Guided Meditation: Making Space

Have you taken stock of the mental accumulation you’ve had this year?

Our meditations are best practiced by listening to the episode, so here's the audio for you.

And if you just love to read, here you go!

Typically by the end of the year, we are finding space for new things. Cleaning out closets, organizing the garage, tossing out old holiday decorations. We accumulate stuff all year long, and by the end of it, we are overflowing with lots of things. We then start our new year with every intention of keeping things nice and decluttered, but, at least for me, it never lasts.

Have you taken stock of the mental accumulation you’ve had this year? Just as we need to clear out the physical junk, we may need to take stock of what’s sitting in our minds, contributing to feelings of stress and overwhelm. I invite you to sit with me for this meditation on making space.

Find a quiet and comfortable space to sit. Close your eyes or relax your gaze.

Take a deep breath in, feeling the breath travel down your throat, into the base of your belly.

Now open the mouth and audibly exhale, pushing the stale air out of the body.

Take another breath in.

As you exhale, start to release the tension you may be holding in your neck and shoulders.

Another breath in.

And out.

As you sit on the surface you are occupying, notice your body where it meets the surface. Observe every point of contact, and how your body feels against it. Notice your feet where they meet the floor, maybe wiggle your toes. Your legs where they rest. How does your skin feel against the surface? Is it soft? Perhaps it is solid. Either way, you are grateful for the surface as it is supporting you.

You are breathing in. And you are breathing out.

As you notice this, begin to let go of the thoughts that were circling in your mind before you sat down. Imagine that inside your mind is a box, and as you sit here, the box is opening up, corner by corner. And spilling out of the box are your worries, your feelings, words of anger, words of sadness…feelings of loneliness, and even fear. Stress over money, relationships. They’ve all been waiting for you to open the box. All of those things just being set free. You don’t worry about where they have gone. You have released them and it is no longer your job to hold onto them.

You are still breathing in and you are still breathing out.

While you allow the box to continue to let all of the things out, you notice that you haven’t moved. You are still sitting on the surface you were before. Your body is in the same position it was before. Your breath is still the same. The box is still letting things go, but you don’t need to pay attention to it now. Because as it is letting those things out, you realize that they are just things. They are not part of you. You have not changed.

You are still breathing in and you are still breathing out.

The box begins to feel empty, and you begin to feel a sense of lightness not just in your mind, but in your body. You start to notice that although the box is empty, you don’t feel empty. You feel open. Your heart feels open. Your mind is open.

You are breathing in and you are breathing out.

You’ve created so much space for peace in your mind. Now that you have created this space, you don’t feel the need to fill it with things. You decide that this space is for things to move through…but not to stay. Your thoughts, your feelings, the positive and the negative…they are all allowed to pass through this space. You see that you aren’t attached to these things, so as they come into your space you can observe them, experience them, and then you can watch them move on.

As you breathe in and out, reflect on your peaceful space for a moment.

Begin to bring your attention back to your body on the surface in which you sit, moving upward from your feet…up to your legs…your back….your arms and chest….up your throat, to your head. You feel so much lighter.

Take another deep breath in, feeling the air move through your space you have created. Slowly open your eyes or refocus your gaze.

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This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. We’d deeply appreciate your support at patreon.com/amindfulmoment. Our podcast is now available to view on our YouTube Channel, so be sure to follow us there and on Instagram @amindfulmomentpodcast. Visit our website, amindfulmoment.com to access podcasts, scripts and book recommendations.

A Mindful Moment is written and hosted by Teresa McKee and/or Melissa Sims. The Spanish version is translated and hosted by Paola Theil. Intro music, Retreat, by Jason Farnham. Outro music, Morning Stroll by Josh Kirsch, Media Right Productions. Thank you for tuning in! This podcast is produced by Work2Live Productions.