Stillness · “Stillness Reveals”
Japa Meditation on 'Ah'
Make conscious contact with the creative ‘gap’ between thoughts by chanting the sound ‘Ah’ (the sound in the names of God), while holding the intention of what is desired.
In 5 lines: Sit, quiet down, and notice the gap between thoughts. Hold a clear intention of what you desire, with feeling. Chant an elongated, open “Ahhh” — the sound in the names of God — as japa. Rest in the silence between repetitions, where creation begins. Practice daily.
What it is
Wayne Dyer’s signature meditation, from Getting in the Gap (2002). It is a form of japa — repetition of a sacred sound — focused on the single open sound “Ah,” which Dyer noted appears in names for God across traditions (Yahweh, Allah, Ra, Krishna, Yeshua, and so on).
You chant “Ahhh” and rest attention in the “gap” — the silent space between thoughts — which Dyer called the place “where all creation and manifestation originate.” Holding the feeling of what you desire while in that gap is, in his teaching, how you co-create with the divine.
The Method
Dyer taught this in the Getting in the Gap book and CD:
- Sit comfortably and quiet down. Settle in an upright, relaxed posture, eyes closed, and let the body and breath calm.
- Find the gap between thoughts. Dyer often used the first words of the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name”) and directed attention to the silent space between the words — noticing the gap, the spaciousness between one thought and the next.
- Form a clear intention of what you desire. Before or alongside the chanting, gently hold what you wish to manifest — placing your attention on it with feeling.
- Chant the sound “Ah,” elongated and open. Sound “Ahhhh” on the out-breath — the open, receptive sound common to the names of God. Dyer taught that this open sound increases receptivity to “inspired” sources and relaxes you away from the physical world.
- Use it as japa — repeat it. Repeat “Ah” as an inner or sounded mantra over the session, returning to it whenever attention wanders, while keeping attention on the gap and on the desire.
- Rest in the silence between repetitions. The point is not the sound alone but the gap it opens — the still, silent space where Dyer said contact with God / the creative source is made.
- Practice regularly. Dyer recommended daily practice (he describes sustained sessions), placing attention on what is wished for and allowing the gap to do the creative work. (Sourcing note: short quoted phrases above are attributed to Dyer’s teaching. The numbered protocol is a faithful description of his consistently-taught method, not a reproduction of the book/CD.)
Source & Lineage
Wayne Dyer (1940–2015) drew this directly from Vedic japa meditation — repetition of a sacred sound — adapted (he credited Dr. Pillai / “Dattatreya Siva Baba”) into the single universal sound “Ah” plus the New Thought / Eckhart-Tolle–adjacent idea of “the gap” between thoughts as the field of creation.
It is therefore a specific, named practice distinct from the generic Hindu japa entry (which covers OM, So Ham, Gayatri, mala practice) and from So Hum / Primordial Sound.
Common refinements
Chasing the sound, missing the gap. The “Ah” is a doorway; the value is in the silent space it opens. Let the silence be the focus.
- Straining for an empty mind. The gap is noticed, not forced. When thoughts return, sound “Ah” again and rest — gently, repeatedly.
- Dropping the intention entirely, or gripping it tightly. Hold what you desire lightly and with feeling, then let the gap do the work; don’t white-knuckle it.
- Impatience / checking for results. Treat it as practice, not a vending machine. Return daily.
- Skipping regularity. A single session calms; the deeper effects come from a sustained daily habit.