Return To Self - A Meditation For Busy Minds

This meditation invites you back to the quiet awareness beneath the noise of the mind. Whether your inner voice is worrying, planning, judging, or spiralling into self-doubt, this practice invites you to gently notice it, without reacting, fixing, or following.

You’ll be supported in stepping back into the seat of your calm, grounded observer, reconnecting with the truth that you are not your thoughts - you are the one who notices them. With the use of breath, body awareness, and compassionate inner witnessing, this practice creates space from overthinking, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts, helping you return to a deeper sense of peace and presence.

Perfect for anyone navigating overwhelm, stress, perfectionism, or emotional reactivity, this meditation offers a loving reminder that you are not broken, there’s nothing to “fix”, you’re just becoming more aware.

Transcript

Begin by settling into a comfortable position,

Letting your body relax,

And taking a slow,

Smooth breath in,

Gently letting it go,

And closing your eyes if that feels good,

Or lowering your gaze to the floor,

Allowing yourself to arrive here in this moment,

Taking a few more breaths to settle in,

Making space to be here now,

And now gently bringing your awareness inward,

Noticing the voice in your mind,

It might be talking,

Worrying,

Planning,

Judging,

Complaining,

Whatever it is,

Just notice it,

You don't need to stop it,

You're not trying to change it here,

But you're just noticing it,

Like you're listening to a radio in the background,

And taking a breath here as you notice this voice,

Perhaps gently saying to yourself,

That's just the voice,

I'm not that voice,

I'm the one who hears it,

There's the voice,

And then there's you,

The one who is aware of the voice,

The calm observer behind it all,

So letting yourself fall gently back,

Back behind the voice,

Back into the seat of awareness,

Witness consciousness,

Just relaxing here for a moment,

As you notice this voice,

It might try to pull you in,

Distract you,

And that's okay,

That's what the mind does,

Each time you've noticed yourself getting pulled in,

See if you can relax a little and step back,

Back into the seat of awareness,

Back to the calm observer of the voice,

Taking a breath here as you notice,

So letting the voice be there,

But staying behind it,

Whatever the mind says,

Let it say it,

Whatever emotion arises,

Allow it to be there,

You don't need to follow,

You don't need to fix,

You don't need to resist,

Just stay here,

Relaxed,

Grounded and aware,

Noticing what you notice,

You are the one who notices,

And that noticing is quiet,

Still,

Without an agenda,

It's like the sky that holds all the weather,

All the clouds,

The sunshine,

The rain,

The sky allows it all to be there,

You are the one who notices the voice,

Just as the sky notices the weather,

And now I invite you to bring a gentle awareness to your heart,

Is there any tightness or constriction there,

Perhaps a pressure,

Heat,

Tension,

See if you can soften it,

Breathing into the heart,

Perhaps noticing more space around the edges,

And staying softly inside,

I choose to relax,

I allow this energy to move through me,

I can handle this,

There's no gripping,

No pushing,

No tug of war,

Just awareness,

Just a presence,

And allowing,

Letting the waves of experience pass by,

While you remain rooted in stillness,

In quiet observation,

Feeling your body now,

Feeling the breath moving in and out,

And starting to listen to the sounds around you,

Feeling the support beneath you,

You are here,

And you are safe,

And as we come to the end of this meditation,

Just remembering that I am not the voice,

I am the one who notices,

I allow it to be there,

And I observe,

Taking one more smooth breath in,

And letting go,