Holding Sacred Space

The first time I came to understand experientially what holding sacred space meant was during a yoga class. I was in a gentle yoga posture, sitting on the mat with my right hip up against a bolster and my upper body was draped forward over the bolster in a twist to the right with my left cheek resting on the bolster and we were doing some deep breathing. Twisting poses in yoga are a way to wring out energy stuck in the body...I was soon to find out.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, tears began falling down my cheeks. What was happening to me? The experienced yoga teacher noticed the shift in me and came over to my mat and lightly touched her hand to the back of my heart leaving an imprint, as she continued to guide the class in breathing without skipping a beat. A loving gesture that spoke volumes of, "I've got you, I see you, you are held in a sacred space.

She did not stop the class, she just held the space for me in a loving and sacred way. I let the tears fall freely and kept drawing in nourishing breaths. My body had been holding onto emotions that needed to be released and let go of.

Holding space in a sacred way is to be fully present and conscious with another person whilst they are going through a challenging time in their life. We can hold space with someone by not judging what they are going through and not trying to fix their experience. We need not offer any advice. You can set the intention to just be there with them and remain present to what transpires.

Holding sacred space is in the allowing of someone's feelings, raw emotions, tears, or their silence to unfold naturally in your presence...no matter what it might look like.

It is a gift for someone to feel safe, seen, heard, and held in love by your presence. Holding sacred space for someone is an act of grace, trust, and unconditional love. It is a process of surrender and acceptance to what is. Life is happening and you are the witness. Hold the highest vibration of love and gratitude within you and be the light for another.

I am able to hold sacred space for others, but as I write these words, I wonder if I am always holding sacred space for myself? Can I offer the same sacred gift of space and unconditional love to myself when I am experiencing a time of vulnerability and uncertainty? Can I offer myself the gift of silence by traveling inward and embracing the dance of life by holding sacred space for my own unfolding or what sometimes feels like my undoing?

Yes, I can. When I am able to show up for my whole self in a conscious and loving way without judgement and by being able to be totally present to what is unfolding. I am able and willing to show-up and create a sacred space for me.

Today was one of those days. I needed to take my own counsel and hold some sacred space for myself. I was in need of my own unconditional loving attention. I needed to feel and breathe deeply into things in my life that were happening to people I love that I had no control over. We can not control life happening around us, but we can control how we perceive it and how we respond to it.

Old patterns of jumping in to "save" someone in crisis creeps in quite naturally and unabashedly for me. It all can happen rather quickly. As a recovering over-doer and people pleaser, I have learned to pause and ask myself some questions with discernment before I dive in and try to rescue.

• "Is what is being asked of me something for my greatest good and highest joy for all concerned?

• Is this something I want to do?

• Is this something I can give freely to without feeling guilty or resentful?

• Do I feel open and expanded or does this request make me feel constricted?

We are made of energy. We are spiritual beings having human experiences. Learning to listen to how your body feels and honoring the cues or nudges it is offering, will serve you very well. Try it, next time someone asks you or expects you to do something for them and you are not sure what to do. Learning to feel your feelings and honoring yourself and your life in the process is a gift of offering yourself some sacred space.

My garden sanctuary is always the perfect place where I can go to sit, take in the healing energy of nature, and gather up the bits of me that have momentarily gone astray or have become entangled. I can breathe, clear my head, come back to my center and find clarity in the garden. Nature freely offers us the abundant love of the universe with her high vibrations. Go outside and drink in her healing and positive energy and feel the shift in your awareness.

There are messages and messengers everywhere out in nature. We are invited to engage in their presence and sup their calming and positive rhythm into our being and begin to embody it. When I look at the urn pictured above, the plants held within it, appear to be dancing on the wind. Breathe deeply into the gentle rhythm of the wind and match her vibration with your thoughts until they become peaceful, calm, and centered.

The fern is a mystical plant nestled in the urn is a reminder of our everlasting youth that resides in the inner sanctum of our hearts. It is full of magic and invites us to dance with what life has to offer. The coleus is a beautiful plant that symbolizes spiritual awakening. Nature is a beautiful place to begin to feel at home, awakened and connected to all of life. A place where you will not be judged for being who you are.

The lovely variegated green and white vinca vine that grows out of the pot down to the ground and roots into the earth, when given the chance, is a perennial plant that has tiny periwinkle flowers and they symbolize faithfulness, friendship, and new beginnings. The urn is encompassed by Hosta. The Hosta symbolize love, abundance, shelter, devotion, and the power of forgiveness. The purple flowers on the Hosta are always nudging us towards forgiveness.

Take a moment or several moments out in nature to feel into your heart and into your body and find sacred space for yourself when you need to. Call on your higher self to spiritually guide your power of discernment. Discernment offers you the ability to understand and perceive a situation clearly without judgment when the answer is not obvious. Ask yourself, how does this make me feel? Do I feel expansive, light, and eager? Or is something in my heart or body feeling constricted and begging me to say, "No." Pause, feel, listen to the messages held within you. Begin to hold yourself in a sacred space and welcome in the healing of nature that teaches us her natural rhythm and that everything is sacred.

Put your hands together in a prayer at your heart.

Breathe in the words,

I love and accept myself exactly as I am.

I honor the sacred space within me

to guide me forward in my life with discernment.

Allow that to vibrate in your heart center

and out through every cell

awaken the ancient knowing

that all will be healed in good time

Patience and love

move stuck energy

and calms any

wandering energy

as it all

comes to rest in my soul.

I release on the breath.

Whispers of eternity dance in my bones

and ride on the vibrations of rivers

running in my veins

that carry

the life force to all of me.

I am sacred space.

I love and accept myself exactly as I am.

Angela O'Brien-Greywitt, Intuitive Mystic

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