You are starting off this program with an exploration of spaciousness and what it feels like in your own experience of your body, feelings, and thoughts. What are the conditions that support you to be spacious and what hinders your experience of spaciousness?

Remember to take a few minutes post meditation to Sit With It for insights into how your mind works and see what action/s you will take today to act on your insights or read the suggestions to Run With It.

Guided Meditation

Open Awareness

By bringing awareness to your breath, body, feelings, and thoughts, you are creating the space to be with your experience fully and choose your response.

Choose from one of the following meditations: The is always a shorter version - about ten minutes - and a longer version, which is twenty minutes or more. If you would like more guidance throughout your practice, the meditation labeled "More Guidance" has additional instructions and reminders.

Sit With It

Take a few minutes to reflect or journal:

What did you discover about your mind? Is it contracted or spacious?

What are the conditions that support a spacious mind?

Did you see a connection between your mind and body? You can know more about your mind by staying in touch with your body. For example, If your body is tight, that’s a clue that your mind is resisting or stressing about something. Using your breath to create space in the mind and body, you can bring awareness to your thoughts and patterns and choose a skillful response. 

Run With It

Play with the idea of spaciousness today‑explore the activities and conditions that allow your mind and body to be at ease and actively engaged with your experience. For example, when standing in line or waiting, instead of reaching for your phone or any other default behavior to fill up your time, explore what will make you feel more spacious? Can you take a few deep breaths and then if you want, intentionally reaching for your phone or you may choose to enjoy looking at the open sky, feeling your breath in your body, or connecting with the people around you.

What are the hindrances/challenges to being spacious? Once you are aware of the challenges you can take skillful actions to move through them with ease. 

Make a note of any breakthroughs—even the smallest change from default behavior—you had by bringing awareness to your experience.