The Power of Zero: A Spiritual Path to Stillness and Freedom

We are made of Nothingness.
We are made of Zero.
If that is too complex, then we say we are made of Water.
Water: non-discriminatory life.
Avoid decay, by simplicity.
— Verse 8 Tao Te Ching (translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)

“And now it’s time to become no body, no one, no thing, no where, in no time… to become pure consciousness… to become an awareness in the infinite field of potentials. And to invest your energy into the unknown. And the longer you linger in the unknown, the more you draw a new life to you. Simply become a thought in the blackness of infinity…”
— Joe Dispenza, various guided meditations

There is something deeply comforting about nothingness.

Emptiness.
The void.

Zero.

That might sound bleak or depressing. You might even associate this notion with loss, absence, or death.

But entering a “state of Zero” will actually bring you back to life.

I first encountered the idea of Zero on a spiritual retreat. I was in a Kundalini yoga class, and the guide opened our session with the Sanskrit word: shuniya.

It translates to stillness. Emptiness. A meditative state where identity dissolves, and something deeper begins to stir.

That word stayed with me.

Weeks later, I was home again and found myself spiraling one morning, overwhelmed by the day ahead and everything I needed to do.

All the responsibilities.
All the projects.
All the people-pleasing.

The pressure to be someone, to get it all right, weighed heavily.

Then, from somewhere deep inside me:

Zero.

The word came back like a gentle instruction. I let it guide my breath, soften my mind, and open my heart.

And just like that, without effort…something let go and everything stopped spinning.

But it wasn’t because my outside world changed. Instead, I returned to the place where none of it owned me. I had dropped beneath the noise and remembered the space that’s always there. It was as if all the things making me feel overwhelmed ceased to matter, and I saw them for what they were… illusions inflated by my ego.

The Liberation of Zero

There’s a sense of freedom in bringing your life down to Zero and “becoming nothing and no one.” It feels like a homecoming, like a sudden weightlessness, because you finally gave yourself permission to put down the baggage you were carrying.

And maybe that’s the point.

Because what if this pressure to become someone, to prove something, and to be someone in this world is the very thing keeping you from the truth of who you are?

We spend so much of our lives trying to add more.

More goals.
More labels.
More self-development strategies.

Even our healing and awakening become a performance.

We try to fix, refine, and optimize ourselves — as if freedom is something we must earn.

But what if the true freedom you seek begins not with adding…but with subtraction?

For me, that’s why Zero has become my new spiritual post-it note.

It’s the anchor I reach for when life feels loud — when I catch myself performing the story of who I think I need to be. It’s also my reality check when my ego takes the wheel and I’m taking myself way too seriously. It’s a reminder that we don’t need to have an identity for every part of our life, or an opinion about everything in the world.

And that’s when Zero speaks.

Not with answers. But with space.

When someone asks…

“Tell me about yourself?”
Zero.

“What do you do?”
Zero.

Democrat, Republican, Independent?
Zero.

Race, religion, nationality?
Zero.

What’s your brand, your mission, your role?
Zero.

But this isn’t about losing who you are or vanishing. Instead, it’s about shedding.

Shedding the labels.
The striving.
The roles.

You let the pressure of the false self evaporate.

Letting it all go… down to Zero.

The Practice of Zero

Below is the practice I use to enter a state of Zero. You can use it anytime you feel overwhelmed, lost in thought, or weighed down by identity and expectation. You can also listen to a guided recording of this practice at the top of this page.

1. Begin with your breath.

Let yourself arrive in this moment, not by forcing anything, but simply by meeting yourself where you are. Bring your attention to your breath, and imagine clearing a little space inside yourself. With each exhale, see if you can release whatever is clinging in your body, your mind, or your heart.

2. Let go of time.

As you breathe, gently let go of the story of who you believe yourself to be

Breathe out the story of what was and what could be.
Breathe in what is… the only truth there is… the truth of here and now..

This moment is not a means to an end. It’s the most important moment of your life. Let yourself arrive fully in it.

Breathe in your presence.

Breathe out the need to fix, to prove, or to arrive anywhere else.

Feel the rhythm of life begin to settle — natural, unforced.

3. Bring everything down to Zero.

Now, gently release everything that defines you.

One by one, let it all go:

Your thoughts
Your emotions
Your expectations
Your roles
Your goals
Your past
Your future

Let your job title dissolve.

Let your name dissolve.

Let your entire identity dissolve.

Bring it all down to Zero.

Rest in that simplicity.

4. Use “Zero” as an anchor.

When your mind begins to wander, or if you find yourself resisting this notion of dropping everything in your life down to Zero, you can softly repeat the word “zero” in your mind to guide your awareness.

You don’t need to say it out loud. Just hear it faintly, letting it echo quietly in your awareness like a sacred mantra.

Feel the word settle into your body. Let it dissolve the noise and bring you back to stillness.

5. Rest in the truth of who you are.

From this place of quiet, let yourself feel what’s always been true:

That you are already held.
That the universe is not testing you, and is not withholding from you.
That it’s in favor of you and simply waiting for you to remember.

Notice the pressure melt.

Keep exhaling the story and inhaling Zero.

There is nothing you need to do to earn your place here.

You are not broken.
You are not late.
You are already whole.
Already enough.
Already everything.

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Entering A State Of Zero: A Spiritual Practice For Freedom And Authenticity

Anthony V. Lombardo

The Liberation of Zero