Hello,
You're so welcome to today's practice.
The theme of today's practice is around grief.
And.
.
.
Grief is really a multi-dimensional and complex experience.
Feel it somatically and psychologically,
And it can bring about feelings of anger,
Confusion.
It can make us really start to dwell on the past and to feel even apprehensive about the future.
It can also bring about physiological symptoms.
It can impact our immune system.
It can make us experience pain in a deeper way throughout the musculoskeletal system.
And it can impact us in a way that prevents us from taking care of ourselves,
Taking care of our own basic needs.
So the process of grief in itself is the medicine and allowing ourselves to to really be in that process and to experience it is part of the healing journey.
So today's practice is a really simple one.
You can do it even perhaps in your bed,
If you just gather all your cushions around you,
You could set yourself up on your floor.
I'm gonna use just cushions for today,
Just in case you don't have any bolsters at home.
In a way,
This is gonna allow us just to support the body so that we can rest and feel into the experience of the practice.
So go ahead and grab your cushions.
You have them around and yeah I'll see you on the mat.
So you can just start in a really comfortable position,
Seated,
Maybe you're supporting your back with the wall or your couch,
Whatever feels supportive for you.
And we're going to interlace the fingers.
And rest the hands just over the space of the chest and heart.
With the thumbs facing up.
And as you place your hands here,
Just allowing yourself just to feel that the warmth perhaps of your hands.
As it moves towards.
Space of the heart.
You may even become aware of the gentle rhythm of your own heart.
Maybe you just feel that movement of your breath.
As it moves in and out,
Feel free to take.
Deeper breaths,
Longer breaths.
Even if some sound wants to come out,
Allow that to happen.
And grief is really expression of the love that is still there but has no place to go.
So allowing yourself to feel.
That grace.
Perhaps as an expression of love.
We just take a few more breaths here.
Notice if there's any holding around your shoulders.
And you let them soften as if your elbows feel a little bit heavier.
And then very gently you can release the interlace of your fingers.
Allow your hands to rest just by your side for a moment.
Maybe you still feel a little bit of residual sensation.
Where the hands were placed and feeling the palms of your hands.
Where they were resting onto your chest.
We're going to take the hands out in front and you're going to bring the palms together and the forearms together.
And you can either move here with your breath or just see what is possible.
We're going to take the arms open,
Almost as if we're opening a window.
The chest and the heart.
Move forward a little bit.
As you exhale,
You bring the arms in and they niche once again in the centre.
Just allow yourself to go at your own pace.
You can really slow it down.
You might have a sense that you want to.
Stretch the arms apart a little bit more or maybe you want to keep that movement really contained for today.
We'll just do one or two more if it already starts to feel like that's enough.
Listen to that.
And then again,
Allow your arms to rest down.
Relax around your shoulders.
And then go ahead and place your hands just onto your side ribs.
As you breathe in.
Just allow yourself to feel the way in which the ribs sort of move out.
Towards the house.
As you breathe out.
Feel the ribs gently draw in.
Just becoming aware of the rhythm.
The current of your own breath.
Some breaths might feel harder,
They might feel more strained.
Every now and again,
Maybe a deeper breath.
Wants to fill your lungs.
Really sound.
Just allow whatever wants to move through you to move through you.
And then we'll gently release your hands once again.
Maybe take a moment just to notice.
Feeling there.
Feel free to move your legs at any point as well if you need to stretch them out.
For this next part,
We're going to place one hand onto the back body.
It may be a little bit higher up,
It may be a little bit lower down.
See what feels just comfortable for your body.
Arm range.
Let's say right arm behind,
Left hand in front.
Once again here just feeling the breath move.
Forward and back.
Just remember the breath is.
Not a neutral practice,
So if paying attention to your breath.
Feels overwhelming.
Just see if you can notice the feeling,
The sensation of movement.
Without connecting it.
To the breath necessarily,
Just noticing warmth.
Texture.
Maybe again noticing your heartbeat.
And then very slowly allow your chin to just drop down in the direction of your chest.
And then roll your chin all the way over and across towards.
That left shoulder.
Maybe the left ear comes a little bit closer to the left shoulder.
And then gently roll.
Head back through center.
We'll change sides,
So now the opposite hand.
Goes behind and the opposite hand in front.
If you're following along with me.
Right hand is now in front,
Left hand behind.
Again,
Just noticing the movements.
The front of your body.
The back of your body.
Lower chin to gently Draw down towards the chest.
Bro.
And all the way over towards.
.
.
That right hand side this time.
I experience it as it is.
Stretch,
Kind of lengthening.
Along that opposite side of the neck.
And gently start to roll chin back through centre.
From all the way back up through.
This next one,
We're going to set ourselves up.
To come into it more.
Supported lying down position.
Going to bring.
My two cushions to the side.
Of my mouth.
I'm going to bring two cushions just behind.
Let my hips.
Stay on the ground.
Soles of feet will come together and I'll let the knees drop out onto those cushions.
If it feels like you need extra support,
Maybe you bring in extra cushions,
Or if you have a big enough cushion,
You could fold it up.
So that you get a little jumble.
Cushion support.
And then the back body will recline.
Cool track.
The other Christians.
Make any little adjustment you need.
Show this Shuffle away from ears a little bit more.
See where you'd like to rest your hands.
For me it just felt very natural to rest them sort of at my hip points.
It might feel nice to rest on your lower ribs.
Or even just lying on the palms to open up by the sides,
Palms facing up.
We're going to come back to that.
Idea of great freely being.
An expression.
Of the love that's there.
That no longer.
Feels as if it has a place.
See if you can.
Have a sense of shape.
Texture.
Even the color.
That love.
Maybe you experience it else.
Kind of energy,
Lush.
Something that feels as if it radiates out from you.
Towards that person.
And sort of light beams.
Wanting to reach out.
Touch.
The heart of that person.
You love so dearly.
Imagine that they still can.
Watching those little white beans.
Reaching out and meshing.
Warm.
Inviting.
Welcoming face your loved one.
The love that they have for you.
Has.
Kind of equal.
Wash.
The beams of which meet.
Your own.
So that in this way.
That love continues to have a place to reach out to.
Continues to be meshed.
In a new way.
If that feels.
.
.
Difficult to.
Imagine in this moment,
That's okay.
Stay here for a few more breaths.
If you ever feel like you want to move.
Sooner.
You're very welcome to.
You need to stretch your legs.
Take a bigger sigh.
Very gently start to gather our knees.
Again towards center.
And then you can roll to your side.
Slowly.
Press yourself.
Back up to a seat.
Just notice how you feel.
Sometimes.
Feel that slight shift.
Energy when we sit up.
Especially if we set up too quickly.
For this next one.
We're gonna make this support a little bit bigger.
So I'm gonna.
.
.
Double the cushions.
My cushions are a bit bigger.
I'm going to put the bigger ones on the bottom.
And a small one from the top.
We just make.
I don't think that's a.
.
.
Bolster out of our cushions.
So again,
Hips stay resting on the ground.
And just recline the body.
Boozer.
You can stay with your knees bent,
Soles of the feet on the ground,
Or it might feel nice to take your feet a little bit wider.
And allow your knees to knock in towards one another.
Again,
Just see where your hands want to rest for this one.
Feels comfortable.
Feels supportive.
Allow yourself to.
.
.
Tends to your heart.
Tend to its need to be.
Felt.
To be listened to.
Very soft to breathe.
So tender with yourself in this moment.
This time.
Allow yourself to have.
Compassion.
For your needs.
For the expression.
This experience.
Allow yourself time.
Grief is often not a linear process.
You might experience some light.
Jumping from one.
Experience the alarm.
The anger.
Feeling disbelief.
Bargaining with ourselves,
Bargaining with the past.
Leave just for this practice.
As best you can.
Just to stay with the feeling.
Right now.
Even if that feels painful.
Course if the pain feels too much.
Just bring yourself back.
Maybe touching the earth feeling.
The earth beneath your hands,
Feeling the support beneath your body.
You're welcome to stay here.
For as long as you need.
These moments.
Sometimes.
Rest.
Is part of the medicine.
If you feel ready.
We're going to gently roll to one side.
And then ease yourself up.
With one hand.
Towards your heart.
Touch the other hand down to the earth.
Feel that connection between your body,
Your heart.
And the solid foundation.
The ground beneath you.
It feels right taking your palms to touch in front of your heart in this gesture of reverence.
We bow to our heart,
Our internal.
Guide and teacher.
Wisdom.
There's no balance.
Thank you so much for joining me in today's practice.
