Five Steps to Spaciousness
Soften resisting patterns, nurture real ease, and grow new habits that lead to lasting change
This is not another to-do, but a way to undo. These five steps are here to help you loosen the grip and lighten your load — one slow, gentle, nourishing step at a time.
Before we begin our next segment on the theme of surrender, it might be helpful to do a little recap of “the five S’s”—or the five steps to spaciousness—that I’ve been slowly dripping into your inbox every Tuesday over the past 30 weeks.
No worries if you’re just joining now, or gotten sidetracked, lost the thread, or fallen off the wagon. When it comes to this simple 5-step practice, every day is a new day.
You’re right on time and you’re here, now, reading this.
Welcome, or welcome back!
…
Some of you may recall at the start of this ongoing clearing series, that the five S’s refer to the five keys, or practice steps, that help us to cultivate a clear and spacious life.
They are: slowing down, simplifying, sensing, surrendering, and self-care.
Folding all five steps into a daily routine has proven to soften resisting patterns, nurture real ease, and grow new habits that lead to lasting change.
How do I know this?
I’ve watched hundreds of thousands of others go through these steps with my yearlong books and online courses, with transformational results.
The secret: consistency.
That’s why it’s called a practice.
…
So what do these steps do for us exactly and how do they work synergistically to move the needle — out of the red zone of stress, overwhelm, and/or attachment?
Let’s dial in.
The five steps to spaciousness, what are they?
In a nutshell, this is what you might experience when you fold each step into a daily routine.
Slowing down
As the name suggests, the first S reduces the speed. This is where you notice what happens to old habits and overwhelm, limiting thoughts, and resisting patterns when you stop rushing and make time for what matters.
Simplifying
The second S reduces the noise. This is where you experience how the biggest changes come from taking the smallest steps. This is where you connect with your best teacher—your home—as a pathway to self-discovery and a lighter life.
Sensing
The third S increases awareness. This is where you discover the power of your six senses (smell, taste, touch, hearing, seeing, and inner knowing) to get you out of your head and into the present now. This is where you cultivate beginner’s mind, ‘see’ what is hiding in plain sight, tap into your infinite wisdom, remember what makes you come alive. You discover that there are no mistakes when you follow your “knows.”
Surrendering
The fourth S increases detachment, acceptance, perspective. It helps you step back and become bigger than any challenge, pain, or wound that may be holding you back. You learn that it's not about giving up, but rather a conscious and powerful way of stepping up (your game) by stepping back.
Self-Care
The fifth S increases self-acceptance and compassion. This is not just about making time for yourself, feeling good, and putting the “spa” in spacious, as the name implies. You also discover self-care as a revolutionary act that can change how you relate to everything!
Why in this order?
There’s a reason why these five S’s are presented in this order—in stages.
You see, you can’t simplify without slowing down. Without a steady practice in sensing, you won’t have the tools you’ll need to step up your game with surrender. And without the nourishing effects of the first four S’s that precede it, self-care has no ground on which to flourish.
The five S’s build one upon another. They work together as a team.
Your dream team.
And that is where we’re heading… to where these steps start to flow into one another — effortlessly.
Ahhh ✌🏼🎈
Speaking of practice
Got something weighing you down?
Is there something causing undue stress, pain, uncertainty, unease … overwhelm?
Adopt the gentle, guided 5-step clearing process below and let it work its magic.
It will work on anything that is holding you back.
…
If you’ve been on the fence about upgrading, now would be a really good time to do so: https://stephaniebennettvogt.substack.com/subscribe
The benefits of this one simple practice are far reaching and beyond measure.
