You are walking into a cinema to enjoy a movie. It is a multi-sensory experience. You relinquish the outside world and surrender to the environment where you are present to feel and to enjoy. You leave yourself outside when you step into the environment. The environment takes over, and you simply enjoy. you become fully immersed in the sights, sounds, and sensations around you.

A dancer is keen to delight the audience in her movements and to be swept away in the rhythm and artistry. Every appreciative gesture from the audience lifts her heart. She enters the minds of the audience and becomes one with them. The audience is no longer simply watching—they are experiencing. The dancer disappears and the dance alone remains.

You are reading a book and thoroughly absorbed. There is a moment when the reader is left behind, and you become a participant. The lines between you and the story blur, and, for a time, your thoughts are entwined with those of fictional personalities.

What do the experiences convey? We are reminded of the endless possibilities that await us. They enrich our lives by transporting us beyond the limits of our own perspective. This happens when we are ready to set aside our identification. Absorption can only occur when we relinquish the need to hold on to the identification. In these moments, we can flow effortlessly—much like a river making its way to the ocean—becoming part of something larger and more profound. When we bring our identification or personality along, we create a barrier and this forces us to focus on control and navigation, rather than surrendering to the transformative power of the moment.

When we walk in the world filled with experiences, we have a choice either leave our identification behind or carry it along with us like a shadow. The shadow hides our essential nature and the truth.

The other day, I had the pleasure of accompanying my niece to meet Siddharth, a meeting that was long overdue. It had been nearly eight years since they last saw each other, and the prospect of this reunion was tinged with a mixture of anticipation and nostalgia. I still recall the days when Siddarth was just a small child. My niece would carry him effortlessly in her arms, darting around the house with him, laughter echoing through the rooms.

As she walked into the room, an immediate sense of quiet reverence enveloped her. Siddharth sat in the centre, utterly absorbed in the gentle melodies from his instrument. His fingers moved skilfully and the notes merging and floating in the air. The floor was scattered with instruments and some odd electric cables. In the far corner of the room rested the Devi Yantra. In front of the yantra, a small brass lamp cast a steady, golden glow, its flame flickering gently. It appears the Devi herself had become accustomed to his daily hymns.

For twenty minutes, Siddharth doesn’t acknowledge my niece as she sits quietly before him. This is his world. She has stepped into his world. To truly understand what unfolds here, she must willingly set aside who she is at the door.

Eventually Siddharth senses her and glances up. He stops playing the music. A smile passes over his face, acknowledging her arrival. He leaves his music behind and turns his full attention to my niece. In that instant he enters her world leaving the music behind. Over the next two hours, they are deeply engaged in conversation. They talk about everything and nothing: favourite books, music, philosophy, the peculiarities of life, and the odd rituals that shape their daily lives.

There were two of us watching as the environment unfolded in the room: myself and the Devi. We remained as non-participants simply watching. There was no need to relinquish our identity, for we possess neither. We remained the silent witness, and in absorption as the scene unfolded before us.

Life frequently presents us with opportunities to rediscover and reconnect with our true selves, yet our habitual identifications often obscure this original nature. If you wish to experience this for yourself, consider consciously setting aside your sense of identity before entering any environment. By doing so, you will find yourself swiftly drawn into a state of absorption, where you feel wholly present and deeply connected to your own being.

In this state of absorption, your actions arise naturally and effortlessly, flowing from your innermost core. This is effortless action. Effortless action is non-doing. Such absorption is known to as Samyama: a profound merging of attention, awareness, and being, allowing you to move seamlessly with the rhythm of the life.