The Light That Reveals: Relaxation, Awareness, and Christ Within

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 (NIV)

There are premises within meditation, foundations that a framework is built upon. Whether we speak of intention, posture, or outcome, this is what functional meditation is about for me. It is not mystical for the sake of mysticism, nor technique for the sake of control, but a lived practice of awareness, embodiment, and truth.

Within meditation there are certain attitudes we hold, internal postures that are foundational.

The ones I often return to are relax, be interested, and be friendly. I’ve spoken previously about these through the lens of Tara Brach’s work and her teachings on these attitudes.

Lately, Scripture has been coming alive in a new way. It’s as if the words are no longer just being read or understood intellectually, but are landing dropping into consciousness, as though they were always waiting for the body to be ready to receive them.

In one of Tara’s podcasts, she speaks about a key lesson within the first attitude: relaxation. She describes it as creating a space of awareness and offers this phrase:

“Shining a light on what is, reveals reality.”

As I heard this, something happened.

My mind lit up and so did my body. There was a felt sense of excitement, recognition, almost as if a literal light switch had been turned on within me.

How many times have I heard Scripture speak of light? So many times. I knew the words. I could quote them. But knowing is not the same as understanding not the kind of understanding that reaches the whole person.

I do believe there is an intellectual understanding, and it has its place. But there is another kind the kind that arrives when Scripture is embodied. When the body drops into the truth, you know.

This is where I feel Hebrews 4:12 comes alive:

“For the word of God is alive and active… it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit…”

There is a piercing that doesn’t wound, but awakens. The Spirit within us stirs not only with understanding, but with awe, power, and reverence for how deeply these words speak to our lived experience.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12 (NIV)

I have always known Christ as the light who directs our path. But how that light works within us how it is revealed, how it is accessed I don’t think I fully understood until now.

Scripture says:

“Everything exposed by the light becomes visible and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”
Ephesians 5:13

It took hearing Tara speak about shining a light on our own experiences about revealing, creating space, and awareness to understand something profound.

This light is not for shame.
It is not for force.
It is for transformation.

Nothing has to be pushed away. Nothing has to be fixed first.

Truth, when revealed gently, brings safety, clarity, and life.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

The light doesn’t battle the darkness. It doesn’t argue with it. It simply is and that is enough.

And then this:

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of God’s glory.”
2 Corinthians 4:6

How often have we heard that the light shines within us yet never been shown how to allow it to shine?

How often have we believed the truth, but not known how to rest into it?

What I am learning is this: the light is not switched on by striving. It is not accessed through effort or control.

It is revealed through inner enquiry.
Through allowing space within us to expand enough to hold what is.
Through a willingness to let go.

The more we relax even physically, the more we soften our grip, the more the light within becomes visible.

Perhaps this is why meditation, when rooted in truth, is not at odds with faith but a doorway into deeper understanding.

Not reading the Word harder.
But allowing the Word to read us.

To illuminate what is already here.

And to discover that the Light of the world has been dwelling within us all along.

If these words have stirred something within you, a sense of recognition, curiosity, or quiet knowing , you are not alone.

Much of my work sits at this intersection: faith, embodiment, nervous system safety, and lived understanding. Supporting people to gently relax control, create inner space, and allow truth to be reveale, not through force, but through compassionate awareness.

Join a guided meditation or contemplative practice grounded in safety and Christian faith or work with me one‑to‑one to explore how the body, awareness, and Scripture can come together in your own healing journey