Tara Brach

Meditation: The Heartspace Where All is Welcome (19:02 min.)

19 min
May 20, 202610 days ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

Tara Brach guides listeners through a comprehensive guided meditation focused on cultivating heartspace awareness and acceptance. The practice emphasizes visualizing boundless space, body sensations, and a welcoming presence that includes all experiences without judgment.

Insights
  • Meditation practice can systematically anchor awareness through progressive body scanning and sensory focus
  • Mental contraction (thoughts) correlates with physical tension, enabling somatic re-entry into present awareness
  • Heartspace meditation cultivates non-judgmental acceptance by framing awareness as inclusive rather than selective
  • Boundless spatial awareness (extending beyond physical body) deepens sense of interconnection and peace
  • Peace emerges from accepting present circumstances rather than resisting or judging current experience
Trends
Growing integration of somatic awareness techniques in mainstream meditation practiceEmphasis on heart-centered rather than mind-centered meditation approachesUse of spatial visualization and boundless awareness frameworks in contemporary mindfulnessAccessibility of guided meditation through digital platforms for secular and spiritual audiencesIntegration of poetic wisdom with neuroscience-informed meditation instruction
People
Tara Brach
Host and guide of the meditation episode, leading the guided practice and teaching framework
Dorothy Hunt
Quoted at episode conclusion with poem about peace and acceptance without judgment
Quotes
"Peace is this moment without thinking it should be some other way that you should feel some other thing that your life should unfold according to your plans."
Dorothy Hunt18:30
"Peace is this moment without judgment. This moment in the heart space where everything that is is welcome."
Dorothy Hunt18:45
"The heart space where everything that is is included and welcome."
Tara Brach17:50
"Thoughts are a mental contraction that always correlate with physical contraction in some way."
Tara Brach15:20
"Disresting in the wakeful openness that allows and includes this whole changing flow of life."
Tara Brach12:45
Full Transcript
Welcome friends to the Tara Brock podcast. I'm so glad you're here. Each week I share teachings and guided meditations to help us awaken our hearts and bring healing to our world. You can learn more or support this offering by visiting TaraBrock.com where you can also join our email list. Now let's explore together the many ways we can live from the love and presence that's our deepest essence. Namaste. In the stillness you might envision a very open blue sky stretching outward. In a limitless way, a vast sky visualizing the curve of a smile spreading through that sky. So you can sense the uplift, the openness, the energy of a smile spreading through that sky. And letting the mind merge with that sky. Feeling that spaciousness of awareness filled with a smile. Wide open sky like mine. Build the energy, the friendliness, the openness of a smile. A sky like mine smiling into the eyes and letting the sensations in the area of the eyes float in that openness. The brow is smooth, eyes are soft. A slight smile at the mouth. You might feel the inside of the mouth smiling. Relaxing the tongue, letting it fill the lower palate. Relaxing down to the root of the con. Feeling all the sensations in the mouth, the gums, the teeth floating in this openness and awareness. The eyes smiling, sensations floating in openness. Smile at the mouth. The sensations floating. Letting the shoulders drop away from the neck. Sensing the shoulders filled with awareness. The sensations and aliveness inside the shoulders just floating. A few sense of novatness or tightness, let it float in awareness. Sense if you can notice and feel the space inside the shoulders. The sensations of aliveness floating, moving in that space. Allow the hands to rest in a very easy and effortless way. Soften the hands, soften again. You can sense the sensations in the hands, the vibrating, the tingling, floating in awareness, moving in space. Perhaps you can even sense the space between the sensations. Just like you can sense the space or visualize the space between the particles and an atom, the nucleus of an atom. Space and aliveness. Filling the hands. You might sense an openness of the chest, letting the curve of a smile spread through the heart. You can visualize and sense the sensations and aliveness there floating, unfolding in the space of awareness. Relaxing through the belly, letting this next breath be received in a softening belly. This breath right now. And now this one. And again. You might visualize the curve of a smile spreading through the belly. Can you sense and feel the sensations and aliveness inside the belly? Floating in awareness and space. Energy moving in awareness. And sensing the pelvic region filled with awareness. The liveness floating, moving in that space of awareness. Aware of the legs, the length, volume of the legs. And sensing the vibrating and tingling of energy through the legs, right into the feet. And sense how it's all happening, floating, moving in the space of awareness. You might visualize and imagine the space of awareness extending in front of you outward beyond the furthest stars. And behind you outward beyond the furthest stars. To both sides outward and outward beyond the furthest stars. Below you and above you outward and outward beyond the furthest stars. And sensing how this boundless space around you, an inner space is continuous. Continuous space. Build with the light of awareness. This world of sensation appearing and dissolving, floating. This boundless space of awareness. Sounds appearing, disappearing in this boundless space of awareness. Disresting in the wakeful openness that allows and includes this whole changing flow of life. Quite natural, the mind will drift into thoughts. You can gently relax back by reconnecting with the aliveness that's right here. Feeling the breath and the changing sensations in the body. The sounds that are here. Letting the sounds and sensations appear and disappear in this wakeful openness, this alert stillness that's your own presence. This alert stillness that's your own presence. We wake up from thoughts and we notice the thinking and then relax, open. Thoughts are a mental contraction that always correlate with physical contraction in some way. So you can re-relax in any moment. Just noticing what might want to let go a little right now. Perhaps softening the shoulders, softening the hands, softening the belly, sensing that slight smile and relaxing your heart. Letting life be just as it is, sensations and sounds, appearing, disappearing in open awareness. You might sense how that open awareness is experienced at the region of the heart as a kind of heart space that includes what's here. The heart space where everything that is is included and welcome. Thank you. From the poet Dorothy Hunt, Peace is this moment without thinking it should be some other way that you should feel some other thing that your life should unfold according to your plans. Peace is this moment without judgment. This moment in the heart space where everything that is is welcome.