Welcome and thank you for being here.
This meditation is an invitation to meet grief with gentleness and choice.
Grief can show up in many forms and there is no right or wrong way to experience it.
You're encouraged to listen in a way that feels supportive for you today.
Adjusting your posture,
Keeping your eyes softly open or closed,
Or stepping back from the practice at any time.
If anything feels overwhelming,
You're always welcome to return your attention to your breath,
Your body,
Or the sounds around you.
You don't need to fix anything here and you don't need to go anywhere that you're not ready to go.
So let this be a time when you can move at your own pace,
Held,
Supported,
And exactly as you are at this moment.
So let's take a moment to arrive.
Find a comfortable posture,
Either sitting up or lying down,
That allows you to be both relaxed and awake.
If it feels okay,
You might gently close your eyes or simply soften your gaze,
Perhaps casting it downward or at your lap or at the floor.
And then begin by noticing the sensation of breathing,
Not controlling it,
Just feeling it.
Notice where the breath feels most obvious for you.
Perhaps it's in the rise and fall of the chest,
The belly expanding and softening,
Perhaps a coolness at the nostrils.
Just sitting or lying down and breathing.
If at any point in this meditation practice,
Something feels like too much,
You're invited to return your attention to your breath,
Or to the sound of my voice,
Or to the feeling of your body being supported.
You are in charge of your experience.
And now begin to notice the places where your body is supported.
Feel the chair or sofa or bed beneath you,
The floor beneath you,
The earth holding you without effort.
If it feels helpful,
Gently name,
Either silently or out loud,
Three things you can hear.
And now name two things you can feel in your body.
And now one thing that you can imagine that feels comforting to you.
This is a way of reminding your nervous system,
I am here,
I am safe enough in this moment.
Allow your breath to settle into its own natural rhythm.
There's no need for effort or to change or control the breath.
Simply notice it like waves arriving and leaving the shore.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Grief can show up in many ways.
It may feel heavy,
Foggy,
Sharp,
Numb,
Or quiet.
Grief may come in waves or not at all in some moments.
If it feels okay to you,
Bring some gentle awareness now to that part of you that is grieving.
You don't need to tell yourself the whole story.
You don't need to relive anything.
Just noticing and perhaps labeling this hurts or things have changed.
Where do you sense grief in your body right now?
Perhaps you feel it in the chest,
The throat,
The belly,
Or somewhere else.
See if you can meet that sensation with curiosity rather than judgment.
You might silently say to yourself,
This is grief.
Or perhaps this belongs right now.
If at any point this feels overwhelming,
You're welcome to step back.
Returning to the breath,
The body,
The sound of my voice,
The room around you.
Grief does not require your suffering to be witnessed all at once.
And now gently,
And only if it feels okay to you,
Allow your attention to shift a bit.
In the dual process of grief,
There are moments when we turn toward the loss.
And moments when we turn toward life,
Rest,
Or restoration.
Let yourself explore a restoration-oriented moment now.
And this could be a memory of steadiness or kindness.
A place where you feel even a small sense of ease.
It could be a sensory experience like warmth,
Light,
Or breath.
You might imagine perhaps sitting in the sunlight,
Wrapped in a blanket.
Or perhaps standing near water or in a place that feels healing to you.
And notice how your body responds to this shift.
Even a 5% sense of ease is enough.
This movement between grief and rest is not avoidance.
It is wisdom.
It is how healing happens in small,
Survivable doses.
From here,
For the next few moments,
You are invited to choose.
You may stay with this place of steadiness and restoration.
You may gently return your attention to the grief.
Or you might rest in the space between the two.
If it feels helpful,
Place a hand or both hands on your heart,
Your belly,
Or anywhere that feels grounding.
For the next minute,
I'm going to be silent.
While you sit in whatever place you've chosen.
And now you might silently offer yourself a phrase such as,
I am allowed to grieve at my own pace.
I can carry grief and still have moments of ease.
Nothing about me is broken.
Just let these words land as deeply as feels safe.
I am allowed to grieve at my own pace.
I can carry grief and still have moments of ease.
Nothing about me is broken.
As we prepare to bring this meditation to a close,
Bring your awareness back to your body as a whole.
Feel yourself being supported by the surfaces beneath you.
Notice any sounds around you,
Both in and beyond the room where you are.
Take a slow,
Gentle breath in through the nose and an easy breath out through the mouth.
And when you're ready,
You might gently open your eyes.
Just notice the room around you.
Notice the quality of the light in the room.
And remember,
Grief is not a problem to solve.
It is a relationship that changes over time.
And you do not have to do it all at once.
You are allowed to move back and forth between sorrow and rest,
Between remembering and living.
Thank you for showing up exactly as you are right now.
