You Only Have to Feel

When you stop chasing the right way, you fall into the true way.

By Daniel Tkach•August 23, 2025•3 min read

feelingpresencesimplicityawarenesspractice

So many steps.
Breathe this way. Sit this way. Place the hands here, close the eyes there.
A ladder of instructions, each one demanding to be remembered, each one heavy with obligation.

And doubt arises: Am I doing it right? Is this practice real, or only mechanical?

Then — in silence — a phrase comes:
You only have to feel.

At once, the burden falls away.
The body speaks without words.
The breath is not counted, yet it is whole.
Relaxation arrives like a tide, clarity shines like the sky after rain.

There is no ladder, no sequence, no endless steps to climb.
There is only feeling.
And in feeling, you discover that the depth you sought was already here.

This is the gift of practice:
When you stop chasing the right way, you fall into the true way.

Sometimes we overcomplicate practice. We try to follow every step, every instruction, worried that skipping one means failure. The process becomes mechanical, and we lose the heart of it.

The phrase "You only have to feel" is a reminder: the essence of practice is not in ticking boxes but in presence.

What "Feeling" Means in Practice

Awareness of the body. Notice tension, weight, warmth, release.

Awareness of the breath. Not controlled, just observed.

Awareness of the moment. Let the practice carry you instead of forcing it.

How to Apply This Insight

Start with sensation. Before worrying about technique, ask: What do I feel right now?

Loosen the checklist. Steps are useful, but don't let them chain you.

Sink deeper through relaxation. Let feeling guide you to clarity and calm.

Trust the process. Even if you think it's "too simple," feeling is the door to depth.

When you return to your body and simply feel, practice becomes alive again.
You discover meditation, clarity, and growth not by forcing, but by allowing.

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