Peter Russell

Today’s Explorer-in-Residence is Peter Russell, who started out as a theoretical physicist (a student of Stephen Hawking’s) until sometime in the early 70s he made his way to India and had his mind blown open. 

He became one of the West’s early proponents of meditation and in the 80s wrote several seminal books on consciousness and technology. He’s had a big influence on the culture of meditation in general and on Jeff in particular – Jeff tells the story of meeting Peter in 2008 and afterwards, getting “let go” tattooed on his forearm. Appropriate then, that Peter’s new book is called Letting Go of Nothing. 

What does “letting go” actually mean and why do so many meditation teachers go on about it? 

We explore this in real-time, as Peter guides us in a wonderfully simple and accessible “effortless meditation” practice. Afterwards, very relaxed, we lazily discuss whether all this effortlessness is really just cheating and won’t actually get us anywhere. “Thinking you need to get somewhere is exactly the problem!” says Peter, or something like that. And on we go, a deep dive into the ordinary perfection that is already right here. This is good medicine.

Peter’s 12 minute effortless meditation practice begins at 7:55 and ends at 19:58.

*Apologies for the rustles and muffles – sound improves after 10 minutes.