Welcome to Joy Lab!: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Joy Lab podcast, where we help you uncover and foster your most joyful self. Your hosts, Dr. Henry Emmons and Dr. Aimee Prasek, bring you the ideal mix of soulful and scientifically sound tools to spark your joy, even when it feels dark. When you're ready to experiment with more joy, combine this podcast with the full Joy Lab program over at JoyLab.coach
Aimee: Hi, everyone. Aimee, here, I am going to guide you through a zooming out meditation. This is a really nice practice after last episode the overview effect. Feel free to just dive into this though. Even if you haven't listened to that episode yet you can go back later on. So find a space that's as quiet as can be for you. As few distractions as possible. Pause this, if you need to prepare that space for yourself. Feel free to grab a journal.
If you'd like to write things [00:01:00] down even, and then let's settle in.
Find a comfortable position, seated, lying down, whatever feels good for you. Close your eyes and let's just anchor our attention to the breath. Maybe let out a big exhale. All the air that you can. Then let your body open up for that next inhale taking in that air.
And then another big exhale.
Continue breathing and noticing the kind of rhythm that your breath can take. Almost like a calming kind of rhythm, like a gentle rocking in your body.
[00:02:00]
Aimee: Now we're going to fire up our imagination. Give all of your attention to this, gently bringing back your attention when something distracts you, it's not a problem.
Imagine yourself standing on the ground in a familiar, safe place, a park, a backyard. Your living room, a grandparents' kitchen, just a place that you can let your guard down. Wherever that is for you.
And soak in that sense of support.
Breathe in that support.
And as you breathe out, relax even more into that space.
Now picture [00:03:00] yourself still in that supportive space, gently lifting off the ground . As if you, and a chunk of that supportive space below you are floating upward.
Slowly rise higher and higher. Watching the surroundings below you expand.
Maybe you see the streets, the rooftops and the patterns of your surroundings below you.
Maybe it notice how the details begin to blur as you float higher.
As you see these surroundings and maybe what felt big before, now it starts to feel smaller. [00:04:00]
Continue lifting higher imagining the view of your city, your state, and the land stretching out before you.
Keep rising until you can see the entire earth floating below you. This vibrant sphere of life that you are a part of.
From this vantage point, look at the earth as a whole. What do you see?
Maybe swirling blues of oceans.
Greens and browns of land.
Maybe the soft whites of clouds.
[00:05:00] Maybe you can see how the earth sits against this dark expanse of space and how it glows bright. This one, glowing interconnected, whole. You're one small part of something really beautiful.
And as you continue to imagine this, maybe you notice how the boundaries and the divisions sort of fade away.
And maybe something rises up in you with these visions, this perspective. Just notice and savor: what feels good to you from this perspective? Maybe some awe or inspiration. It doesn't have to be transformative, but give your attention to what feels supportive to [00:06:00] you. And savor it.
From this higher perspective, gently shift your focus even more inward into your own day to day life. What are the small details or challenges that have been consuming your energy.
Are there any that you can soften on? Maybe a few that don't need as much of your energy?
There's probably something daily that you give a lot of energy to. And [00:07:00] that maybe doesn't deserve it. That doesn't need that energy. Small stuff that might not matter so much. Just take a bit of time to see if something rises up for you, something that you feel like, yeah, I can let that go.
Maybe you take a deep exhale, letting out all that air,
and inviting in a full inhale.
Another deep exhale. Inviting little release, little letting [00:08:00] go.
Now let's start to focus our attention on one thing that is absolutely true and perhaps a little more apparent from this perspective. And that is your connection.
You are part of something much bigger.
Something bigger that can support you. And something bigger that you can contribute toward in ways that feed your sense of purpose and meaning.
Breathe into that truth of your connection.
To all people, all creatures, all of nature, maybe inhale that truth.
Maybe exhale as you let your body and mind relax a bit more into that sense of connection and shared support.
Breathing [00:09:00] in that truth of your connection.
Breathing out, releasing into that sense of connection and support.
Maybe savor any sensations that might rise up. Ones that feel good for you; savor those for a bit.
When you're ready. Begin to imagine descending slowly, smoothly, gently back to earth. As you lower yourself back into your full supportive space that you imagined as you began. Bring this broader sense of perspective [00:10:00] with you. Feel the ground beneath you, the air around you, and the sense of connection within you.
Maybe let out a big exhale.
And invite in a full nourishing inhale.
And offering out an even bigger, relaxing exhale.
Continuing to breathe. Smoothly. When you feel ready. Maybe gently, wiggling your fingers, toes, your body a bit as you gently open your eyes, if they were closed.
Back into the space around you.
As we close I just want to offer you a reminder that you can always zoom out to regain perspective.
Stuff gets messy and exhausting when we're consumed in so many [00:11:00] minute details that we let steal our energy. I think from the space level view, some of our challenges can feel more manageable. Some feel like we can even just let them go because we were holding on too tight to them. Most of all from this view, I think our sense of connection can get clear.
So soak in that. I hope you carry this perspective with you as you move through your day. And join us for the Joy Lab program as well, where we really work to place our attention and energy in places that matter that nourish us and the world around us. We'll see you next episode.
Thanks for joining us!: Thank you for listening to the Joy Lab podcast. If you enjoy today's show, visit JoyLab.coach to learn more about the full Joy Lab program. Be sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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