Honoring Grief

Grief is a powerful emotion and transformative experience. The more we can be compassionately present with our grief, the more space we have around it. In this practice we create safety in the body with breath and awareness, ultimately centering in the heart to allow space for grief to be known. Throughout our practice, we work with an intention to hold permission and compassion for our full experience.

Transcript

Welcome to your practice.

So finding a comfortable position,

Either seated or lying down,

Allowing your body to guide whatever posture you find for yourself right now.

Whether you're seated or lying down,

It might feel welcome to place a blanket or a shawl over the body or draped over the shoulders.

This gentle weight of the blanket can offer a sense of comfort to the body and to the nervous system during the tender process of grief.

Taking any final adjustments that the body needs so that it can feel comfortable and supported.

When you feel ready,

Gently closing the eyes and taking a soft breath in through the nose and then gently sighing as you soften through the forehead and the eyes and the jaw.

Allowing the next breath to usefully flow in through the nose.

And again,

Sighing out loud when you feel ready,

Allowing a release to come from the lungs and the chest as you soften through the torso and the abdomen.

And one more breath just like this,

In through the nose and then sighing out loud,

Allowing the shoulders to drop and the hips to sink a little further into the support beneath and behind you.

Allowing the whole body to release into the supports that are around the body right now.

Feeling held.

I'm just scanning the body now from head to toe and toe to head and noticing if there is any additional adjustment that the body would like to make to its position so that it can feel a little more comfortable.

Going ahead and making that adjustment now.

And then softly scanning the body from head to toe and toe to head and just noticing if there are any parts of the body that are carrying a little extra weight or pressure or tension right now.

And allowing your awareness to rest there and you might even place a hand on that part of the body.

Simply acknowledging the work that this part of the body is doing.

Saying,

Ah,

Yes,

I see you.

I recognize your pain.

You might allow and notice the breath to travel into these spaces,

These points of discomfort coming in through the nose and enveloping these areas of discomfort and then softly releasing on the wave of the breath.

It's okay to feel this.

And bringing the tension and awareness to the top of the head.

Softening through the muscles in the face,

Jaw,

The tongue.

Softening through the arms,

Hands and torso.

Allowing the belly to soften.

Softening through the hips and the legs.

Softening through the feet and the toes.

Allowing the whole body to soften and release into the supports that are around you.

Gently bringing awareness to the movement of the breath.

A soft rise and fall of the belly with each in-breath and out-breath.

Noticing the stillness in the chest,

Softness in the shoulders.

You might envision a breath coming in through the crown of the head,

Gathering at the center of the heart and softly releasing from the heart down through the base of the spine.

And that then the next inhale comes in through the base of the spine back to the heart.

Exhales from the heart up through the crown of the head.

Inhale,

Crown to heart.

Exhale,

Heart to root.

Inhale,

Root to heart.

Exhale,

Heart to crown.

Continuing to breathe in this way.

Breath softly transitioning through the vast spaciousness of the heart.

Each breath soft and long,

Fluid and steady.

And from the spaciousness of the heart,

You might gently invite awareness of the loss or pain that you are grieving.

Allowing the story,

Images,

Sensations,

And feeling tones to appear naturally.

Acknowledging them gently,

Allowing them to be present,

Taking your time.

You might even gently say to yourself,

Right now it's like this and it's okay to feel this.

It's okay to feel this.

It's okay to feel this.

Allowing the emotions,

Images,

And feelings and sensations to come layer by layer,

Flowing as they need.

Softening the jaw.

Exhale,

Allowing whatever feelings arise to come as they need.

Tears,

Love,

Fear,

Sorrow,

All come as they need.

Each flows fluidly on the waves of the breath.

Right now it's like this and it's okay to feel this.

It's okay to feel this.

Noticing where the feeling resides in the body.

And the emotions and sensations to unravel,

Expanding to other parts of the body.

Allowing the sensation to softly expand,

Allowing other parts of the body to support the weight of the grief and the accompanying emotions.

The body can carry this.

Right now it's like this and it's okay to feel this.

It's okay to feel this.

The whole story,

The fullness of the whole experience to be with you right now.

You might gently place one hand on the heart and the other on the,

As you exhale,

Feel your hand resting on the heart,

Holding yourself with kindness,

Compassion,

And understanding.

Right now it's like this.

It's okay to feel this.

Holding yourself with kindness,

Compassion,

And understanding.

Kindness for it all,

For you,

For others.

You're not alone.

This grief that you carry is part of the grief of the world.

Allowing it to be honored,

Allowing its space to be here.

Holding it gently in your tender heart and allowing your arms,

Your lung,

Your abdomen,

Your legs,

Whole body to offer support in carrying this grief.

Right now it's like this and it's okay to feel this.

It's okay to feel this.

May my breath and this feeling flow like a river.

May my breath and this feeling flow like a river.

Do not have to keep this buried.

You can allow space for this feeling,

This emotion,

These sensations,

These tears,

Whole body supporting you.

The whole body carrying this together.

The whole body supported and supporting.

Right now it's like this and it's okay to feel this.

May my breath and this feeling flow like a river.

May my breath and this feeling flow like a river.

You might notice that there is something that remains unsaid within this grief.

Allowing yourself to whisper this into the space of the heart.

You might imagine the focus of your grief resting in the center of your heart and speaking what you need to say.

It's okay to let it go.

It's okay to feel this.

It's okay to allow it to flow.

It's okay to feel this.

May my breath and this feeling flow like a river.

And gently bringing awareness,

Your attention to the flow of the breath,

The gentle flow of breath moving in and out through the body.

Resting awareness on this flow of the breath as you bring to mind the color that you associate with healing,

Love,

Visualize this color flowing in on the waves of the breath,

Flowing into the body with each inhale,

Circulating through the heart,

The lungs,

And the whole body.

And as you gently exhale,

Releasing this moment to the past,

Visualizing the color of healing and love flowing into the body with the inhale,

Filling the heart,

The lungs,

And every cell in the body with a soft,

Loving light.

And as you exhale,

Releasing this moment to the past,

Continuing to breathe in this way for a few moments with the color of healing and love riding the waves of the breath,

Whole body illuminated with this color,

The soft light of healing and love.

Gently sensing and seeing yourself resting in the heart space,

Illuminated by this color of healing and love.

As you call your name to yourself gently,

Right now,

At this moment,

You're okay.

Calling your name,

This pain is okay.

It's part of the human experience.

You are not alone.

I'm here for you.

I love you.

Sensing and seeing yourself as you direct these words towards your soft,

Illuminated image.

As you call your name,

Right now,

This moment,

You are okay.

This grief is okay.

It's part of the human experience.

You are not alone.

I'm here for you.

I love you.

Calling your name to yourself right now,

At this moment,

You are okay.

This grief is okay.

Part of the human experience.

You are not alone.

I'm here for you.

I love you.

I'm here for you.

I love you.

Calling your name to yourself,

I'm here for you.

I love you.

Gently returning awareness to the breath right now.

It's like this,

And it's okay to feel this.

May my breath and this feeling flow like a river.

May my heart break open to hold the vastness of this love.

It's okay to feel this.

May my breath and this feeling flow like a river.

May my heart break open to hold the vastness of this love.

It's okay to feel this.

It's okay to feel this.

Feeling the vibration of these words move through the whole body.

Whole body illuminated with this color of healing and love as the breath deepens,

Bringing the awareness outside.

So you begin to visualize the space around the body,

The points of contact between the body and the support beneath you.

Sensing into the supportive touch of the air on the skin,

Body held in this space.

Taking one hand and holding it gently on your heart,

Own supportive touch as you take a full breath in and softly,

Slowly sighing out loud,

Releasing whatever needs to let go,

Feeling the shoulders soften.

As you take one more breath in,

Softly release,

Tucking chin to chest,

Inviting a very gentle grin to form on the lips,

One grin that says,

I've got you because you do.

And gently blinking open the eyes and taking a moment to allow the body and the heart and the mind to transition from being inside the body and the heart to reconnecting with the day to day,

The outer world.

This may be a wonderful time to pause and make note in a journal,

Or to have a sip of water and care for the body and honor that the body and the heart are doing a tremendous amount of work in the process of transforming through grief.

Be gentle with yourself as you return to your day.

Reviews

Thank you so very much. I feel so much better and the pain is less intense. Feels like it’s flowing.

So comforting and validating. After 2 huge recent losses I really needed to hear this. Thank you

One of the better meditations I’ve done on In sight and Ive been here for close to 20 years.

Thank you for the bottom of my broken wide open heart. ♥️

This is so lovely and perfectly provided me space and guidance to process a very recent loss. I learn these things now. Better late than never! May my breath and all/any feeling flow like a river!!! 💕🙏🖖

Very helpful as I learned tonight that my friend was approved for MAID