Embrace self-acceptance through the gentle wisdom of Zen. This guided meditation helps you release the constant need to "fix" yourself and discover the profound peace of acknowledging your inherent worth. Learn to simply be, and find wholeness in the present moment, the Zen way.
Transcripts
Steven Webb:
Welcome to a nice little Zen meditation.
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The gift of not needing to fix.
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So just before I sail down into a little Dharma talk, just allow your body to relax.
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Allow your mind to go a little bit quieter.
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And just become comfortable in this moment.
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You don't have to do anything with your breath.
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Just become aware.
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You don't have to do anything with your body. It knows how to relax. relax
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And you don't have to do anything with this moment. This moment knows how to be this moment.
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We often think we need to change our breath or we need to relax our body. Those things can
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just happen if we allow them to happen.
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Very similar to sitting next to a river. You
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don't try to change the river, you just allow the river to be what it is.
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So just allow your body to be relaxed in this moment.
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Allow your breath to be what it is.
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Breathing in calm.
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Breathing out relax.
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And as we're relaxing in this moment, I want to share something that might sound strange at first.
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Zen doesn't fix your life.
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It just stops you needing to.
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We spend most of our days managing things, fixing what's broken, adjusting the story,
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correcting the past or forecasting the future.
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Somewhere along the line, we are told that peace is earned through effort.
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That once we've fixed it all, then we can rest.
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I think Zen turns that completely on its head.
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It doesn't give you a better version of yourself.
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It shows you there's nothing wrong with the one that's here right now.
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Zen asks you to sit. And just sit.
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Not to escape pain.
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Not to reach some divine bliss,
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but to wake up to this.
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The breath.
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The sound.
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The thought that says, this is pointless.
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Zen says, be with it anyway.
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So this practice is not about fixing your anxiety or numbing your grief or
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finding the perfect silence. This
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is about being the sky that allows every kind of weather.
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Nothing needs to be sorted before you begin. You just begin.
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So let's continue to sit together
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and As you're breathing in, calm. Breathing out, relax.
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You may notice thoughts coming in your head. Just
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allow them to be.
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You may notice some tension in your body. Just
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allow it to be.
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You may notice the temperature on your face. Allow
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it to be.
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And you may notice some thoughts that want to change this moment.
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Just gently let them pass.
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And you can say silently, this moment doesn't need to be different.
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This moment doesn't need to be different.
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And we don't even need to focus on our breath.
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Just be aware.
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Sounds come and go.
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Sensations come and go.
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Emotions come and go. They
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are all welcome here now.
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Let it all just come and go like clouds across an open sky.
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And now let's just spend a moment turning our attention to the watcher,
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the awareness behind the experience. And
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just ask, who is aware right now?
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You don't need to answer. Just notice the silence that follows the question. Who
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is aware right now
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You may notice the confusion, the
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mix between that pure awareness and
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then the
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thought, the feeling, the moment, the warmth on your face, the sound, the
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breath. It
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all comes and goes, not only in the real sense, but also in the awareness of now.
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Maybe just rest in the feeling of enoughness. What
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does enoughness mean to you?
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And just remind yourself.
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Nothing to do.
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Nowhere to get.
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Nothing missing.
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Nothing to do. Nowhere to get. Nothing missing.
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Doesn't that just feel like a whole weight lifted off?
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Like, wow.
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It's really true that nothing needs fixing. Everything is okay. Below all the
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noise.
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Below all the confusion.
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Just right here now.
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Nothing to do.
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Nowhere to get. And
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nothing is missing.
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And just a reminder of this moment.
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We spend our life reading books. We
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spend our life watching Tv and other social media that's all telling us what
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to do and how we can improve our lives. If we just do this,
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when really all we want is just peace. Just quiet. We just want that ah.
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And you have it right now.
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This was always here.
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Just the noise of life buries it.
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And this is what Zen is. Zen is bringing this to every day, to every moment, to that storm.
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If you can sit in this, this
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moment of just nothing to do, nowhere to get, and nothing is missing.
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In the storm there is a calm and a peace as well.
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It's just recognising that.
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So we're just gonna sit for another minute. I'll keep an eye on the timer.
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And just be aware of your breath.
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And just be the one that's aware of the breath.
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Nothing to do.
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Nothing missing.
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Although we did not go anywhere, welcome back.
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And just generally become aware of your breath.
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And just gently open your eyes and wiggle your fingers and toes. And just do a bow inwardly to yourself.
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Thank you for showing up. Thank you for being there.
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And just remember, Zen doesn't fix your life. It just stops you needing to. And
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this peaceful moment is there for you whenever you need it. Whenever you want to go below the noise, just
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sit, breathe in calm, breathe out relax and allow the moment to be what it is.
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I'm Steven Webb. Thank you for being here and thank you for your support. If you want to listen to
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my other podcast, Stillness in the Storms, please go to StevenWebb.uk and you can listen to all my other
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podcasts and all the other meditations and different ways you can support me so I can bring out more
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podcasts that will help you with difficult times. Take care and thank you.
