A Zen Mind Guided Meditations - Healing Meditation to Release Shame, Regret, & Guilt: Let Go and Move Forward

Episode Date: July 29, 2026

🌿This guided meditation is a healing space to release the weight of shame, grief, guilt, and regret. These are all completely normal human emotions, yet we often hold onto them far longer than we need to. During this practice, you'll gently acknowledge whatever is present, while shifting your focus toward self-compassion, acceptance, and the freedom to choose again. Using the breath and a grounding mantra, you'll be reminded that the past has already served its purpose, and that the present moment is where your true power lies.  "Every action I take is a conscious act of self-creation. I move with intention, courage, and clarity." With love, Jo * No part of this meditation script, voiceover, or editing was created using AI. :)  __ Explore more from A Zen Mind  Join me on ⁠Instagram⁠ 💖  ⁠ azenmindglobal.com⁠ Ad-free + extended episodes on ⁠Patreon⁠ Join the ⁠email list⁠  — Our Partners Mental Health Support: Talkiatry Online psychiatry with licensed providers and personalized, evidence-based care — all from home. Elevated Essentials: Quince Timeless, high-quality pieces at accessible prices. Build Your Business: Shopify Everything you need to start, run, and grow your business online. This episode is for relaxation and educational purposes only and is not a replacement for professional medical or mental health care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to A Zen Mind, part of the Airwave Podcast Network. I'm your host, Joe, and I'm so grateful that you're here. If you enjoy this meditation, please consider rating the show on your listening platform, as it truly helps the show reach even more people. You can follow me on Instagram at a.orgend.mind, and for ad-free episodes, check out my Patreon. All links can be found in the description. Now a quick message from the sponsors of today's episode. And as always, once the meditation begins, there will be no advertisements and no disruptions.

Thank you so much for being here. This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations.

more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. Hear that? It's your money calling. It wants a promotion. Elevate your savings with the Scotia High Interest Savings account. Always earn high regular interest rates that grow the more you save and invest. Conditions apply. Visit Scotia Bank.com slash H-I-SA to learn more.

Scotia Bank. You're richer than you think. and welcome to this guided meditation. Give yourself a few minutes to settle into a cozy and safe position. Whatever feels best for you today. And before we begin this practice, I want to gently remind you to give yourself permission to experience whatever arises during these next few minutes.

Sometimes meditations like this can gently bring old emotions, memories, or experiences to the surface. You may notice feelings you've been carrying for some time or emotions that still hold an energetic response within your body. And if that happens, just know that it is completely normal. and okay. There is nothing to resist or to fix or to change. Just showing up to this practice with loving curiosity and presence is more than enough. And so let this practice be whatever it needs to be for you. There is no right or wrong. When you've settled in, you may gently close your eyes and lovingly bring your awareness to that wonderful breath of yours beginning with a slow deep inhale through the nose and a nice slow and controlled exhale out through the mouth again breathing in deeply

through the nose and exhaling fully through the mouth noticing how your nervous system responds to the breath. And with each in breath your body begins to feel just a little more supported. And with each out breath feeling a little bit more relaxed and settled. And simply becoming curious. Curious about what your body needs right now. Maybe you need deeper, slower breaths. Or maybe you just wish to return to a natural rhythm.

Just be curious. And trust whatever feels right. Your body often knows even before your mind does. Allow your shoulders to drop away from the ears. Relax your jaw and let your tongue rest heavy in your mouth. Allow your belly to feel loose and heavy. heavy, you're ready, invite your awareness to shift inward. At first, just become aware of your inner landscape, observing any of the thoughts, becoming

aware of any of the sensations that are present or the emotions that might be here today. Notice if there is any heaviness that's living within you. you today. Perhaps it's in the form of grief or guilt, shame, or regret. Maybe it doesn't even have a name, maybe it simply feels heavy. Sometimes these emotions have a way of becoming sticky. They settle into the body and they hold on without us even realizing it. Perhaps it feels like a weight that's been surrounding you or following you for far too long now. Instead of being judgmental or hard on yourself, can you witness them with compassion, with understanding? These feelings are not who you are. They are simply experiences that have been asking for your

attention and even though they may be present right now and they may have been present for a while I'm here to remind you that you still have a choice you are the chooser of your inner landscape and you are free to choose again that is one of life's greatest gifts no matter what happened yesterday, no matter what happened years ago, no matter how long you've carried this story or the residual effects of it, right here with this very breath in this very present space, you are free to choose something new. You are free to choose what supports your greatest good, and you are free to choose what supports your greatest good, and you are free to let go.

Using the breath to guide you as each inhale creates a little more space within the body, within the emotional body and each out breath gently loosening whatever you've been holding onto. You don't have to release it all today or force yourself to forgive overnight. that's often not how it works this is simply the beginning it's a willingness a soft opening

and wants to drift back into those same feelings of regret or guilt or that familiar feeling of shame try noticing it and gently reminding yourself i may have chosen you before But now I choose differently. Now I choose. What supports? My highest self. Now I choose trust. I choose love.

I choose faith. I choose to move forward. The past has already served its purpose. It has taught its lesson. It may have humbled you. It may have revealed where you could grow. and because of that, you no longer need to carry it with you everywhere you go. You can honor the lesson without reliving the pain.

There is nothing to gain from punishing yourself forever because growth asks for awareness, for forgiveness, for compassion. So allow yourself to soften. Allow yourself to breathe, allow your nervous system to come out of its survival mode. Allow yourself to remember that this is your first time living, experiencing life. Mistakes are bound to happen and that's okay. That's the point of all of this, to try, to maybe be. fail, to grow, to do better next time, and to love yourself unconditionally through all of that.

Now gently bring your awareness back into your physical body and see if you can find just one place that feels good or even peaceful. Maybe it's your right hand. Maybe it's your left hand. Maybe it's your left ankle or the tip of your nose or your left pinky finger just noticing one small space that feels safe and calm and allow that feeling to grow from there imagine it spreading through your body filling every space that once felt heavy as you remember what it feels like to feel good to feel okay to remember what it feels like to simply be without carrying the entire weight of your past into the present that feeling has always lived within you and now you're simply remembering how to return to it how to call upon it and as this feeling of warmth and peace expands throughout your body imagine any of that lingering heaviness any of those sticky or heavy feelings

gently beginning to unravel like a ball of yarn that's been knotted for far too long let it loosen let it break apart and soften using that beautiful nourishing breath to create a little more space and softness and freedom now for the next few moments simply offer yourself the following mantra repeating it out loud or lovingly in your own mind every action i take is a conscious act of self-creation i move with intention courage and clarity. Every action I take is a conscious act of self-creation. I move with intention, courage, and clarity.

Every action I take is a conscious act of self-creation. Move with intention, courage, and clarity. Take one final deep deep. breath in and slowly exhale breathing it all out and just observing how your body feels now how your energy feels remember that every moment offers another opportunity to choose to create to grow to forgive to forgive to love and to be kind to yourself. You deserve it. Whenever you're ready,

you may bring some gentle movement back into your body by wiggling your fingers and your toes, and slowly opening your eyes. Return to this practice as many times as you need, knowing that you honored yourself here today. and you offered yourself a truly beautiful gift. Carry that with you, wishing you so much peace and so much love. Namaste.