Some time ago, I posted an AI Art Music video called ‘All is Stillness’; this week, I explain the symbolism behind that video and how it relates to working with thoughts in meditation. ‘All is Stillness’ started as a poem I wrote, then I turned it into a song with Suno AI music generator, then I used animated AI art to create the video you can see at the end of this post. Now find out what it all means …
The Challenge of Beginning Meditation
Have you ever tried to meditate and felt your mind explode into more thoughts? That’s normal. When we first sit still, we begin to notice the thoughts that usually run in the background, and it can feel like our mind has become wilder. In truth, it hasn’t changed—it’s simply that we are finally watching it. That noticing is the beginning of meditation.
Thoughts Are Not the Enemy
Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts. In the Tibetan tradition, there’s a saying: You can’t have tea without leaves, and you can’t have meditation without thoughts. Thoughts will always arise, but the practice is about how we relate to them. Instead of being scattered by every idea, we learn to let thoughts rise and fall naturally, returning gently to our chosen focus—whether that’s the breath, an image, a sound, or a mantra.
It’s important not to force all of our attention onto the object of meditation. A rigid 100% focus makes practice harder and less spacious. Instead, hold about half your attention on the object and let the other half rest in open awareness. This balance allows us to notice when the mind has wandered and to return with ease.
Working With Thoughts
So how do we work with thoughts in meditation? When a thought appears, don’t follow it. Simply notice it, acknowledge its arrival, and bring your attention back to your focus. Left alone, the thought dissolves by itself. Another will arise, and you repeat the process. This is the rhythm of meditation—thoughts come, thoughts go, and awareness remains.
For those of us with ADHD, this practice is especially powerful. It helps us notice and shift negative loops, deepens creativity, and lowers stress.
Symbolism in All Is Stillness
In my film All Is Stillness, I use repeated images as metaphors for thought and the ground of mind:
- The ocean represents the vast ground of mind. Waves are thoughts—rising, cresting, and settling back into the water.
- Wide dream-like landscapes mirror the spaciousness of awareness.
- Silver spheres rolling across plains are thoughts moving across the mind.
- Sculptures rising and dissolving show how ideas form and fade.
The point is not to remove these shapes but to recognise them as events on a surface that remains still.
A Brief Practice
Sit comfortably and soften your gaze. Take one slow breath in, and one out. Watch the silver spheres roll across the screen. They are your thoughts, and your mind is the space through which they move. When there is a gap in the movement, rest your awareness there—in the stillness between rising and falling.
If a thought arises, notice it, acknowledge it, and let it pass like one of those spheres rolling across the landscape of your mind.
The Benefits of Imagery in Meditation
Practising this way helps us step back from our thoughts. We learn to let them roll away like balls across an open plain, fall back like waves into the ocean, or dissolve like shapes into the endless ground of mind. Over time, thoughts slow down, and in the gaps between them we discover peace and clarity—the open nature of mind itself.
A Visual Mantra for Daily Life
If I skip meditation, I notice the difference—focus becomes harder and tasks drift away. The imagery in All Is Stillness acts as a reminder, a visual mantra. The refrain from the music—“All is stillness, even while moving”—returns to me throughout the day, helping me remember my inner stillness while I work, walk, or simply breathe.
Try It Yourself
If this resonates, watch All Is Stillness with this context in mind and use the video as your meditation object. Or, if you use AI art generators, create a simple image of the vast still ocean of mind and meditate with it for five minutes tomorrow morning.
Share what you notice in the comments—I’d love to hear your reflections. And for more guidance, explore my book How to Meditate Easily, Effectively & Deeply.
