Waiting to hear back, and the mind keeps playing out how it might go? A meditation for the fear of not knowing what comes next.
About 11 minutes with Steven Webb’s calm voice and music underneath.
The mind hates a gap, so it fills it. One version, then another, then another. Not because it is broken, because it cares. But you can’t steady the tide by grabbing hold of it. So we sit on a quiet beach and let the days come and go like the weather. A worry arrives like a wave. You don’t judge it and you don’t grab a surfboard. You watch it go back out. Then one quiet question: who is doing the watching? The thoughts come and go, and the watcher stays. It has seen every day of your life arrive and pass. Three wishes to finish: may I trust myself with whatever comes, may the not knowing within find a little calm, may I know I am held, even here in uncertainty.
Treat me to a coffee, keep the podcast free, and get my Weekly Calm every Sunday. It is all on stevenwebb.uk
Thank you for sitting with me.
Steven
Stevens new course: Finding Peace in Everyday Life (you choose how much to pay)
- Support Stevens work and links to other podcasts: stevenwebb.uk
- Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Buy Steven a coffee
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,170
Steven Webb: Hi, I'm Steven Webb, Welcome to a meditation when you don't know how things are going to turn out and
2
00:00:06,220 --> 00:00:16,770
Steven Webb: you're concerned with uncertainty and fear of what might happen For the next few minutes, you don't need
3
00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:18,560
Steven Webb: to find any answers.
4
00:00:18,980 --> 00:00:27,880
Steven Webb: We're just going to sit back and watch And you don't need to do anything with your body or your breath.
5
00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:39,990
Steven Webb: Just allow your body to become comfortable and just become aware Whether you're sat up or lying down,
6
00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:52,220
Steven Webb: that's all fine Your body knows how to breathe and your body knows how to relax We're just going to allow
7
00:00:52,270 --> 00:01:10,000
Steven Webb: these things to happen And while you settle in, just, one thing to say I'll talk about the watcher.
8
00:01:10,780 --> 00:01:15,360
Steven Webb: That's not something you have to become or get right.
9
00:01:16,260 --> 00:01:18,740
Steven Webb: It's just part of you that notices.
10
00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,140
Steven Webb: It's here already.
11
00:01:22,020 --> 00:01:34,040
Steven Webb: Every time you catch your mind wandering, that's the watcher doing its job So just invite your body to
12
00:01:34,090 --> 00:01:49,540
Steven Webb: relax You could start with your face and jaw his shoulders, arms and fingers your belly, legs and toes
13
00:01:52,290 --> 00:02:00,660
Steven Webb: And yes, even your ears or perhaps even your forehead You'd be surprised where your body's not relaxed
14
00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:17,020
Steven Webb: And just breathe in calm, breathe out, relax And let this moment be what it is You may notice the mind
15
00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:25,240
Steven Webb: going a little quicker But as you allow the body to relax, the mind will settle.
16
00:02:25,860 --> 00:02:28,280
Steven Webb: We don't need to do anything with the mind.
17
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:41,370
Steven Webb: The mind knows how to settle And somewhere in your mind right now, there's so much you still don't know
18
00:02:41,420 --> 00:02:50,120
Steven Webb: about what might happen next week or next year And you might be waiting to hear back, or you might want
19
00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:56,760
Steven Webb: some certainty in a relationship, or just uncertainty of how your body's going to be.
20
00:02:56,810 --> 00:02:58,790
Steven Webb: It really doesn't matter what it is.
21
00:02:59,990 --> 00:03:02,120
Steven Webb: And the mind really doesn't like this.
22
00:03:02,170 --> 00:03:06,020
Steven Webb: It doesn't like the gap, so it fills it.
23
00:03:06,070 --> 00:03:12,610
Steven Webb: It plays out one way and then it finds another way to play it out and then another.
24
00:03:13,730 --> 00:03:18,030
Steven Webb: And that's not because your mind's broken, it's because it cares.
25
00:03:19,190 --> 00:03:26,040
Steven Webb: It thinks that if you hold on to it tight enough and it thinks if you think about it enough, you'll come
26
00:03:26,090 --> 00:03:26,820
Steven Webb: up with the answers.
27
00:03:26,870 --> 00:03:41,260
Steven Webb: You'll find some certainty But to use a metaphor, you can't steady the tide by grabbing hold of it.
28
00:03:42,220 --> 00:03:53,620
Steven Webb: We steady ourselves just by allowing ourselves to step back Maybe leaving the boat to rock a little so
29
00:03:53,670 --> 00:04:05,570
Steven Webb: picture a Beach A good beach, a nice quiet spot with room for you to sit down And in front of you, the
30
00:04:05,620 --> 00:04:19,230
Steven Webb: days come and go like the weather That Some of them arrive sunny, some are gray, and none of them stay
31
00:04:22,460 --> 00:04:39,160
Steven Webb: And you don't have to make the weather behave You're just the one watching the sky And when a worry comes
32
00:04:39,210 --> 00:04:50,480
Steven Webb: through, let it be that wave that comes in over the beach You can see it arrive and here's the nice calm
33
00:04:50,530 --> 00:04:51,290
Steven Webb: bit.
34
00:04:51,690 --> 00:05:04,460
Steven Webb: You don't have to do anything with that wave You don't have to judge it.
35
00:05:04,510 --> 00:05:09,190
Steven Webb: You don't have to grab a surfboard and go out and surf it.
36
00:05:10,090 --> 00:05:19,220
Steven Webb: And just let the wave go back out And these waves are like thoughts.
37
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:25,990
Steven Webb: Another thought will come, that's fine That's what the waves do.
38
00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:41,350
Steven Webb: That's what the thoughts do Watch it arrive and watch it recede back into the ocean just like the water
39
00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:54,450
Steven Webb: was originally And now we gently step back even further.
40
00:05:55,650 --> 00:05:57,590
Steven Webb: Who is doing the watching?
41
00:05:59,300 --> 00:06:00,770
Steven Webb: You don't need to answer.
42
00:06:00,820 --> 00:06:18,740
Steven Webb: Just feel how quiet the question is Who is doing the watching?
43
00:06:25,940 --> 00:06:39,310
Steven Webb: It feels peaceful The thoughts come and go, and the watcher stays.
44
00:06:40,530 --> 00:06:59,590
Steven Webb: The days come and go, and the watcher stays The weather and the watcher has never needed to know what
45
00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:00,640
Steven Webb: comes next.
46
00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:33,120
Steven Webb: It just watches what comes and it's okay And from this place of sitting, not knowing what comes next,
47
00:07:33,170 --> 00:07:53,730
Steven Webb: it stops it becoming a threat It's just open sky with room for whatever moves through it Because we want
48
00:07:53,780 --> 00:08:05,030
Steven Webb: to be in control of what comes next, and we're really not in control, And that's okay And let's do three
49
00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:09,060
Steven Webb: affirmations and just feel them deeply.
50
00:08:09,860 --> 00:08:33,650
Steven Webb: May I trust myself with whatever comes May I trust myself with whatever comes May the not knowing within
51
00:08:33,700 --> 00:08:35,760
Steven Webb: find a little calm.
52
00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:58,430
Steven Webb: May the not knowing within find a little calm May I know I am held even here in uncertainty May I know
53
00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:23,450
Steven Webb: I am held even here in uncertainty So you sat down to meditate today, and you came here with not knowing
54
00:09:23,500 --> 00:09:27,240
Steven Webb: what comes next, and you still don't.
55
00:09:28,510 --> 00:09:33,010
Steven Webb: But if you really feel deeply, you're still breathing and still okay.
56
00:09:33,930 --> 00:09:42,240
Steven Webb: The watcher in you has seen every single day of your life arrive, And it has watched every single one
57
00:09:42,290 --> 00:09:43,590
Steven Webb: of them pass.
58
00:09:44,510 --> 00:09:46,860
Steven Webb: And in a moment, I'll guide you back.
59
00:09:46,910 --> 00:09:51,790
Steven Webb: And we take the And we take the okay with not knowing with us.
60
00:09:53,030 --> 00:10:00,440
Steven Webb: Because you'll never truly know, and it's okay because you have the wisdom to know whatever does happen,
61
00:10:00,490 --> 00:10:02,070
Steven Webb: you will be okay.
62
00:10:02,950 --> 00:10:05,510
Steven Webb: You've got the tools to deal with it.
63
00:10:06,130 --> 00:10:20,300
Steven Webb: You've got the wisdom inside to deal with it, like you have in every other situation You are ready So
64
00:10:20,350 --> 00:10:23,550
Steven Webb: five, just become aware of the room around you.
65
00:10:23,990 --> 00:10:26,450
Steven Webb: Four, just gently open your eyes.
66
00:10:26,930 --> 00:10:29,610
Steven Webb: Three, shake out your arms and fingers.
67
00:10:30,230 --> 00:10:34,690
Steven Webb: Two, look around and just be really alive and awake.
68
00:10:35,170 --> 00:10:43,140
Steven Webb: One, just take a deeper breath and Thank you for sitting with me today, and I know it does mean a lot
69
00:10:43,190 --> 00:10:44,860
Steven Webb: to me and to many others.
70
00:10:44,910 --> 00:10:51,910
Steven Webb: And all these meditations are brought to you free through the kindness of people who just donate a coffee.
71
00:10:52,230 --> 00:10:59,920
Steven Webb: And if you'd like to support that or find out about my other podcast, Stillness in the Storms, head over
72
00:10:59,970 --> 00:11:04,790
Steven Webb: to stevenwebb.uk Thank you and namaste
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,170
Steven Webb: Hi, I'm Steven Webb, Welcome to a meditation when you don't know how things are going to turn out and
2
00:00:06,220 --> 00:00:16,770
Steven Webb: you're concerned with uncertainty and fear of what might happen For the next few minutes, you don't need
3
00:00:16,820 --> 00:00:18,560
Steven Webb: to find any answers.
4
00:00:18,980 --> 00:00:27,880
Steven Webb: We're just going to sit back and watch And you don't need to do anything with your body or your breath.
5
00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:39,990
Steven Webb: Just allow your body to become comfortable and just become aware Whether you're sat up or lying down,
6
00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:52,220
Steven Webb: that's all fine Your body knows how to breathe and your body knows how to relax We're just going to allow
7
00:00:52,270 --> 00:01:10,000
Steven Webb: these things to happen And while you settle in, just, one thing to say I'll talk about the watcher.
8
00:01:10,780 --> 00:01:15,360
Steven Webb: That's not something you have to become or get right.
9
00:01:16,260 --> 00:01:18,740
Steven Webb: It's just part of you that notices.
10
00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,140
Steven Webb: It's here already.
11
00:01:22,020 --> 00:01:34,040
Steven Webb: Every time you catch your mind wandering, that's the watcher doing its job So just invite your body to
12
00:01:34,090 --> 00:01:49,540
Steven Webb: relax You could start with your face and jaw his shoulders, arms and fingers your belly, legs and toes
13
00:01:52,290 --> 00:02:00,660
Steven Webb: And yes, even your ears or perhaps even your forehead You'd be surprised where your body's not relaxed
14
00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:17,020
Steven Webb: And just breathe in calm, breathe out, relax And let this moment be what it is You may notice the mind
15
00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:25,240
Steven Webb: going a little quicker But as you allow the body to relax, the mind will settle.
16
00:02:25,860 --> 00:02:28,280
Steven Webb: We don't need to do anything with the mind.
17
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:41,370
Steven Webb: The mind knows how to settle And somewhere in your mind right now, there's so much you still don't know
18
00:02:41,420 --> 00:02:50,120
Steven Webb: about what might happen next week or next year And you might be waiting to hear back, or you might want
19
00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:56,760
Steven Webb: some certainty in a relationship, or just uncertainty of how your body's going to be.
20
00:02:56,810 --> 00:02:58,790
Steven Webb: It really doesn't matter what it is.
21
00:02:59,990 --> 00:03:02,120
Steven Webb: And the mind really doesn't like this.
22
00:03:02,170 --> 00:03:06,020
Steven Webb: It doesn't like the gap, so it fills it.
23
00:03:06,070 --> 00:03:12,610
Steven Webb: It plays out one way and then it finds another way to play it out and then another.
24
00:03:13,730 --> 00:03:18,030
Steven Webb: And that's not because your mind's broken, it's because it cares.
25
00:03:19,190 --> 00:03:26,040
Steven Webb: It thinks that if you hold on to it tight enough and it thinks if you think about it enough, you'll come
26
00:03:26,090 --> 00:03:26,820
Steven Webb: up with the answers.
27
00:03:26,870 --> 00:03:41,260
Steven Webb: You'll find some certainty But to use a metaphor, you can't steady the tide by grabbing hold of it.
28
00:03:42,220 --> 00:03:53,620
Steven Webb: We steady ourselves just by allowing ourselves to step back Maybe leaving the boat to rock a little so
29
00:03:53,670 --> 00:04:05,570
Steven Webb: picture a Beach A good beach, a nice quiet spot with room for you to sit down And in front of you, the
30
00:04:05,620 --> 00:04:19,230
Steven Webb: days come and go like the weather That Some of them arrive sunny, some are gray, and none of them stay
31
00:04:22,460 --> 00:04:39,160
Steven Webb: And you don't have to make the weather behave You're just the one watching the sky And when a worry comes
32
00:04:39,210 --> 00:04:50,480
Steven Webb: through, let it be that wave that comes in over the beach You can see it arrive and here's the nice calm
33
00:04:50,530 --> 00:04:51,290
Steven Webb: bit.
34
00:04:51,690 --> 00:05:04,460
Steven Webb: You don't have to do anything with that wave You don't have to judge it.
35
00:05:04,510 --> 00:05:09,190
Steven Webb: You don't have to grab a surfboard and go out and surf it.
36
00:05:10,090 --> 00:05:19,220
Steven Webb: And just let the wave go back out And these waves are like thoughts.
37
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:25,990
Steven Webb: Another thought will come, that's fine That's what the waves do.
38
00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:41,350
Steven Webb: That's what the thoughts do Watch it arrive and watch it recede back into the ocean just like the water
39
00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:54,450
Steven Webb: was originally And now we gently step back even further.
40
00:05:55,650 --> 00:05:57,590
Steven Webb: Who is doing the watching?
41
00:05:59,300 --> 00:06:00,770
Steven Webb: You don't need to answer.
42
00:06:00,820 --> 00:06:18,740
Steven Webb: Just feel how quiet the question is Who is doing the watching?
43
00:06:25,940 --> 00:06:39,310
Steven Webb: It feels peaceful The thoughts come and go, and the watcher stays.
44
00:06:40,530 --> 00:06:59,590
Steven Webb: The days come and go, and the watcher stays The weather and the watcher has never needed to know what
45
00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:00,640
Steven Webb: comes next.
46
00:07:01,980 --> 00:07:33,120
Steven Webb: It just watches what comes and it's okay And from this place of sitting, not knowing what comes next,
47
00:07:33,170 --> 00:07:53,730
Steven Webb: it stops it becoming a threat It's just open sky with room for whatever moves through it Because we want
48
00:07:53,780 --> 00:08:05,030
Steven Webb: to be in control of what comes next, and we're really not in control, And that's okay And let's do three
49
00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:09,060
Steven Webb: affirmations and just feel them deeply.
50
00:08:09,860 --> 00:08:33,650
Steven Webb: May I trust myself with whatever comes May I trust myself with whatever comes May the not knowing within
51
00:08:33,700 --> 00:08:35,760
Steven Webb: find a little calm.
52
00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:58,430
Steven Webb: May the not knowing within find a little calm May I know I am held even here in uncertainty May I know
53
00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:23,450
Steven Webb: I am held even here in uncertainty So you sat down to meditate today, and you came here with not knowing
54
00:09:23,500 --> 00:09:27,240
Steven Webb: what comes next, and you still don't.
55
00:09:28,510 --> 00:09:33,010
Steven Webb: But if you really feel deeply, you're still breathing and still okay.
56
00:09:33,930 --> 00:09:42,240
Steven Webb: The watcher in you has seen every single day of your life arrive, And it has watched every single one
57
00:09:42,290 --> 00:09:43,590
Steven Webb: of them pass.
58
00:09:44,510 --> 00:09:46,860
Steven Webb: And in a moment, I'll guide you back.
59
00:09:46,910 --> 00:09:51,790
Steven Webb: And we take the And we take the okay with not knowing with us.
60
00:09:53,030 --> 00:10:00,440
Steven Webb: Because you'll never truly know, and it's okay because you have the wisdom to know whatever does happen,
61
00:10:00,490 --> 00:10:02,070
Steven Webb: you will be okay.
62
00:10:02,950 --> 00:10:05,510
Steven Webb: You've got the tools to deal with it.
63
00:10:06,130 --> 00:10:20,300
Steven Webb: You've got the wisdom inside to deal with it, like you have in every other situation You are ready So
64
00:10:20,350 --> 00:10:23,550
Steven Webb: five, just become aware of the room around you.
65
00:10:23,990 --> 00:10:26,450
Steven Webb: Four, just gently open your eyes.
66
00:10:26,930 --> 00:10:29,610
Steven Webb: Three, shake out your arms and fingers.
67
00:10:30,230 --> 00:10:34,690
Steven Webb: Two, look around and just be really alive and awake.
68
00:10:35,170 --> 00:10:43,140
Steven Webb: One, just take a deeper breath and Thank you for sitting with me today, and I know it does mean a lot
69
00:10:43,190 --> 00:10:44,860
Steven Webb: to me and to many others.
70
00:10:44,910 --> 00:10:51,910
Steven Webb: And all these meditations are brought to you free through the kindness of people who just donate a coffee.
71
00:10:52,230 --> 00:10:59,920
Steven Webb: And if you'd like to support that or find out about my other podcast, Stillness in the Storms, head over
72
00:10:59,970 --> 00:11:04,790
Steven Webb: to stevenwebb.uk Thank you and namaste