Grief is a huge part of the human experience.
It's what connects us to those we've lost.
It's what allows us to feel their love and feel our love for them even when they're gone.
Start by closing your eyes or taking a low gaze and starting to just notice what happens in your body when grief is brought up.
Is there tension in the chest?
Can you find your breath?
Are you breathing into the belly,
Into the chest?
Are the breaths short and shallow or long and easy?
Are there sticky points within the breath?
Start to make your exhale longer than your inhale,
Letting the inhale be really natural and easy and the exhale be long and quiet and slow.
Inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling out through the mouth,
Really quiet,
Really slow and elongating this breath.
Taking two more of those in your own timing,
Allowing that inhale to just be easy and natural and letting the exhale naturally get longer and longer.
And on your next inhale,
Imagine you're inhaling all of the love from that person that you've lost.
Inhale all the way up and just hold right there with the love of someone you've lost.
Soaking in it,
Enjoying it and feeling it.
Now exhale.
Coming back to breathing in and out through your nostrils.
But focusing on that exhale,
Keeping the exhale nice and long.
When you picture your loved one,
What do they look like?
What is the first image that comes to mind?
Is there a specific memory that comes up?
Maybe a really painful one.
Maybe something that brings a smile to your face.
As those memories come up,
What happens to your breath?
Can you keep that long exhale as you're remembering your loved one?
And what's a time that just feels so special between the two of you?
What's a time when both of you were just laughing?
Doing something goofy,
Having fun.
That part of them is still so alive because it's alive within you.
It's alive in your memories.
You're experiencing it again right now.
And just by remembering them,
You are making them immortal.
Enjoy it.
Be with them.
What a gift it is to be able to come back to ourselves,
To our loved ones,
And be able to feel these things again and again.
If the breath has wavered,
Let the inhales come naturally and the exhales be long.
Inhaling through the nose,
Long,
Slow exhale through the mouth.
Inhale through the nose,
And exhale like you're blowing out of a straw,
Letting it be really slow,
Really quiet.
Inhaling through the nose.
And now on your exhale,
Imagine I put a feather right in front of your mouth.
Breathe so slowly that you wouldn't even wiggle the feather.
Inhaling and exhaling with that feather breath once more.
When you reach the bottom of your exhale,
Hold.
Pause for 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhaling.
And exhale.
Let out a big sigh.
Inhale.
Roll the shoulders back.
Inhale.
Let the shoulders rise.
Exhale.
Roll them back.
Inhale to rise.
Exhale.
Shoulders fall back.
Inhale to rise.
Exhale.
Shoulders go forward this time.
Inhale.
Rise.
Exhale.
Forward.
Inhale.
Rise.
Exhale.
Roll forward.
Now inhale.
And just shake the body.
It could be a gentle shake or a big shake.
Inhale.
Take your breath in.
Take your arms out to a T.
Extend it out on each side of you.
Now exhale.
Bring them over like you're hugging yourself.
Crossing them over your chest.
Inhale to find length and expansion.
Exhale to come back and just hug yourself.
Inhale.
Arms come to a T.
Exhale to find yourself again.
Once more.
Inhaling.
Arms come wide.
Exhaling to just sit,
Holding yourself.
Feeling the warmth of your hands or maybe the chill of your hands on your body.
Feeling the texture of your arm or the clothing that you're wearing.
Noticing your exhale.
Noticing your inhale.
Noticing your exhale.
Knowing that your breath is the gateway to those we love that are still here and those that have passed on to the next realm.
I honor you for leaning into your grief and for feeling it.
And I thank you for doing so.
Wiggling the fingers.
Wiggling your toes.
Taking a big stretch.
Starting to blink the eyes open and orienting yourself back to your space.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for practicing today.
