Imagine an empty bowl. Simple, spacious, open to whatever may come. This meditation invites you to embody that same openness, to become a vessel ready to receive without expectation or attachment. Just as the bowl doesn’t reach or grasp but remains gently open to whatever may fill it, you too can cultivate a state of openness—ready to welcome insight, peace, or simply the gift of this moment.

Here’s a gentle guide to the Empty Bowl Meditation to explore inner spaciousness and openness to possibility.

Step-by-Step Empty Bowl Meditation

1. Find Your Seat
   Begin by finding a comfortable seated position, either on a cushion or a chair. Let your spine lengthen naturally, shoulders soft, hands resting in your lap. Take a few deep breaths to settle into your body, feeling the weight of your seat grounding you.
2. Breathe with Intention
   Bring your awareness to your breath. Inhale gently through your nose, feeling the breath fill you up, expanding your body. Exhale slowly, releasing tension and letting go of anything you’re holding onto. Imagine each breath creating more space within you, as though you are clearing out a bowl.
3. Visualize an Empty Bowl
   Picture an empty bowl in your mind’s eye. See its wide, open shape, holding nothing yet ready to receive anything. Allow yourself to feel as if you, too, are empty and open like the bowl—no agenda, no expectations, just a spaciousness within, a readiness for whatever may come.
4. Embrace the Quiet
   Rest in the stillness of this space. If thoughts or emotions arise, observe them as passing clouds, gently letting them go without grasping or pushing away. Return to the sensation of the empty bowl within you, open and at ease.
5. Invite Openness
   With each breath, let yourself feel more open and receptive. You might even repeat the words, “I am open” or “I am ready to receive,” with each inhale, releasing any tension or resistance with each exhale. Know that you don’t need to “do” anything—just like the bowl, you are enough simply as you are.
6. Listen to the Silence
   Spend a few moments in quiet, listening to the silence within and around you. The silence itself can be a gift, something that fills us with peace and clarity. Imagine this emptiness as fullness, that within this openness lies the potential for insight, peace, and new perspectives.
7. Close with Gratitude
   When you feel ready, gently bring your awareness back to your body, noticing the sensation of being seated, the rhythm of your breath. Thank yourself for taking this time to pause, to create a space of receptivity within. Know that this openness, like the empty bowl, is always available for you to return to.
8. Carry It Forward
   As you rise and continue your day, bring this feeling of openness with you. Let yourself be like the bowl, welcoming each moment with curiosity and ease, ready for whatever might fill you, trusting that whatever comes will be exactly what is needed.

The Empty Bowl Meditation is a reminder that there is beauty in emptiness, that sometimes the most profound insights arise when we make space for them. Just as an empty bowl finds purpose by being open to what is given, we, too, can find peace and meaning by cultivating this quiet, receptive space within ourselves.