In his 2019 Jhana retreat, Rob Burbea describes this helpful attitude of a “playground at the edge.”
The core idea here is that in meditative endeavors like this, it can be unhelpful to have a competitive, striving, over-serious attitude towards practice; it can actually hold us back from finding the pleasure and resonance of exactly where we are in the process of expanding our abilities.
Yes, we should practice at the edge of our abilities, and aim towards expanding that edge, keeping it on the move.
AND yes, we should do that while maintaining an attitude of playfulness and joy, finding what is wonderful and enchanting about our practice.
I invite everyone moving through these materials to take on this same sense, operating at your own Playground at the Edge.