Hi, welcome back to

your Daily Mindfulness.

In today's session, I want to

talk about taking up space.

So one of the things that I think

can happen when we get involved in

a different contemplative practice,

such as meditation or yoga, in this

case, we're exploring mindfulness and

meditation, there can be this emphasis

on selflessness, and even like seeing

through the ego, the illusion of the ego.

And it can create this feeling of my

sense of self should become smaller.

If I am to become more selfless

and more caring that I should

take up less space in the world.

It's not always interpreted that way,

but I do see that as a phenomenon

that happens in these communities.

And I want to offer a different

perspective which is that learning

to take up space is actually

a mindfulness practice itself.

This is a little complicated because

there are certainly instances

where we need to step back.

And maybe for folks who've had it

easier in the world and it's been more

natural for them to step into their

own space or the world has made it

easier for them to be who they are.

Sometimes there is this process of

noticing when we're overpowering

someone else and there can be a role

for kind of like stepping back at times.

This doesn't mean becoming less internally

powerful or sovereign, just means

recognizing what's going on around us and

how we can also bring other people up with

us, in addition to us taking up space.

So there is that role here and

mindfulness practice helps us see that.

But for a lot of us, we do not live

fully expressed lives because we

don't believe our voice is worth

hearing or we fear being judged.

And mindfulness practice can sometimes be

a way to confirm that or to, to make it

appear like that fear is more of a virtue.

I don't feel like my voice is worth

hearing, but I'm also selfless and I

let other people's voices be heard.

Do you see how that can get twisted a bit?

Where it's not actually a

virtue, it's more of a fear.

And.

I think at the heart of, of practice,

mindfulness practice and you stepping into

your humanness, is also the recognition

that you are as worthy as anybody

else, that you have a right to be here.

You have a right to your voice.

And to be a sovereign being is to

have a right to a perspective and to

know that others have a right to their

perspective about your perspective.

All of that can make things messy, but

this is what it means to be individuals

living among each other, in community

and learning how to co-create space

and to try and live in harmony as

much as possible and cooperate toward

collective goals while also allowing

permission for individual goals.

It can be messy territory, but the one

thread that I invite you to explore

for yourself is how do you relate

to the idea of, of taking up space?

Is that something that feels

like a growth edge for you?

Do you use your mindfulness and meditation

practice to justify not taking up space?

And what would it look like to flip that

and use it as an opportunity to give

yourself permission to take up space?

A lot to consider.

But give it the day and

see how it unfolds for you.

Thank you for your practice and let's

settle in for today's meditation.