Powerful Pause Meditation: Light

A meditation to support you to slow down, to listen to your own needs and to be receptive to change. 

In this meditation we take our inspiration from the soothing, receptive and cooling qualities of the moon. So on days when you’re feeling depleted or overstimulated, this meditation will help you to tap into a receptive, cooling and inwardly focused energy, helping you to feel calm and centred.

You may find this meditation particularly helpful to listen to on days when you’re feeling hot or overheated. It aims to support you to slow down, to listen to your own needs and to be receptive to change. 

20 minute listen. We recommend listening to this meditation with headphones on.

Listen to other meditations in the Powerful Pause series.

This guided meditation was written for one of our new Powerful Pause meditation sessions, where we come together to meditate every few weeks. If you're a Performer member you can take advantage of these free sessions (please ensure you're opted in to receive our emails).

Meditation Transcript

Bea Grist, Health and Wellbeing Manager:

So welcome to this meditation which is themed around light

And it’s this idea that the darkness is not something to fear

It is simply a place of the unknown

And this meditation provides an opportunity to turn inward

And to greet whatever is there

To welcome the light and the dark

Maybe there is an invitation here to shine a little light or curiosity

to any challenging spots that you might be facing right now

So if you haven’t already

Just finding a comfortable position

Where you can properly settle in

For these next 20 minutes or so

You may like to be seated

or perhaps lying down

Do whatever feels best for you today

Just finding a place where you can be relaxed

But also focused

We don’t want you to fall asleep

But if you do, that’s ok too

You probably need it!

So in our meditation today

We will be using the light of the moon

as our inspiration

We’ll be tapping into the

reflective and soothing qualities of the moon

And if this idea of the moon

Doesn’t work for you

That’s ok

Just take what works

And let go of what doesn’t resonate

So on days when we’re feeling

depleted, overstimulated, or overheated

We can tap into this lunar energy

Which is receptive, cooling and and inwardly focused

To help us to feel calm and centred

The moon teaches us to slow down

To listen to our own needs

and be receptive to change

So just making any adjustments

And see if you can already bring an awareness to this

Soothing, gentle and receptive energy

So as you make any adjustments 

Try slowing down your movements

Dare to do everything 20 or even 30 percent slower

Just slowing everything down

Letting everything be soft and gentle

So very slowly easing out the shoulders,

Maybe just rolling them

forwards or back a few times

Imagine that you’re doing everything in slow motion

There is no where that you need to get to

This is time for you to just be

Time to slow down

To breathe

Be tender with yourself

Letting go of any judgements

And just accepting

whatever is arising in you

Maybe taking some very gentle

and slow movements or stretches

Of the head and the neck

Imagine that you’re moving through water

Let everything be soft and slow and gentle

Just doing whatever feels good for you

Ensuring that you’re listening

To what your body needs in this moment

If you’re sitting

just ensuring

that your back is straight

Your spine following it’s natural curves

Imagine a piece of string coming

From the crown of your head

Just very gently pulling your head up

Elongating your neck and your spine

And if you haven’t already

just closing the eyes

Or softening or lowering your gaze

if that’s more comfortable for you

And whatever morning or day you’ve had so far

Just give yourself permission to let that go now

Just meeting yourself where you are

Knowing that whatever is here

Thoughts, feelings, emotions, doubts, worries

It’s all ok.

It’s so welcome.

Let’s take a deep breath here

Feeling that sense of releasing and letting go

The soothing energy

that we will cultivate

In our meditation today

Will help us to slow down

To take a moment

To breathe

So just meeting yourself in stillness now

And seeing what comes to the surface

Welcoming it all

Like opening your arms to an old friend

Accepting wherever you are in this moment

You don’t need to do anything

Apart from be present

And just like the moon

Know that it is in times of darkness

We are reminded of the strength of our light

Bring your awareness to your breathing now

Taking slower deeper breaths than you’ve taken all day so far

Welcoming this slow soothing yin energy into your breath

Taking a deep breath in through your nose

And slowly letting it out through your mouth

Notice what it feels like as you breath in

(small pause)

And notice what it feels like as you empty the breath out

Continuing to breathe this way

Feeling your lungs expand out

as you inhale

And contract back in as you exhale

Following the breath all the way in

And all the way out

Just noticing the gentle sensations

Of your breathing

The rise and fall of your chest

The air entering your lungs

And the heavy release of each exhale

Feel your whole body getting heavier

and heavier

As it relaxes and melts

with each exhale

Be curious about your experience,

Give yourself permission

to let go of a need for it to be a certain way

This is an invitation to just be with your experience

without judgement.

And if the mind wants to get involved

Or make stuff up

Maybe it’s jumping ahead

Or thinking about something from the past

That’s ok

That’s normal

We’re not trying to create a blank mind here

Just notice that it’s wandered off

And slowly bring it back to your breath

To my voice

And as you sit there

just enjoy that initial sense

Of putting everything down

Having left everything behind

And just that feeling of being present again

Noticing the sensation of the body pressing down

Into the seat or whatever is beneath you

That feeling of being grounded

Rooted and supported

Held gently by the earth

You don’t need to change or fix anything.

Everything you need is right here.

You are here.

Bring your awareness to your body now

Noticing how your body feels

if there is any tension or any tightness.

Becoming aware of any heaviness, or lightness

Just scanning through

With this gentle and soothing awareness

Being really curious and receptive to what is there

Noticing all the sensations in your body.

Just becoming aware of what is here now. 

Any time you notice that thoughts come up,

just imagine breathing them away

Letting each exhale carry them into the air

See the thoughts floating away from you

They are completely separate from you

Because you are not your thoughts

Noticing the parts of you that feel heavy

or maybe tense or tight

Becoming aware of the parts of you that feel light and open

Sensing the lighter thoughts and feelings

Also noticing the darker

more difficult thoughts and feelings

And we’re not judging ourselves

We’re just noticing and bringing a gentle curiosity to our experience

Noticing how the breath feels now

Is it light or heavy

Is it long or short

Is it shallow or deep

Just sensing

Just noticing

Knowing there is no right or wrong

This is an invitation to turn inwards

And greet whatever is there.

Welcome the light

Welcome the dark

Welcome the joy

Welcome the challenges

Welcome the knowing and the not knowing

Welcome the yin and the yang

Then moon is sometimes in shadow

But that’s ok

It’s pointing us to the places

where we need to get really curious

To those parts of us that perhaps we hide from the world

What if we could welcome those parts too

Send those parts some love?

Let them know that they are welcome here

That everything gets to be exactly as it is

Just allow yourself to feel whatever is here for you

Because it is so welcome.

So just noticing what comes up for you

Giving yourself permission to slow down

To feel

And to listen to your inner wisdom

Because your inner wisdom is here

It’s your home.

And when we have a strong sense of home

We can welcome and embrace the dark

And we can grow with ease.

And just like the moon

We make waves by being ourselves

Every time we tap into our inner wisdom

We send ripples out into the universe

We make an impact on those around us

So know that your waves

are very much needed in this world

And we  won’t always know

When to push

or when to pull

When to hold on

And when to let go

When to end

And when to begin

Trust that the waves

Already know

Trust yourself

Trust the process

All is unfolding exactly as it needs to

Let’s take a deep breath in here

Breathing in softness

Breathing out acceptance

Breathing in light

Breathing out any heaviness

Soon we’ll bring this exercise to a close

So let’s taking a deep long breath in here

And this time sigh it out through the mouth

Ahhhhhhhhhh

Let’s do that one more time

Deep breath in through the nose

Sighing it out through the mouth

Just becoming aware of your physical body

Becoming aware

of how you feel

Noticing any sounds that might be around you

Feeling your body

in contact with the chair

Or whatever you’re sitting

or lying on

Another deep breath now

returning to this space and this time

Breathe in the space

breathe in your presence 

And wherever you are

just beginning to find some

Very soft and gentle movement with the neck

So maybe just very gently moving the neck from side to side

Perhaps bringing your head forward so your chin comes to your chest

Feeling that lovely stretch in the back of the neck

Maybe slowly rolling the shoulders back or forwards a few times

Just easing out any kinks or tightness

Beginning to gently move your fingers and your toes

Move your body a little too or take a wake-up stretch if that feels good

And before you open your eyes

Just take a moment to notice how you feel

And then when you’re ready

slowly open your eyes.

Photo by Marty Finney on Unsplash