12:56

Closing The Past

by Dana Retzlaff

Rated
4.9
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
141

This meditation is a sacred closing of the year (or the past) — not through thinking or analysis, but through the body and the heart. It gently guides you to reflect on the past year as a lived experience stored within you: the growth, the challenges, the emotions you felt fully and the ones you had to hold back. Rather than revisiting memories, you are invited to sense where this year still lives in your body and allow it to soften through presence and breath. This practice supports emotional release, nervous system regulation, and heart opening. It helps you let go of what you no longer want to carry — old identities, pressure, resentment, and unspoken weight — without force or drama. You are guided to reconnect with your heart, reopen it at your own pace, and gently shift from completion into openness. From this grounded state, the meditation invites you to sense the energy of what comes next — not as goals or plans, but as a frequency you choose to walk in.

MeditationEmotional ReleaseNervous System RegulationHeart OpeningBody ScanBreath AwarenessSelf CompassionInner PeaceRelease The PastFuture VisualizationHeart Visualization

Transcript

Take a moment to settle.

Let your body find a position where it doesn't have to perform,

Hold,

Or impress.

Right now,

There's nothing to be fixed and nothing to become.

Just arrive at this very moment.

Close your eyes.

And for the first time today,

Feel your body from the inside.

Feel the weight of the past resting in you.

So many days of moments,

Decisions,

Growth,

Breakdowns,

Breakthroughs.

You don't need to sort it.

Your body already knows.

So bring one hand to your heart and one hand to your lower belly.

And then take a slow breath in through the nose and a long exhale through the mouth.

Again,

Inhaling life and exhaling the past.

Let the breath slow you down enough to feel what is real.

Now imagine the past as a field behind you.

Everything that happened is no longer in front of you.

It's behind you now.

You don't need to relive it.

Just sense it and it's here.

And in that field behind you,

You can see all the versions of you that showed up.

The one who tried.

The one who doubted.

The one who laughed deeply.

The one who was tired.

And the one who kept going anyway.

Let them all gather behind you without judgment.

And quietly say inside,

Thank you.

You got me here.

And feel how that lands in your chest.

Now gently skin your body.

Slowly from the tips of your toes,

Up your legs,

Your hips,

Your belly,

Your back,

Your chest,

Your shoulders,

Your neck,

Your head.

And notice where this year still lifts,

Where the past still lifts inside of you.

Maybe it's pressure in your chest.

A tight jaw.

A heavy belly.

A guarded heart.

Wherever you feel it most,

Bring your attention there.

And then breathe into that place.

Not to change it,

Not to release it yet.

Just to be with it.

Because nothing dissolves through force,

Only through presence.

Stay here.

Now imagine every emotion you didn't fully feel in the past.

Grief you swallowed.

Words you never spoke.

Imagine all of it,

Store this energy in your body.

And on your next exhale,

Let that energy begin to move.

Not dramatically,

Not violently,

Just like ice melting into water.

Breathing out,

Allowing the old to soften.

Breathing in,

Creating space.

If tears come,

Let them.

If nothing comes,

Trust that too.

Your body releases in its own intelligence.

Now bring your awareness back to your heart.

Imagine your heart as a door.

This door may have felt broken or damaged.

But as you look at it right now,

You see that it has been just protected.

And notice how open or closed it feels right now.

And don't judge that.

And then softly ask yourself,

What did my heart need to close from the past?

And then ask,

What does my heart need now?

Listen,

Not for any words,

But for sensation.

And when you're ready,

Imagine placing both hands on your heart and gently opening the door one inch.

That's enough.

And as the door opens,

Feel warmth spread through your chest.

Not explosive love,

Not forced gratitude,

It's just warmth.

It feels like safety,

Permission.

And say silently,

It's safe to soften now.

Now visualize everything you no longer want to carry.

Old identities,

Resentment,

Shame,

Pressure,

Outdated promises.

Imagine placing all of them into a soft golden light in front of you.

There's no need to analyze.

Just hand them over and watch the light gently absorb them.

No drama.

Just release.

Feel the space it creates inside you.

Now bring your awareness to the future,

Not as goals and not as plans,

Only as energy.

Sense the future in front of you as an open field,

Unknown,

Neutral,

Pure.

And from your heart,

Not your mind,

Choose one frequency you want to walk in.

Maybe it's trust,

Peace,

Devotion,

Self-power,

Love.

You don't even need to name it out loud.

Just feel it.

And let that frequency fill your chest,

Fill your belly,

Fill your throat,

Even your face.

Let it become your posture,

Your breath,

Your nervous system.

Now gently say inside,

I am complete.

I am allowed to rest.

I am allowed to receive what comes next with an open heart.

And take one final deep breath in.

And exhale long and soft,

Sealing the past with love.

And stay here for a few moments.

And when you're ready,

Slowly bring awareness back to the room.

And know this,

You're not stepping into the future.

You're stepping into yourself.

More honest,

More open,

More alive.

Meet your Teacher

Dana Retzlaff76 Karlsruhe, Deutschland

4.9 (32)

Recent Reviews

Craig

January 30, 2026

“More honest, more open, more alive”! This is fantastic! Thank you. A great emotional processing exercise.

Steve

January 15, 2026

Thank you Dana Another amazing meditation So lovely

Trent

January 7, 2026

Starting off 2026 and sealing off the past, excellent work 😊

Alicia

January 7, 2026

Dana 🤩 another magnificent medtitadtion this one really made me realise how much i have grown over the year the way I have shown up in my relationships and friendships with others much love ❤️ and gratitude 🙏

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© 2026 Dana Retzlaff. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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