Why True Calm Isn't sensational

Posted on June 6, 2025

The Movement Beneath Stillness: Why True Calm Isn’t Sensational

In a world that runs on dopamine, it’s easy to forget what true calm even feels like.

We’re taught to seek the big moments — the achievement, the transformation, the "aha." We crave results and emotional highs because they give us a sense of meaning. And yet, that constant pursuit often leaves us feeling numb, disconnected, and spiritually hollow.

The truth?

Real spiritual connection is often quiet. Simple. Even boring. It’s not because you’re doing it wrong — it’s because your nervous system is unlearning the addiction to stimulation. We mistake intensity for truth. When we light incense, we usually think of the scent. But incense is movement. It burns slowly, invisibly shifting the air, carrying intention. Its effect is subtle you don’t chase it, you sit with it.The same is true of Qigong or meditation. These aren’t static practices, they’re energetic movements. But they don’t hit like a drumbeat they hum like a quiet string, and most of us are too overstimulated to notice them… at first.

Stillness isn’t nothing. It’s just quieter movement.

Our senses have been trained to chase novelty, to seek out the next hit of feeling. But, the deeper work, the work of true calm is about reawakening the subtle. Letting yourself feel again, without the chemical spike. Meditation, incense, and Qigong don’t “do” anything to you they open a space for you to return to what’s already moving underneath the noise. It’s not about the outcome, it’s about the movement.

In Taoist practice, we don’t chase goals. Every outcome opens the door to another. There is no final result, just a returning. A soft spiral inward. If you stay focused only on where you're trying to get to, you’ll miss the very thing you’re seeking.

This month, I’m exploring these ideas more deeply in an upcoming webinar. It’s not a class about achieving calm. It’s an invitation to return to the quieter movements already happening in your body, your breath, and the world around you. You don’t need to be “good” at it, you just need to show up. Stay tuned for the details — or reach out if you’d like to be personally notified when registration opens.

Until then, let something simple guide you back to stillness today — a breath, a scent, a pause.