Gabby Bernstein’s Guided Meditation for Connecting With the Universe

Meditation doesn’t have to be complicated or about perfect stillness. In a recent episode of Dear Gabby, host Gabby Bernstein teams up with musician East Forest to deliver a guided practice that blends gentle breathwork, vivid visualization, and cinematic soundscapes. The goal is softening into presence, opening your heart, and remembering you’re connecting with something bigger.

Whether you’re brand-new to meditation or getting back on the cushion, this is a friendly on-ramp to calm and clarity.

Start with a daily practice

Bernstein frames meditation like brushing your teeth—routine, not lofty. The real magic comes from showing up for it consistently, even if it’s just a few minutes a day. “My suggestion is that you practice this meditation daily for 30 days to experience the best benefit,” she advises.

Think of it as a 30-day experiment with your own energy. By committing to a short daily practice, you give yourself the chance to feel subtle, steady shifts—more calm in your mornings, less reactivity when things get messy, or even sparks of creativity you didn’t expect. And if the 30 days feel good? Bernstein suggests you’ll probably want to keep going. The key is creating a rhythm that makes meditation a natural part of your day, like your coffee ritual or evening walk, and letting go of perfection.

Breathe in light, let go of tension

Most meditation practices start with a cue to “empty your mind.” Instead, Bernstein guides you to use breath as a visual anchor: “With each inhale, imagine you’re breathing in light. And with each exhale, you’re releasing any tension.”

This gentle imagery works on two levels. Physically, it reminds you to slow your breathing, soften your shoulders, and actually let the body relax. Mentally, it gives the mind something nourishing to focus on—a beam of light coming in, the weight of worry leaving with every exhale. It turns an ordinary breath into a reset button. 

The beauty of this tip is how portable it is. You can breathe in light while waiting at a red light, sitting at your desk, or winding down before bed. 

Picture the universe as your partner

Bernstein’s guided meditation is a powerful reminder that you’re not doing life alone. “Picture a stream of luminous energy flowing from your heart into this infinite field, and from the field back into your heart,” she says. It’s a visualization that makes being in relation to the universe feel tangible.

This exercise reframes dreams as active collaborations instead of seeing them as desires or distant “someday” goals. You send your intentions out like signals, and the universe responds with opportunities, ideas, or synchronicities to match them. This shift can take a lot of pressure off. Suddenly, you’re not figuring out every step alone—there’s a sense of partnership. 

Use music as a gateway to stillness

For a lot of people, the hardest part of meditation is the silence—it can feel intimidating, even a little uncomfortable. Bernstein’s collaboration with East Forest provides a soft entry point into stillness, turning the practice into something you actually look forward to. As he explains, “All music is ‘sound healing.’ It’s all about intention and what you do with it.”

Think of music as training wheels. Instead of wrestling with your thoughts in silence, you let the soundscape carry you. The rhythms and tones act like a guide, pulling your attention away from overthinking and into feeling. 

Let your mind wander 

Meditation doesn’t always have to be laser-focused. In fact, Bernstein and East Forest celebrate the opposite—giving yourself permission to wander. As she puts it, “I love the word wander.” It’s about releasing the pressure to “do it right” and letting your imagination and awareness drift.

East Forest treats hikes this way, saying he doesn’t always need a destination—sometimes he just goes on a wander or a saunter. The same applies to meditation. Rather than pushing for clarity or chasing a specific outcome, you can soften into curiosity and see what arises. Your mind might stumble into surprising insights, creative images, or just a sense of ease you didn’t know you needed. 

Rest in the knowing 

At the end of Bernstein meditation, she repeats a simple but powerful affirmation: “You are supported, you are guided.” It’s a reminder to settle into trust rather than constantly bracing for what’s next.

This part of the practice invites you to rest in a deeper sense of partnership with the universe. By affirming phrases like “I know I’m being guided,” you start to release the need to control how or when things unfold. Instead, you anchor yourself in the feeling that opportunities, clarity, and support are already aligning in the background.

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