Acceptance is not about liking or condoning what is happening in the present moment. It is not an endorsement. Rather, acceptance is about acknowledging the reality of what is here and now.
This guided meditation on acceptance is a script to help deepen your acknowledgment of whatever is present for you right now. It can be used to guide others and is best suited for advanced students.
Developing our capacity to accept the reality of the present moment may help to reduce stress and increase inner peace. However, it is crucial to note that strong resistance or fear may arise. The invitation is to go in baby steps, expanding our acceptance in layers.
- Practice Time: 15-20 minutes
- Purpose: Present-Moment Acceptance
- May Help With: Reducing Stress, Increasing Inner Peace
- Practice Level: Advanced
Here’s a Sample of the “A Guided Meditation on Acceptance” Guided Meditation Script:
Finding a comfortable seat in a place where you can be relatively free from distractions
Finding balance between sitting up tall, but remaining relaxed
Feeling into the width of your chest as you soften your shoulders down and back
Resting your palms face up on your thighs, or in the manner that’s most comfortable for you
Closing your eyes or gazing low at the ground ahead of you
Breathing in and out through your nose
Choosing a breath that reflects all the qualities you desire in your mind
Gentle, quiet, patient, steady, spacious, and at ease
Balancing your awareness between the three spheres of mindfulness:
Your body, your breath, and the mind itself
Staying present right here with all three
Perhaps 20% of your mind’s attention on each
And the remaining 40%? Just letting this part of the mind stay with spaciousness and ease
Not getting caught up in the numbers; the idea is just to be mindful, and at the same time, free
Seated, breathing, present with body, breath and mind
Present. Aware. Open. Spacious.
And now noticing what’s present here with you
Noticing if there’s any sensation arising in the body
An energy that you can sense through the breath
Or a movement, emotion, or habitual thought in the mind
Whatever it is that you notice, welcoming it in with a spaciousness
Allowing it to be.
Not trying to change it, not chasing it, not trying to push it away
Can you remain still and spacious in your awareness
As you accept what it is that’s arising?
How to Use the Guided Meditation on Acceptance Script
This guided meditation for acceptance can be supportive for anyone looking to expand their capacity to acknowledge reality as it is – whether pleasant or unpleasant. It should not be used to force ourselves to be positive and it shouldn’t make us complacent. For example, acceptance should never stop us from taking action in the face of harm or abuse.
With that said, if you or someone you work with is ready to expand their capacity for acceptance in self-supportive ways, consider these three possibilities:
- Record for Self-Practice: Record yourself reciting this script. Then lean back and listen. Allow this acceptance guided meditation to deepen your acknowledgment of reality.
- Lead Another One-to-One: If you’re working with a student who is interested in this topic, try leading this practice in a one-to-one setting. Have a discussion about the practice afterwards.
- Host a Workshop on Acceptance: Dispel myths while highlighting the power of acceptance in an acceptance-themed workshop. Guide your group through this meditation.
Conclusion
When we expand our capacity to accept reality, we reduce our tendency to argue with ‘what is’. This can help us feel more at peace and content with this present moment – whatever it brings us.
May this guided meditation on acceptance support you and/or your students to recognize reality for what it is. May it never stop you from taking wise action in your life, but may it increase moments of peace and ease.
