mantra becomes softer, fainter, subtler, we transcend layers of activity until the thought becomes so soft it happens almost by itself. This is where we aim. This is where we desire from. A mind already fulfilled, already whole. And then, we release.
The archer must let go for the arrow to fly. The thinker must release the thought for the desire to manifest. Established in that silent fullness, the laws of nature take over. Effort turns to grace. The movement of life becomes self-organising, precise, and beautifully supported, just as the arrow finds its target, guided by the invisible physics of the world.
“It’s just a matter of channeling our desire from the gross level of space-time value to the finer level till the boundaries vanish and the unbounded is fully awake…. action is not through stress and strain. No. It does not need any machinery to lift the desire or to bend the desire or to channel the desire. No machine is necessary. Whatever brain physiology is there is completely enough. Everyone who can think is blessed with all that is necessary to have this ability to command all the laws of nature through mere desiring. Fulfillment of desire [is] not through hard work. Fulfillment of desire [is] through soft thinking. Soft thinking… Softer and softer… because in the softest thinking is the total potential of Natural Law. Soft thinking, soft thinking, soft thinking. Not even hard thinking. And absolutely not through hard work. Absolutely not through work.” - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Hard work vs. established in Being performing action.
Whenever I share this philosophy in classes or courses, someone inevitably asks, “So… are you saying we just don’t do anything?” It’s a fair question. Because what we’re talking about here runs counter to almost everything we’ve been taught about success, namely that it’s earned through hard work, long hours, and sheer force of will. But the truth is subtler.
Inside the one who is established in Being, a different law is at play known as the principle of least action (or Nature’s efficiency). From this state, you act, but the action arises from stillness. It’s effortless, yet powerful. From the outside, it may look like hard work with full schedules, constant movement, and endless creating. But ask the one who’s doing the doing and they’ll say, “It’s all just happening!” And I feel we’ve all experienced this in some shape or form. A moment, or a flow in life, where it feels like everything is unfolding through you, but you’re not the one doing it. You are, but you’re not. And it’s a joy.
Maharishi was once asked by a journalist how he managed to accomplish so much, travelling endlessly, teaching millions, speaking for hours without rest. His answer was simple, “Effortlessness.” When you realise you are not the one doing the doing, something remarkable happens. The body moves, the mind speaks, the world turns, and yet inside, you remain rested, fulfilled, awake. This is devotion in its purest form, allowing Life to live through you.
Imagine an arrow able to maintain both its inward state of being pulled back on the bow, established in a silent, infinite, potential power, and at the same time be flying in infinite action, never losing its silence nor dynamism. Forever one with its source, even in motion. That is skill in action. And it’s not reserved for the few. It’s available to everyone and begins by turning within, knowing the silence from which all movement comes. Never think of yourself as anything less than infinite potential. We’ve been gifted everything we need. Now it’s time to let Life make good use of us.
“Desire and let go, and trust the Universe to take care of details.” - Maharishi
With love,
Laura x
Resources to explore.
Listen to Maharishi talk about how 20 minutes in meditation helps you achieve more by doing less
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Oh Laura, you’ve done it again.
Some beautiful insight and prompting for me in the journal tonight 🙏🏻
Dear Laura,
Your writing guided me to understanding this concept in ways I was not able to prior. It is exactly what I needed. Bullseye!!!
JAI GURU DEVA!!!
Angel