Finding Safety Within Change

Change can feel unsettling, especially when it disrupts your sense of stability and control. In this guided meditation, you’ll be gently supported in calming the nervous system and reconnecting with a deeper sense of inner safety. Rather than resisting change, this practice invites you to soften, adapt, and move with life’s natural flow. Like bamboo in the wind, you’ll learn to remain grounded while becoming more flexible and resilient. Return to the steady place within you that remains, even as everything else shifts.

Music by Ønetent from Pixabay

Transcript

Welcome to Whispers of the Heart, Guided meditations. I'm your host and guide, Noriko Tanigawa. Change can feel unsettling, Sometimes even disorienting. It can feel as if something familiar has fallen away, As if the ground beneath you is no longer as steady as it once was. And in those moments, The nervous system naturally reacts. It reaches for safety, For something solid, For something known. Today, We're not going to push against that response. Instead, We're going to gently meet it. We will create a safe space within ourselves where change does not have to feel like danger, Where uncertainty can be held with more softness, More breath, More ease. Because change is not separate from life, It is life moving. And even when life shifts in ways we did not expect, There's still a deeper place within us that remains steady. Like bamboo in a forest, We learn how to bend with the wind without breaking, How to move without losing our center, How to remain rooted even as everything around us transforms. In today's meditation, We will gently support the nervous system to soften its grip on fear and begin to recognize safety within the change itself. Not by forcing calm, But by allowing it to arise from within. So for now, There's nothing you need to fix, Nothing you need to figure out. Nothing you need to hold together. Simply arrive here in this moment, In this breath. This is flawless change, Finding safety within. So whenever you're ready, We will begin our journey inward. Find a comfortable seat or lie down. Allow your body to feel the gravity underneath you. Let your body feel heavy and whatever the emotions, Or heaviness, Anything that is coming up to the surface now, Allow it to be. And because today's meditation's theme is about change, Feel free to change your position. If it speaks to you, Feel free to move around. There's no rule here, It's your me time. Let's cherish this and hold this very safe space for you to be you. With all the anxieties and uncertainty, Restlessness, Anything that you're feeling in this moment, Let's hold the space for everything to be here now. We are going to take a deep breath in and out three times. Let's take a deep breath in. And breath out. Let's take another deep breath in. And breath out. One more time, Let's take a deep breath in. And breath out, Let it all out. Allow your breath to return to normal. And witness your breath coming in and out. I want you to imagine you're just floating in the water. Drifting. Not exactly knowing where you're headed, Where you're going to be. And I'm pretty sure you had the same experience if you were a little kid swimming in a pool. And then when you just learn how to do backstroke. I used to be so excited because that was the first stroke I ever learned when I was learning how to swim. And for whatever the reason, Every time I swim, I think I'm going straight, But I'm going in a really weird direction. I end up touching the side of the pool instead of the end of the pool. And I get up, I look around, And I go, Whoa, How did I get here? I think life is like that. We think we are going in this very particular direction. And sometimes when you realize, When you touch something or you encounter something and you realize that you are heading in a whole different direction than you thought you were. Life is always about the change, Isn't it? When we are born and we are little, Everything is about the change. We are so excited for all the changes that we see in our lives. I'm pretty sure you remember being excited to go to school, Being able to walk, Being able to ride a bicycle, Being able to run. Change of seasons, Different holidays and festivals, And the summer breaks where you get to really have fun outside with your friends. When we were little, We just couldn't wait to grow up, To be an adult. We sought out changes, And we got so excited about all the changes that were happening to our body, To our surroundings. And now once we become an adult, The change becomes harder. We seem to get stuck in this particular routine, The role that we have settled as a family member or a place at your work. You get comfortable, And when something changes, You feel like your own identity being taken away. And sometimes, Depending on what kind of change that you're going through, It feels like an existential crisis. Everything that defined who you are is ending, And you feel it. And you start asking questions, What am I without this thing that I was? That I was part of? Or I was part of this very special identity that I held together for this long? And especially when we see changes in a situation or circumstances that on the surface negatively impact you, You feel like the world is against you. You feel alone. You feel like the universe don't have your back anymore. But every change we go through in our lives, They are there for you, For your growth, For your evolution, And for your feeling. And as a matter of fact, Everything that is changing and everything that is not, They're all there for you. So whether something is changing or not, If everything is there for you, Everything is there to help you with your growth, With your healing, For your evolution, Just think about it. What does that really mean? How can you utilize everything that is happening around you in this very moment to help you heal, To help you evolve, To help you grow, And to help you understand the unconditional loving force of the universe a little bit more. I think we have a tendency to take everything a little bit too personal because whatever that is happening, Especially if it's something that we think is bad for us, We think it's happening to us. Somehow someone sought us out and did these things to us to make our life miserable or inconvenient. But what if it is the total opposite? Let's look through the universe's point of view. And imagine if the universe's purpose of their existence is to help everyone, Everything, Every little creature and being on this planet Earth and beyond, Everything in its universe, To continue changing, Growing, Healing, And evolving. And imagine from the universe's point of view, Nothing is meant to stay exactly the way it is forever, Because otherwise it can't grow, It can't evolve, It cannot heal. So when universe sees something about your life that needs to let go, That needs to change, Wouldn't you think it totally makes sense that the universe will change some situation or circumstances to help you see the need for this thing to let go? Because we all, All of us humans, We are all the creature of loving comfort. We love feeling comfortable. And if things are comfortable, We don't change. Because why change if something feels good, Right? So someone said being comfortable is probably the most dangerous thing for humans. And when I first heard it, It didn't make sense to me, But now I see it. Because when we feel comfortable, Maybe too comfortable, We become complacent. And we stop seeking ways to change and evolve. The pain signals our need to heal something. The comfort doesn't. And as much as we love and enjoy the comfort, And sometimes it's such a wonderful feeling to feel comfortable. And I'm not saying go out of our ways to stop doing something that feels so comfy to us. We need these moments too, I know. But never forget why we are here. If you look through our lives, Why do we change? Why do we change all the time? From the moment we are born, We are changing each and every moment. Each cell of our body completely changes in seven years. So that means seven years ago, We were a completely different person then. We were made up of all sorts of different cells of our body compared to now. We are continuously changing. Even when we get to an adulthood, We change all the time. And we eventually get older. And we face all sorts of different changes in our body until one day our physical body is done. So isn't it interesting that while the change is the definition of our life, We're so afraid of change. And that's because our nervous system wants to hold on to whatever it is that's safe. And I think we have this false understanding of what safe is. But something not changing isn't the definition of safety. And yet we seek that constant presence of something. Either it's the structure of your life or your position, Your role in your life. To be your safety net. And we know, We all know that all is going to change eventually. And this is because we learn when we were young. Seek safety and support in a structure. And those structures are something that is meant to not change. And that is a myth. It is very convenient for people to believe it. And that's what makes this society going and maintain its structure. But what makes us truly safe, What makes us constant, Is what we have within. What we are truly seeking is this connection that we have. Our inner connection that we have to this unconscious. Unconditional loving force of the universe. The thing that never changes, Unwavering, Unceasing love. And this heartbeat and the breath that never stops. Until you take the last breath on this earth. That is always there. That is what makes you truly safe. And even when you take your last breath. This connection you have to the unconditional loving force of the universe. It's something that even death cannot take away. It will always be there. No matter what changes you go through in your life. The connection you have to this unconditional loving force of the universe. Will never end. So if you know you're being loved no matter what. If you know you're unconditionally loved. No matter what you do. No matter how successful or not so successful you are. No matter how many mistakes you make. You are still loved. How would you live your life differently? How many things in your life you do in a day that is totally completely not for you. But only to please the others. Or to support this artificial structure that exists in your life. How many things do you do in a day that are completely aligned with your unconditional love? How many things do you do that comes from unconditional love? How many things do you do because you unconditionally love? Unconditionally love yourself. How many things do you do in a day to others out of your unconditional love? If you think about this very moment. This moment of now. It never repeats itself. We will never have this moment again ever. In our lifetime and beyond, There is no way for us to repeat this very moment. How do we choose to spend this very moment? Imagine this connection we have to this unconditional loving force of the universe. Imagine that is your root. And imagine you are this very strong and flexible bamboo in the forest. Where no matter how strong the wind is, You never break. You remain flexible and strong. You can get swayed by the wind, But never losing its connection to the root, The unconditional love. The wind can blow, But you're never shaken. You never break. That flexibility and resilience becomes your strength. And as you remain strongly rooted, To this unconditional loving force, It just becomes thicker and stronger, More resilient. That's us, Every single one of us living here, Right now in this moment. We are never that wimpy tree that can get knocked down and torn down by the storm. We are that bamboo that thrives in the wind. So when the wind comes, When the change comes, Move with it. Move with that change. Move with that wind and see where it takes you. Because no matter how much the wind moves you or changes you, You're always rooted to this unconditional love. You will never lose your core. See what is arising for your healing journey and for your growth and evolution. Change just means that you get to be taller and bigger, Wiser and more compassionate, And rooted a little bit deeper with the unconditional love. Don't stay small. And don't remain wounded. Healing is here. And it wants to heal you. You just need to open your heart. Let's open our heart to the changes that is happening and allow ourselves to heal. Let's take a deep breath in and breath out. And I hope you feel this strong connection you feel to the unconditional loving force of the universe and every single cell of your body that is ready for recovery, Healing, And ready for more growth. Change is one of those things that as you learn to bravely face it without running away from it, You will eventually get used to it. It's just like riding a bicycle for the first time without those training wheels on. It's very scary at first, But you will get used to it. You will learn to balance on the two wheels. You will learn to balance the changes in your life the same way. And as you do more and more, Your nervous system is going to not give you that fight or fright reaction. It will start giving you this invigorating yes reaction because it knows you can teach your nervous system that change is a good thing. It's a new door opening in your life. New healing that is happening in your life. New growth, New evolution happening in your life. Wouldn't you want that? And so let's bring back this excitement we feel for all the changes in our lives back into our physical realm slowly. We go our fingers and toes. Rotate our ankles and wrists. Shake your head yes and no. And whenever you're ready, Slowly open your eyes. Welcome back. I hope you feel the sense of ease and at the same time a sense of excitement and a little bit of a passion back into your life. This is probably something that you will need to train your nervous system over and over until your nervous system gets used to it. So anytime you feel unsettled and feeling fearful of any changes in your life, Come back to this practice and settle down your nervous system to train them and to let them know that change is just part of life. Change is probably something that is always constant in your life. And that's okay. I hope you found this practice helpful. I would love to know how it was for you. So please leave a comment and rate this meditation so that I would know how it was for you. And don't forget to follow me so that you'll get notified whenever I have new meditation posted on the platform. Thank you again for coming along in this healing journey. And thank you for choosing to push the pray button on this practice today. As always, I'm truly honored to have you together on this journey. And as you listen and embody this unconditional love and healing for yourself, You make the world a little bit gentler, Kinder, And more loving place. And I think we all could use that. So keep loving yourself. And that love will spill in unexpected places in no time. And as always, I'm sending you all my love and support. I love you all. Thank you for listening. And I'll see you next time. Bye.