Space as a Container for Transformation: A Reflection

Image by Niko

As July draws to an end, I am reminded of words by David Whyte on time, from his book, Consolations II:

"Time is not slipping through our fingers, time is here forever, it is we who are slipping through the fingers of time."

A reminder that each day is special in its own, quiet way, and that time is relative - to the one measuring it and the one living it.

To me, time lives in the tiny moments, the spaces we inhabit, the first light of dawn, the stirring of birds, and the brief pause between silence and when the world begins to wake.

These liminal spaces, barely noticed, carry the weight of possibility and a whisper of hope.

This is a reflection on space, in its various forms, and the hope and opportunity it can offer for change to unfold.

What Is Space?

According to the Oxford Dictionary:

• Space (noun): A continuous area that is free, available, or unoccupied.

• A pause between one moment and the next - one breath and the next.

• The vast universe, beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.

• The room we give to others - or ourselves.

• The in-between, transitional places - what we call liminal spaces.

• A metaphor for healing and holding.

  
  

Each carries its own kind of energy, wide and expansive, not unlike life, depending on how one chooses to view it. Even outer space, the vast universe of stars and galaxies we are a part of, evokes something greater, something spacious and unknowable that reminds us how small we are and how sacred this time on earth is, even if only for the briefest of moments.

Space as Transformation

Recently, I have been reflecting deeply on the concept of space, in both its liminal and physical forms. What they hold. and how, when held with intention, they become a container for transformation. A place where ideas take shape, and where something imagined becomes real.

Perhaps that is what it means when people say dreams come true - when something moves from the realm of the invisible to the tangible. It is no longer just a vision in your mind, but something you can touch, walk into, and share.

And yet, space, whether physical or emotional, so often becomes something we feel we must fill. A pause in conversation makes us uncomfortable. An empty room demands furniture. A sense of loneliness pushes us toward people or distractions that do not truly nourish us, all in an attempt to escape the discomfort of spaciousness.

We live in homes filled with things, and hearts filled with unresolved longing. We stay in relationships and jobs that we have long outgrown, simply because the emptiness feels too vast. But not all spaces need to be filled - not with noise, things, or even people. The spaces we inhabit can become a reflection of our inner world - joy and gratitude, or despair and unfulfillment. We shape the spaces we inhabit and, in turn, are shaped by them too.

The Studio as Metaphor

In recent weeks, I have been quietly creating a space of my own - a home studio. Not simply as a place to teach or offer sessions, but as a physical embodiment of everything I believe about healing as an act of transformation.

This space, once a room I inhabited, is transforming into one that will hold space for connection, stories, movement, breath, and quietude.

It is both a reflection of my inner world and an invitation for others to step into theirs.

It is, quite literally, a space that was, and is now something else.

A space to remember. To breathe.

A space where hope is born from the willingness to sit in the unknown and still choose to begin again.

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And so, I leave you with an invitation to pause, and reflect on:

What does space mean to you right now - in your life, your body, your relationships?

Where in your life are you being invited to pause, to create space, or to simply allow what is to be?

What would it mean to give yourself the space to be who you are becoming?

Which spaces in your life feel nourishing? Which feels crowded, rushed, or heavy?

If you did not have to fill the space, what might emerge instead?

With Gratitude and Gentleness

Surayya