BONUS Meditation: Releasing the Weight | Episode 70 | Reviving Vet Med

In this calming bonus episode, Dr. Marie Holowaychuk invites you to pause and gently lay down some of the emotional weight you may be carrying—grief, stress, responsibility, or expectations. Whether you're a veterinary professional navigating a difficult season or simply someone feeling the heaviness of the day-to-day, this 8-minute guided meditation offers a safe space to rest, release, and reconnect with yourself.

Through breath awareness, a body scan, and a powerful visualization practice, you’ll be guided to acknowledge what’s present without needing to fix or solve it. Allow your breath to soften the tension, your body to ground you, and your heart to open to the idea that you don’t have to carry everything alone.Close with gentle affirmations and a reminder that rest is not only allowed—it’s necessary. Share this meditation with someone who could use a moment of release, and find more practices from Dr. Marie Holowaychuk on YouTube or Insight Timer.

Resources

Check out additional meditations from Dr. Marie Holowaychuk on Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/marieholowaychuk 

Find other meditations from Dr. Marie Holowaychuk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarieHolowaychukDVM 

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Email: podcast@revivingvetmed.com 

Transcript

This episode of Reviving Vet Med is brought to you by Reviving Veterinary Medicine, a platform created to support the mental health and well being of veterinary professionals. Whether you're navigating burnout, recovering from a critical incident, or simply looking for ways to feel more balanced in your day to day life, we're here to help. At RevivingVetMed.com you'll find evidence-based resources including downloadable PDFs, one-on-one coaching, group debriefing, support, and online courses designed specifically for veterinary professionals.  You don't have to do this alone, there's support available for wherever you are on your journey. Visit RevivingVetMed.com or follow us on social media @RevivingVetMed to learn more and access tools that can make a real difference. Hey everyone. Welcome to another episode of Reviving Vet Med.

Every 10th episode we like to offer a bonus resource to support your well being. Whether that's a guided reflection, a conversation I've had on another podcast, or a moment of mindful pause. And today I'm sharing a meditation called Releasing the Weight. This eight minute guided practice is designed to help you acknowledge the emotional weight you may be carrying or whether it's grief, stress, responsibility or expectations, and gently lay some of it down, even if just for a little while. You don't need to fix or solve anything. Just arrive as you are and allow yourself a few moments to reconnect with your breath, your body and your inner steadiness. So with that said, I'm so glad you're here and I'm excited to share this with you. So let's go ahead and get into the meditation. Foreign this is the Reviving Vet Med podcast and I'm your host, Dr. Marie Holowaychuck.

My mission is to improve the mental health and well being of veterinary professionals around the world. Thank you for joining me in this mindful pause to reconnect with yourself. This meditation is called Releasing the Weight. It's an invitation to acknowledge what you've been carrying, grief, stress, responsibility or even expectations, and to gently lay some of it down, even if just for a little while. You don't need to fix or solve anything, just arrive as you are. So take a moment to get comfortable, seated or lying down and allow your body to settle.

Let's begin. Begin by bringing your attention to your breath. There's no need to change it. Simply notice it. Let your breath anchor you in this moment. Inhale. Exhale. Feel the support beneath you. The chair, the floor, the earth. Allow your shoulders to drop. Soften your jaw. Unclench your hands and let yourself melt into the surface beneath you with each exhale, inviting your body to release a little more.

Now gently scan your body from head to toe. Notice your forehead, your eyes. Notice if there's tension in the jaw, the neck, or the chest. Move your awareness down to your shoulders. This is a place we often carry invisible burdens. Just notice what's there without judgment. Now move your awareness into your arms, your hands, your back, your belly, your hips and legs, all the way down to your feet.

Where in your body are you holding something? A story? An emotion? A weight? Simply observe. You don't need to change anything. Now I'd like you to imagine you're carrying a backpack, one that you've worn for a very long time. Inside this backpack are all the things you carry emotionally. Maybe it's grief from a recent euthanasia, the heaviness of team conflict, a tough conversation you haven't had yet, or a sadness you haven't named.

Picture yourself gently taking off this backpack and placing it in front of you. You don't have to throw it away, just open it and one by one, imagine taking out the things you've been carrying. A worry, a responsibility that was never yours, a loss you didn't have time to grief. Hold each one in your hand for just a moment, and in your mind say, thank you for what you've taught me. I release you now place it on the ground and feel your body get a little lighter with each item you set down.

Your breath flows more freely. You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to let go. Now gently place your hands on your heart or wherever feels comforting, and repeat silently to yourself.I am allowed to set down what no longer serves me.

I am allowed to set down what no longer serves me. I care deeply without carrying everything. I can care deeply without carrying everything. It is safe for me to rest. It is safe for me to rest. I give myself permission to pause. I give myself permission to pause. Feel the space, spaciousness that you've created, and know that you can return here whenever you need it.

Take a few final deep breaths, inhaling through your nose, exhaling through your mouth, and when you feel ready, slowly bringing awareness back into your body, wiggling your fingers and toes, blinking open your eyes, and gently returning to your day. So that's it for this bonus episode of Reviving Vet Med. I hope this meditation offered you a sense of ease, lightness, or simply the reminder that you are allowed to rest and let go of what no longer serves you.

If you do one thing after listening to this episode, I hope that it's to forward it to a colleague or co worker who might also need a few moments to breathe and reset. We would really appreciate it if you would subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a bonus meditation or our regular episodes filled with tips and strategies for navigating life in veterinary medicine. You can follow us on social media at Reviving Vet Med for more well being, practices and inspiration. And you can also find more meditations at Insight Timer under Marie Holowaychuck. If you have questions about today's episode, suggestions for future topics or meditations, or inquiries about sponsorship, please email us at podcast@revivingvetmed.com. I'd like to thank the team at Podcast Prime Solutions for producing this episode, and I'd also like to thank you for listening. I hope you'll tune in next time. In the meantime, take care of yourself.

Bye for now.