On April 11, 2012, during the Sumatra earthquake, I was on the 18th floor of my office building when I suddenly felt intense tremors. My entire body, every single cell felt like it was shaking, and I held onto my desk, unable to move, fearing that the building might collapse. Though the shaking lasted only about 20-30 seconds, the fear and panic stayed with me for hours. That night, I couldn’t sleep.
Around midnight, I stepped out onto the balcony of the hotel where I was staying. It was a new job, and they had provided accommodation there. The balcony was filled with potted plants, and I sat on a chair among them, trying to relax and breathe in some fresh air. I had been listening to OM chanting , but I paused it and simply sat in silence, just observing the stillness of the night.
Then, something unexpected happened. I felt a spark-like energy rising up my spine from the base where I was sitting. When it reached my chest, I felt an intense expansion, like my heart was opening up completely. It was a feeling I had never experienced before, as if I was deeply in love, but not with a person, rather, with the sky, the stars, the plants, and everything around me. My eyes welled up with tears, overwhelmed by this intense love and connection.
Suddenly, I felt a floating sensation, like my entire body was weightless, and every cell was vibrating separately in a way that was completely different from the earthquake sensation. It lasted for just a few seconds, and then I came back to my normal state. But the love, happiness, and deep connection I felt in those moments stayed with me for a week.
Curious about what had happened, I started researching. I learned that during deep meditation, when breathing is perfectly rhythmic and the mind is completely still, a cascade of biological reactions can occur:
• Oxytocin release (the ‘love hormone’) creates deep emotional warmth.
• Nitric oxide (NO) release dilates blood vessels, creating the feeling of heart expansion.
• Gamma waves in the brain (high-frequency brain activity) trigger heightened awareness and blissful states.
But the biggest question that remained was… why did this happen to me? Even people who meditate for years don’t always have this kind of experience.
So, I started looking back at my life. That’s when I realised… I had been unknowingly preparing for this moment since childhood.
As a child, while others played games, I was always deeply observant of nature. I would sit for hours watching birds build nests, ants collect food, and plants grow. I even used to bring sugar for ants and rice flakes for sparrows, simply to observe how they interacted with them. I loved sitting among trees, eating alone in nature, staring at the sun, and feeling the world around me.
From a very young age, I had an emotional intuition… I could sense people’s true emotions and intentions, even if they spoke kindly. I could feel if someone didn’t genuinely like another person, even if they pretended otherwise. People also often told me that my way of speaking was rhythmic, almost like singing, and I later realized that even my breathing had always been naturally rhythmic.
Then it all made sense… my whole life had been a form of meditation. My deep observation, rhythmic breathing, and emotional awareness had unknowingly prepared me for that spiritual awakening moment on the night of April 11, 2012.
What seemed like a random experience was actually the natural unfolding of something that had been within me all along!!
