A Walk To Acceptance

Join me for a deep, guided journey into acceptance. Through storytelling, breathwork, and visualization, this meditation invites you to release control, surrender resistance, and embrace the wisdom of “the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.” Walk the path toward inner peace as you climb the symbolic hill of acceptance, letting go of struggle and learning to trust life as it unfolds.

This is not about giving up—it’s about gaining freedom.

Transcript

As ever,

I think let's start in the normal fashion and I'll say good morning,

Good evening,

Good afternoon,

Wherever you may be,

Whatever you may be doing.

Hello,

And my name is Tiriro Mundawarara.

I am the author of the Circling Back newsletter and host of podcast Stories from the Soul,

And today I'm talking about acceptance.

Acceptance for me is something that has had a very special and significant place and space for me in my life.

It has gotten me to literally where I am right now,

In terms of my relationship with self,

Relationship with other people,

With family,

With friends,

Colleagues.

It's all about acceptance as far as I'm concerned.

And the practice which we're going to do today,

Ironically enough,

I wrote a year or so ago in Zambia,

Where I am right now,

Without further ado.

So,

Let's just take some time to just slow everything down.

And we'll go straight into closing our eyes.

Take a deep breath in and hold it at the top.

And take a gasp of air in and then sigh it out.

Straight away,

Deep breath in and hold it at the top.

Gasp in and sigh.

Last one in your own time.

And let's keep our eyes closed.

Let's move into the practice.

And in this practice,

Know that you're choosing to let go of what is.

Letting go of what you can't control and allowing yourself to simply be.

And again,

As usual,

Let's start with the breath and take a deep breath in.

And a complete and slow exhale.

Letting go of the thoughts that are weighing you down.

And with each subsequent breath,

Feel yourself settling into the present moment.

Allow your body to relax.

Of anything that exists outside of this space.

This time now is your time.

It's your time to release.

It's your time to let go.

It's your time to accept.

And we begin that.

Feel it move through you naturally,

Without effort.

Notice the rise,

The fall of your chest.

The steady rhythm of your breathing.

With every inhale,

Allow yourself to become more.

With each exhale,

Let go of the tension you may still be holding.

Let's breathe in again.

We'll breathe in for a count of four.

Hold it and then count the exhale of again four.

So breathe in for one,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Hold your breath for a moment.

And exhale for four,

Three,

Two,

One.

And continue this rhythm in your own time of inhaling for four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Hold your breath for a moment and exhale for one.

And continue this rhythm,

But I want you to add on every inhale,

I am here.

And on every exhale,

I am present.

So inhale,

I am here.

And with every breath,

Feel yourself becoming increasingly more and more present,

More connected.

There's nothing you need to do right now.

Nowhere to be.

Just simply allow yourself the gift of surrender.

See yourself standing at the edge of a peaceful forest,

Where a path stretches before you.

The air is crisp.

It's still.

Sunlight filters gently through the canopy of the leaves above you.

Golden patches of light on the earth beneath.

In front lies a path.

And the path winds gently into the distance.

And this path represents your journey towards acceptance.

Know that every step you take along this path will invite you to let go a little more with every step,

A little more with every step.

It will invite you to release the need for control and to embrace the beauty of life as it is.

And as you take your first step,

Feel the ground reach up beneath you.

To hold and cushion every step.

The earth is soft,

Familiar,

Welcoming,

Firm.

Like that friend who knows just the right time to call.

The air smells of pine,

Fresh earth,

Grounding you.

Reminding you that you are connected to something larger.

You are a part of this journey.

And the path is here for you.

Steady,

Unwavering.

And as you take each step,

Notice how your body feels lighter.

See yourself walking on the path,

Getting lighter with every step.

The trees around you stand tall,

They stand strong,

Their branches reaching upward.

Unwavering in their existence,

Certain in their connection to earth,

To mother nature.

They're not concerned with the seasons,

They're not concerned with what storms may come,

Nor do they question the wind that bends them.

They simply are.

Certain in the fact that tomorrow is another day.

They stand in acceptance of their place,

They stand in acceptance of their purpose.

Bring now to the fore.

Bring something that you have resistance with right now,

Whatever it is.

Whatever you've been holding on to,

Ruminating over,

Be it a person,

Be it a situation,

Be it a question,

Bring that to the front of your mind.

Take a moment to think about it.

Take some time right now and bring that to the front of your mind.

Whatever it is.

Part of letting go is acceptance.

It's understanding the things you can control and surrendering to those that you cannot.

Life is about acceptance.

The serenity prayer teaches us to grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

The wisdom to know.

With that resistance in mind,

Let's bring ourselves back to the path.

And on the path,

In the distance you see a hill.

The path that you are on leads to it.

The hill is the resistance you came with into this practice.

That's what the hill signifies.

Just take some time to really breathe back into that resistance.

Breathe into that issue,

The emotion,

The person,

The question,

The situation.

Or perhaps you're simply struggling with the parts of life that didn't go as planned.

The people who didn't or aren't behaving as you wished.

The situations that feel beyond your control.

This hill is steeped in the weight of struggle,

Seeking of control,

Yearning for safety,

Peace.

And today you are ready to climb.

You're ready to climb the hill,

Not to conquer,

But to understand.

And as you take your first step up the hill,

The wind picks up.

At first gently swirling around you as if whispering its support.

Leaves dance on the breeze reminding you that they too surrender to the natural rhythm of life.

Falling from the tree only when it is their time.

They don't cling to the branches out of fear of what's to come.

They understand,

They accept,

Surrender,

And let go.

Knowing the ground will catch them.

Knowing that the universe will catch them.

Knowing that this is,

They are part of the cycle.

And as you move forward,

Upward,

Bring to your mind an openness,

Compassion,

Gratitude.

And ask,

What can you actually do about this situation?

About this issue,

About this person,

What can you actually do about it?

And I'm going to ask you two questions about this issue.

And in your subconscious,

Allow the natural intrinsic part of you to lead.

Allow your heart,

Your gut to lead with the answer,

Not your head.

So this issue,

This person,

This question,

Whatever it is,

The question is,

Can you change it?

Can you change them?

What's the answer?

Yes or no?

And the next question is,

Are you ready to,

Or are you even able to,

Walk away,

To leave it?

Are you able to do that?

Can you walk away?

Can you cut them out of your life?

Is that at all possible?

Can you stop thinking?

Can you stop doing whatever it is?

The answer is yes,

Or the answer is no.

And so if your answer is a no to both of those questions,

Can you change it?

Can you walk away from it?

And if your answer to both of those is no,

So if you cannot change it,

If you cannot or are not ready to walk away,

Then you're left with one and only one single solitary option,

Acceptance,

Acceptance.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

And now,

With that realization,

I want you to climb and feel yourself letting go of the need to change what cannot be changed.

Let the ground beneath you hold you and support you and push you forward.

Let the wind around you guide you.

Feel the freedom in your body as you release the burdens of control.

And with each breath in,

Accept life as it is.

And with each breath out,

Let go of the need to force life into something else.

Every inhale,

You're accepting life as it is.

And with each exhale,

You're letting go of the need to force it into something else.

You're not here to fix.

You're not here to manage.

You're here to walk,

To breathe,

To accept.

And the top of the hill is near now.

And as you reach it,

Give yourself the freedom to pause.

To see the view that stretches out before you,

Vast,

Endless,

Open.

And life is much like this view.

Wide,

Uncontrollable,

Beautiful in its unpredictability.

And you have the choice.

You have always had the choice.

You currently always have the choice.

And in the future,

You always will still have the choice.

To trust,

To trust the universe,

To trust the process,

To trust yourself,

To accept,

To surrender,

And let go.

Allow yourself to accept everything that has brought you to this moment.

The ups,

The downs,

The ebbs,

The flows,

The mountains,

The valleys,

The peaks,

The troughs,

The challenges,

The joys,

The lessons.

They've all been part of the journey and they belong here,

Just as you do.

And I want us to take a gentle pause and to deliberately focus in on a short breathing practice.

Allow us to inhale deeply.

And as you do that,

I want you to say,

I accept.

And as you exhale slowly,

Say,

I release.

So inhale,

I accept.

I accept.

You need not change what lies ahead.

You don't need to know every twist and turn of the path.

All you need to do is trust.

To continue the journey,

To continue walking on the path,

And to accept each step as it comes.

And as we begin to close this practice,

We say goodbye to the top of the hill,

To the view.

And as you start to walk down the other side,

Feel the ease that comes with acceptance.

It's there.

Your shoulders are looser.

The knot in your stomach is gone.

Your hips are more relaxed.

The path is no longer heavy nor difficult.

Your steps are lighter.

The world around you is more peaceful.

It's quieter.

And as you walk,

Notice the freedom that comes from letting go of control.

Yes,

The path may twist.

And yes,

The path may turn.

But trust that it'll lead you where you need to go.

With time,

With acceptance,

With surrender,

Comes letting go.

And with all of that,

You'll become more comfortable with trusting,

With allowing the process to take its place.

You don't need to know what's around the corner to future scan.

You don't need to know every step ahead.

You don't need to control every outcome.

You just need to trust,

To accept.

And know that the choice has always,

Will always,

And does always sit with you.

The choice to choose acceptance.

Feel now how each step brings you closer to peace,

Closer to a deeper acceptance of life.

People and circumstances exactly as they are.

Acceptance isn't about giving up.

It's about gaining freedom.

Freedom from the weight of resistance.

Freedom from the constant struggle to control,

To know,

To have,

To direct,

To change what you ultimately cannot.

And a realization that you are not yet ready to or cannot walk away.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

The courage to change the things I can.

And the wisdom to know.

The difference.

Take a deep breath in now.

And as you exhale,

Feel the openness that comes from acceptance.

You're no longer burdened by the past.

You are here.

Fully present.

Fully free.

And with that,

Let's take one final deep breath in and hold it at the top.

Let's start to bring ourselves out of the practice.

Roll your shoulders.

Roll your neck.

Step out to the container of the path.

Allow your senses to bring and yourself back into the room to feel the temperature,

To hear the sounds.

Give yourself a stretch if need be.

And in your own time,

Gently open your eyes and bring yourself back.

And as you come back in,

I want you to take a moment after this to just reflect on the journey that you've just taken.

On the path.

And remember that acceptance is not always easy.

But it is always freeing.

And remember those two questions.

If you cannot change it,

If you cannot walk away,

The only way,

The only way forward is to accept it as it is.

Deep bows to you all.

Thank you so much for that.

Thank you for your time.

And thank you for your continued support here on Inside Timer.

Lots of love to you all.

Have a great and wonderful day,

Evening.

And I'll see you all soon.

Reviews

Thank you for such a beautiful and gentle exercise. It was just what I needed. Be well and be happy ❤️