Meditation: The Power of the Sacred Pause

Podcast: Tara Brach
Host: Tara Brach
Episode Length: 6:56 min
Date: October 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this brief, guided meditation, Tara Brach explores “the power of the sacred pause” as a transformative tool to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and presence in daily life. Inspired by the Dorothy Postowaite line, “create a clearing in the dense forest of your life,” Tara leads listeners through gentle breathwork and body awareness, guiding them to connect with their inner experience, foster self-care, and extend this caring awareness to the wider world. The tone is gentle, soothing, and invitational—ideal for those seeking a mindful reset or moment of reflection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Sacred Pause

• [00:32] Tara introduces the concept, referencing Dorothy Postowaite’s line:
  • “Create a clearing in the dense forest of your life.”
• The “sacred pause” is a moment to slow down, make space, and nurture presence.

2. Settling into Presence

• [01:00] Listeners are invited to bring attention to the body and adjust posture, aiming for both “upright and alert” as well as “at ease, relaxed.”
• Eyes may close or gaze soften to turn attention inward:
  • “Really notice that uprightness and at ease in the body.”

3. Guided Breathing Practice

• [01:28]–[02:20] Tara leads a breath practice:
  • Take a “long deep in breath and then a very slow out breath so that as you release the breath you feel a letting go.”
  • Repeat for several breaths, each time further inviting relaxation—“a loosening, softening in the shoulders, softening down the body.”
• Emphasizes returning to the “natural rhythm” of breath, cultivating presence.

4. Letting Go & Creating a Clearing

• [02:21]–[03:10] With each out-breath, there is an opportunity “to sense what wants to let go,” whether bodily tension or “unnecessary thoughts.”
• The act of letting go creates the inner “clearing,” connecting to the poem’s imagery.

5. Awaking the Senses & Deep Listening

• [03:11]–[03:45] Tara invites noticing heightened sensory awareness:
  • “Aware of the sounds around you, aware of the sensations through the body, the tingling and vibrating in the hands, the feet, the feeling of this whole body breathing.”
• The clearing “allows us to listen more deeply… just to notice the state of your heart.”

6. Self-Compassion and Caring Gesture

• [04:10] A simple gesture of care is encouraged:
  • “You might put your hand on your heart or just offer some wish, some blessing, whatever resonates in the moment.”

7. Connecting Personal & Collective Care

• [04:35] Listeners are reminded their care is “part of a larger heart space, a collective caring,” inviting openness to “include our world, listening to our world, [the] state of our world and sensing your wish for all beings.”
• The meditation closes with the affirmation:
  • “Creating a clearing helps us to awaken our heart.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tara Brach [00:32]:

  “Many of you are familiar with that beautiful line from the poet Dorothy Postowaite. She writes, 'Create a clearing in the dense forest of your life.'”

• Tara Brach [01:00]:

  “Start by noticing your posture and then make the subtle adjustments, or maybe not so subtle, that will bring you into a way of sitting where you’re feeling upright and alert. You just sit a little taller maybe, and also at ease, relaxed.”

• Tara Brach [02:24]:

  “With the out breath, sense what wants to let go, releasing tension wherever you notice it in your body, letting go of unnecessary thoughts with each out breath—a bit of letting go, creating that clearing.”

• Tara Brach [03:40]:

  “Noticing with the letting go that your senses can be quite awake—aware of the sounds around you, aware of the sensations through the body, the tingling and vibrating in the hands, the feet, the feeling of this whole body breathing.”

• Tara Brach [04:50]:

  “Feeling your care as part of a larger heart space—a collective caring—so that you can open the listening to include our world, listening to our world, state of our world and sensing your wish for all beings.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:32] Opening reflection, inspiration from Dorothy Postowaite
• [01:00] Mindful posture and turning attention inward
• [01:28] Guided deep breathing and relaxation
• [02:21] Letting go on the out-breath; creating a clearing
• [03:11] Sensory awareness and presence
• [04:10] Self-compassion gesture
• [04:35] Expanding care to the collective and closing thoughts

Tone & Style

Tara maintains a gentle, inviting, and nurturing style—encouraging listeners to relax into presence and self-compassion. Instructions are accessible, and the reflection is supported by evocative poetry, making the short meditation both grounding and inspirational.

This episode provides a peaceful reset for anyone needing to pause, breathe, and reconnect with heartfulness—individually and collectively.