Victor E.
Frenkel said,
Between stimulus and response there is space.
And in that space is our power to choose our response.
And in our response lies our growth and our freedom.
In this meditation we will access and amplify the space within and learn to be less reactive in life.
Let's begin now by finding a comfortable seat and closing your eyes.
Take a deep inhale breath and a long open mouth exhale.
This will always be our first tool to find the space within.
Simply taking a deep breath.
Let's do it again.
Deep inhale.
Imagine filling yourself with space.
And a long exhale.
Imagine emptying yourself of all tension.
One more time.
Deep inhale.
Long sigh of an exhale.
Now begin to find a natural rhythm to your breath.
Maintain awareness of your breath and a sense of each inhale gently filling you with space.
And each exhale emptying you of tension.
Inhale creating space within and around you.
Exhale emptying you of worry or anger or any reactive emotion arising.
Keep breathing like this.
Keep carving space within you with each breath.
Begin now to slowly lengthen your inhales and slowly lengthen your exhales.
Allow the breath itself to become more spacious,
Slower and more drawn out.
Take a couple rounds like this on your own.
Now imagine with your next inhale that you're drawing energy and space up your body to the crown of your head.
And then exhaling energy and release down your body to your seat and your feet.
Inhaling energy up the body.
Exhaling energy and release down the body.
Inhale scanning up.
Creating space and exhale scanning down,
Releasing tension.
Long slow breaths scanning the body,
Sweeping it with energy and awareness each breath.
Now softly notice the moment at the top of the inhale before you exhale.
And at the bottom of the exhale before you inhale.
Inhaling top of breath find the pause.
Exhaling bottom of the breath find that pause.
Keep breathing in a gentle and spacious way but begin to spend more time in the space between the breath.
Between the inhales and the exhales.
Invite yourself to linger in that space as if suspending yourself for a moment between time,
A moment between breaths.
Release now this effort of suspending the breath and once again relax into a natural breath rhythm.
Slow and calm.
Notice how you feel.
Notice the space within yourself that you have accessed and expanded.
Congratulations!
You have successfully changed how your brain is functioning and how your body is responding.
Know that you can do this anytime you need to to find space in your life to calm your nervous system and to think more clearly.
Simply access that deep beautiful spacious breath and the space between the breaths.
Stay with that breath now as we go deeper into that space.
Knowing the more you find the space within you as a practice the easier it is to access when you need it most in life.
Keep yourself in this inner spaciousness right now with your deep and full breathing.
And without leaving that spaciousness allow yourself to bring to mind something you've been reacting to lately or are chronically reactive around.
Deep spacious breaths as you bring this to mind.
Invite yourself to look in on it rather than feel and become it.
As you observe the pattern of reactivity simply breathe space and love and acceptance around it.
As you feel any emotions or reactions arise harness this breath you've cultivated.
Inhaling space in and around you exhaling out tension and reactivity.
Now as you imagine yourself in this reactive situation or pattern I want you to begin to see yourself taking a big breath rather than reacting.
Choosing to find that space between stimulus and response.
Rather than reacting you now have the power to respond.
See yourself creating this space within that situation within that pattern.
Feeling that power now to respond from your heart respond from your higher wisdom and deeper knowing.
That space giving you access to respond in a way that serves you and serves the world.
In that space how do you choose to respond?
Really allow yourself to see and feel and imagine this heart centered response.
See and feel how it ripples through your life and through the life of others.
Take another deep inhale and an open mouth exhale.
Responsibility means the ability to respond rather than react.
Gently bring one hand to your heart.
As you breathe into that heart space make a commitment to yourself right now to take responsibility.
To find the space within to access your heart and your power to respond in a way that brings you growth and freedom.
Linger in this space and in this breath as long as you have time to right now.
And remember you can access this beautiful spacious powerful place at any time any moment.
First with a simple deep breath in and long clearing breath out.
