• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Top Posts
  • Archives
  • Social
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
  • Contact
  • Jamaica Psychedelic Retreat

Freedom and Fulfilment

Personal Development, Spirituality & Psychedelics

How to Hold a Bird

April 10, 2017 By Aaron 2 Comments

Hold firmly enough so that it can’t fly away, but don’t squeeze so tightly that you kill the bird!

This is a concept sometimes taught in meditation, where holding the bird is a metaphor for the use of attention.

One should focus on the object of attention – the breath, for example – forcefully enough so that the mind does not wander, but not so forcefully that it suffocates the practice or causes fatigue. The bird is delicate and restless – it should be held firmly but not crushed.

Holding the bird applies to more than just meditation.

Have you ever noticed how when you really want something to go a certain way – an interview, a party, a date – it almost certainly doesn’t go that way? Rigid expectations are squeezing the bird too tight – holding on too tightly to wanting things to be a certain way.

Or consider an experience we’ve all had: momentarily forgetting something and then trying really hard to remember. What always happens? You can’t remember. But then when you let go a little bit, suddenly the memory re-emerges in just the way you want.

Whether or not this is some cosmic principle of the universe, it does seem to hold true more often than just coincidence would allow. Kanye West got it right when he said, “when you try hard, that’s when you die hard”.

Have you ever been in the early stages of a relationship and squeezed so tightly that it killed the budding romance? Or maybe the opposite – not held on tightly enough so the other person flew away?

Reaching flow states is the same way. You must focus enough on the task at hand to become immersed in it, while allowing inspiration the room it needs to come through. Lack of focus scatters the attention, but overthinking and over focus inevitably crushes the creative pipeline and the magical spark eludes you.

The principle is to apply as much effort as is needed for the desired result… but not more. It’s a hard balance, but that is how to hold a bird.

Read next: Why Life Tastes Better with Meditation

Enjoy this article?

Subscribe to my newsletter Good Thought to get my latest writing straight to your inbox.

Rather read it first? You can do that here.

Thank you!

You'll receive a confirmation email soon. Click the button in the email to confirm your subscription!

.

Primary Sidebar

Get Email Updates

Subscribe to my newsletter Good Thought to get my latest writing straight to your inbox.

Thank you!

You'll receive a confirmation email soon. Click the button in the email to confirm your subscription!

.

Welcome to Freedom & Fulfilment


aaron-ff Hey, my name is Aaron and welcome to my site.

I created Freedom & Fulfilment to write about my experience and share ideas on self improvement, spirituality, and how we can create the best lives for ourselves and others.

To learn more about me and this website click here

You can read all the posts here

To get email updates for new posts click here

I hope you enjoy the posts on F&F, and I hope you get something valuable from them. Thanks for reading and find me on social media below.

Recent Posts on F&F

  • Psychedelics and Doing Good (Presentation Slides)

    Psychedelics and Doing Good (Presentation Slides)

  • How to Make Friends in a New City

    How to Make Friends in a New City

  • Psychedelic Research as a Potential Cause Area for Effective Altruism (Presentation Slides)

    Psychedelic Research as a Potential Cause Area for Effective Altruism (Presentation Slides)

  • The Practical Benefits of Meditation

    The Practical Benefits of Meditation

  • The Truth Will Set You Free

    The Truth Will Set You Free

Medical Disclaimer · Affiliate Disclosure
Copyright © 2023