Permission to Rest: A meditation for time out
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Title: Permission to Rest — with meditation teacher Steven Webb
Description: A guided meditation for when you're running on empty and stopping feels like giving up. Meditation teacher Steven Webb leads you through a gentle body scan and a peaceful forest visualisation to help you truly rest without guilt.
Who this meditation is for:
- You're exhausted but it's not about sleep
- You've been pushing through for too long and can't switch off
- You feel guilty about stopping or taking time for yourself
- You're overwhelmed and your mind won't stop making lists
- You need permission to just do nothing for a while
What you'll experience:
- A gentle body scan to release tension you didn't know you were holding
- A calming forest visualisation where nothing is needed from you
- Permission to stop without guilt or judgement
- A loving kindness moment with hand on heart
- A soft return that leaves you feeling lighter and kinder to yourself
Companion episode: Stillness in the Storms EP163 — The Dignity of Being Tired
If you'd like to contact Steven or support his work, go to https://stevenwebb.uk
Transcript
Hello, I'm Stephen Web, and welcome to this meditation.
Speaker A:This one is for you if you're tired.
Speaker A:I'm not talking about sleepy, but the kind of tired where you feel like you've been running on empty for far too long.
Speaker A:And if that's you right now, you're in the right place.
Speaker A:So find somewhere comfortable.
Speaker A:You don't need to be sat up straight, although sometimes that does help.
Speaker A:You don't need to be in a special position.
Speaker A:If you want to lie down, lie down.
Speaker A:But the idea is to stay awake during this meditation.
Speaker A:Then when you are, just let your eyes close or soften your gaze.
Speaker A:Whatever feels comfortable to you, And just feel the weight of your body.
Speaker A:Feel whatever is holding you up right now, whether it's the chair, the bed or the floor.
Speaker A:Then it all take your weight.
Speaker A:You don't have to hold yourself up right now and notice your breath.
Speaker A:You don't need to change it.
Speaker A:Don't try and breathe in deeply or slowly.
Speaker A:Your body knows how to breathe.
Speaker A:It's been doing it a long time without you getting involved.
Speaker A:Just notice it in and out, that's all.
Speaker A:And now let's just soften a few things.
Speaker A:Starting with your face, your forehead, your eyes.
Speaker A:Let them become heavy behind your eyelids.
Speaker A:Your jaw, let it drop slightly.
Speaker A:You might notice your clenching somewhere.
Speaker A:Just allow it to soften.
Speaker A:Your shoulders.
Speaker A:They've been carrying a lot, maybe more than you realize.
Speaker A:Allow them to drop and soften in this moment and just let them fall.
Speaker A:They don't need to be up around your ears.
Speaker A:And your hands, wherever they are, let them be soft, open, and nothing to grip, nothing to hold on to.
Speaker A:Breathing in, calm, breathing out.
Speaker A:Relax.
Speaker A:You have permission to be here.
Speaker A:You have permission to do nothing.
Speaker A:You have permission to be tired.
Speaker A:That's not a weakness.
Speaker A:That's just honesty.
Speaker A:Now, I want you to imagine something with me.
Speaker A:If you can't see it, just feel it in your body.
Speaker A:Imagine you're in a forest.
Speaker A:Not a dark forest, a gentle one, with little bits of light coming through the canopy.
Speaker A:A soft ground beneath you.
Speaker A:It has moss and leaves everywhere.
Speaker A:And in this forest, there's a clearing.
Speaker A:A small, quiet space where the light is warm and the ground is soft.
Speaker A:And you find yourself lying down there on the earth, safe and held.
Speaker A:There's no one looking for you here.
Speaker A:No one needs anything from you.
Speaker A:There are no messages, no tasks, no lists.
Speaker A:Just the sound of the trees, maybe a bird somewhere, the warmth of the light on your skin.
Speaker A:And you realize something.
Speaker A:The animals in this forest, when they are tired, they rest.
Speaker A:They don't feel guilty about it.
Speaker A:They don't lie there making lists of everything they should be doing.
Speaker A:They just rest completely and they heal.
Speaker A:You can do that too, right here.
Speaker A:You are allowed to just rest.
Speaker A:Breathing in calm, breathing out.
Speaker A:Rest.
Speaker A:Breathing in calm, Breathing out Rest.
Speaker A:Notice how your body feels when you give it permission to stop.
Speaker A:Really stop.
Speaker A:Maybe there's a heaviness, maybe there's a softness, maybe there's relief, like putting down something you've been carrying for a long time.
Speaker A:You don't have to do anything with this.
Speaker A:Just notice it.
Speaker A:And in this clearing, in this forest, there is nothing to fix, nothing to achieve, nothing to get right.
Speaker A:This moment already has everything it needs, and so do you.
Speaker A:Let yourself be held by the ground.
Speaker A:Let yourself be warmed by the light.
Speaker A:Let your breath do what it does.
Speaker A:Let your thoughts come and go, similar to birds and the animals and the clouds.
Speaker A:You don't have to follow them.
Speaker A:Breathing in calm, breathing out.
Speaker A:Rest.
Speaker A:You might notice thoughts coming in, things you need to do, People.
Speaker A:You need to reply to the familiar pull of what says you should be doing something now.
Speaker A:And when that happens, just say to yourself quietly, not right now.
Speaker A:Not right now.
Speaker A:You'll get to those things in good time, but not right now.
Speaker A:Right now you're resting.
Speaker A:And that is enough.
Speaker A:There is a dignity in being tired.
Speaker A:There is a courage in omitting it.
Speaker A:And there is wisdom in stopping before you have nothing left.
Speaker A:Like the old adage says, you can't pour from an empty cup.
Speaker A:But more than that, you deserve to rest.
Speaker A:Not because it makes you feel productive, but because you are human being.
Speaker A:And human beings, just like animals, need to rest.
Speaker A:So let's stay a little longer in this quiet place.
Speaker A:Breathing, being, resting.
Speaker A:Nothing more.
Speaker A:So just before we return, it'd be nice to do a little loving kindness.
Speaker A:So if you choose to, just place your hand on your heart and just feel the warmth of that area and just say internally to yourself, may I be well, May I be rested, May I be kind to myself.
Speaker A:May I be well, may I be rested and may I be kind to myself?
Speaker A:And really feel what that's like.
Speaker A:Having the permission to take the time out when you want, and whatever that looks like for you when you need it.
Speaker A:When you're ready, we'll begin to come back.
Speaker A:And just bring your awareness to your body.
Speaker A:5.
Speaker A:Feel your body again.
Speaker A:The weight of it, the warmth, the breath moving in and out.
Speaker A:4.
Speaker A:Notice the space around you, the sounds in the room, the air on your skin.
Speaker A:3.
Speaker A:Gently wiggle your fingers and toes just a little, bringing some energy back.
Speaker A:Two, take a slightly deeper breath, fill your lungs and just let it go.
Speaker A:And one, when you're ready, just gently open your eyes.
Speaker A:Welcome back.
Speaker A:I hope you just feel a little lighter.
Speaker A:And remember, you have permission to stop whenever you need to.
Speaker A:It's not laziness, it's kindness.
Speaker A:It's what animals do and they don't feel guilty.
Speaker A:Sometimes we need to do that.
Speaker A:I'm Stephen Webb, and I hope this meditation helped you to be a little kinder to yourself.
Speaker A:And all these meditations are brought to you without adverts because a few people donate and treat me to a coffee.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Really appreciate you just taking some time out with me today.
Speaker A:There's a link in the show notes.
Speaker A:Be kind to yourself.
Speaker A:You've earned it.
