Meditation: You Are Not The Storm

This guided meditation explores Advaita Vedanta, a non-dual philosophy that invites you to notice that you are not your thoughts, your stress, or the story in your head. Instead, you are the awareness in which those experiences appear. Perfect for creating space, perspective, and nervous system regulation.

Transcript

Hello, Welcome back. I'm Sarah, A somatic facilitator and coach, Here to help you build nervous system resilience so you can live up to your fullest potential with ease and confidence. I'll be guiding you through meditation, Breath work, Visualization, And deep rest so that you can explore the pause between where you've been and where you're going. Welcome to Liminal Space. Today's meditation is inspired by an ancient, Subtle, But deeply regulating philosophy, Advaita Vedanta, A non-dual practice. Advaita means not two, Not separate, Not divided, Not you versus the world, Not you versus me, Not you versus your nervous system, Not awareness versus experience, Just this, Exactly as it is. The core concept is that we suffer because we believe we are our thoughts, We are our stress, We are our body, We are our story. Advaita says those are experiences, You are the awareness in which those experiences happen, Not to you and life, Just life appearing as you. You are not separate, You are not broken, You are not the anxious voice in your head, You are the awareness in which all of that appears. We're not using this concept as detachment, Numbness, Or bypassing. Your story still matters, Your healing still matters, But suffering reduces when identification softens. There's a difference between I am broken and brokenness is being experienced. One collapses the system, The other allows regulation. That subtle shift is profound. So as you notice yourself softening into this knowledge, Allow your muscles to melt even further. You don't need to perform stillness, Just let your body be supported. Feel a sinking into the surface beneath you. Whether seated or lay, Your eyes have gently closed or found a soft gaze. And take a slow breath in through the nose and a steady sigh out of the mouth. Ah. Not controlling your breath, But arriving. You are here, You are present. You feel a sense of relaxation wash through your whole body. We'll start with a seemingly simple practice on the surface and it's just one question. Who are you? Just allow whatever comes to mind to be there. Letting thoughts drift in and out like clouds, Not attaching to what passes by. And then shift your awareness to the sensations in your body. Temperature, Pressure, Subtle movement, Areas of space, Areas of tension. Do this without judging or changing. Just notice as sensations appear. Can you hear noise? Sounds close and far. Notice that the sound just simply arrives in awareness. You're not reaching for it, It just appears. Observe thoughts without trying to stop them. Maybe a thought about what happened today. A commentary about this meditation. A memory. Thoughts arise and dissolve on their own. Again, You're not reaching, They just appear. Now gently introduce this question. What is aware of all of this? You witness sensation, You witness sound, You witness thought, But what is it that witnesses? Turn your attention toward the one who is aware, The witness. Can you locate anything there? Can you find a shape, A location, A feeling? And just look gently. Is awareness a sensation or are sensations appearing within awareness? Imagine the sky. Clouds move across it, Storms pass through it, But the sky itself does not resist. It does not cling, It does not tighten. It doesn't judge or change, It just contains. Your thoughts are clouds, Your emotions are weather. And awareness is the sky. You are not the storm. You are that in which the storm appears. Let whatever is here be here. No fixing, No suppressing, No amplifying. Just accepting. Now your attention lands on your breath. Breathing as a happening, Not a doing. You're not forcing, You're not controlling. Life is moving through you. Inhale. Inhale. Exhale. Notice that the breath is witnessed. It is experienced, But it is not what you are. You are the knowing of it. Rest there. Simple. Simple. Present. For the next few moments, Do nothing. You're not here to meditate well, To regulate, To improve. Just be. Experience what arises. Awareness unchanged. Now come back to that first seemingly simple question. Who are you without your job title, Belongings, Community, Roles, Duties? Beneath all the noise, Deep beyond layers, Layers of the skin. Perhaps it feels a little more complex this time round. You are not the narrative looping in your head. You are the space in which that rises and falls. Nothing to fix, Nothing to achieve. Just awareness already here. Now bring your attention to your body. Your body that doesn't define you. It's just physical matter. Feel your energy, Your prana breathing you as your breath deepens and your inhale lengthens. This movement expands into fingers and toes. Slowly flutter your eyes open and notice. Awareness was here before the meditation. It was here during and it is here now. Nothing changed, Nothing special was created. Just a remembering that you are not the storm. You are the sky and that has been and will always be true. Rest well and I'll see you next week.