Hello and welcome.
If you've been moving through grief,
Maybe from loss,
Change,
Or simply missing a part of your life that once was,
This practice is for you.
Together we'll explore how the energy of grief can be transformed,
Not by pushing it away,
But by using breath and polarity,
Moving back and forth between the heaviness of grief and the feelings of gratitude and love.
Before we dive in,
Remember that you are always in control.
If something feels too intense,
You can pause,
Open your eyes,
Take a few breaths.
Or if something feels really overwhelming,
I encourage you to take a break and potentially bring what arises to a trusted professional or loved one.
In order to truly let go of grief,
We need to first be willing to feel it.
So if you're ready,
Find a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Let your hands rest gently on your lap or beside your body and close your eyes.
Begin by taking a deep breath in through your nose,
Filling all the way up,
And exhale through your mouth,
Letting your shoulders soften,
Your neck soften,
Your jaw let go.
Feel the weight of your body grounding down,
Feeling the support of the solid earth beneath you.
And take another breath in through your nose,
Filling all the way up,
And then exhaling and letting it go.
With each breath,
Your body begins to remember that it's safe,
And that it's okay to soften and to feel.
So take another deep breath in through your nose,
Filling all the way up,
And let it go.
Relaxing.
Continuing to take deep,
Full breaths.
Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Letting your exhales be a little bit longer than your inhales.
Perhaps breathing in for four and out for eight.
But don't worry about counting,
Just allow it to be a natural rhythm.
And as you continue breathing,
Bring awareness to your heart,
To the center of your chest.
Allow or welcome your heart to open up.
Perhaps feeling this area soften a little bit.
Letting your shoulders drop.
Notice any sensations that you can feel in your torso and your chest.
Perhaps a warmth,
Maybe heaviness.
Maybe you don't feel much at all.
Whatever is here is just fine.
And on your next inhale,
Begin to breathe in the energy of gratitude.
Filling up your body,
Your chest with this feeling of gratitude.
The feeling of appreciation for life,
For love,
For the moments you've shared and the beauty that still remains.
Let this feeling fill your heart.
And on your exhales,
Just letting go,
Relaxing,
And breathing in gratitude,
Appreciation.
Feeling it spreading more in your body as you welcome this feeling.
Welcoming any emotions or memories that bubble up from calling up gratitude.
So breathing in the gratitude and exhaling and relaxing.
Breathing in the gratitude.
And exhaling and just letting it all go.
Continuing to take deep,
Full,
Rhythmic breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And on your next exhale,
You can begin feeling into the grief with a willingness to let it go.
But just as much as you're willing to let it go,
You're willing to feel it.
Breathing in the gratitude and appreciation,
Perhaps even joy.
And then moving back to the grief on the exhale,
Breathing it out,
But not trying to get rid of it.
Breathing in the gratitude,
Feeling appreciation.
And on that longer exhale,
Allowing the grief,
Imagining it grounding down through your feet into the earth.
Dissipating and dissolving.
Returning from where it came.
And continuing to breathe like this,
Breathing in anything you're thankful for,
Even if it's small.
And exhaling what's heavy to carry.
Continue to allow memories to arise,
People,
Places,
And moments you've connected to or what you've lost.
Let them move through you like waves arising and falling away.
You don't have to hold on or analyze,
Just breathe.
Feel,
Welcome,
And release.
Inhaling gratitude for what was shared,
For the love that existed,
For the chance to experience life so deeply.
Exhaling grief,
The ache,
The longing,
The pain that love leaves behind.
And continuing to breathe steady and rhythmic.
Each inhale fills your heart with light,
With warmth and appreciation.
And each exhale releases the weight of grief,
Letting it flow through your body,
Into the heart,
And out of your system.
You might even start to feel a gentle shift,
Or warmth in your chest,
Or a lightness in your body.
Perhaps a simple sense of softening.
And that is the alchemy.
Grief transforming into gratitude.
Sorrow into love.
If your mind wanders,
Gently coming back to your breath,
Back to the rhythm.
I invite you now to let go of the grief.
Let go of focusing on it for the exhale.
And continue to breathe in that gratitude,
That thankfulness,
Those memories and experiences that you've shared.
Breathing in the gratitude,
And exhaling and letting go.
Releasing and just being present on the exhale.
So take another deep,
Slow breath in,
Filling all the way up.
And then exhale fully,
Sighing out any last tension.
Letting your shoulders drop,
If they aren't already.
Let your breath return to a natural rhythm now.
And allow your breath to just breathe itself.
Notice what has changed,
Even slightly.
Maybe more space or peace.
The more you make space for practices like these,
Especially when grief arises,
The more your body learns that it's safe to feel and to transform.
You can hold both love and loss.
You can breathe them both.
And through that,
What was once heavy begins to become sacred.
Remember you are strong and capable.
Capable of great love.
I invite you to let yourself rest for a few quiet moments.
Know that the energy of gratitude you've cultivated here will ripple into your heart,
Your relationships,
And the way you see life itself.
Thank you for joining me in this practice.
I wish you tenderness,
Peace,
And gratitude in the days ahead.
Namaste.
