Encountering Grief,
A meditation with Cindy Wolk Weiss.
Where there is sorrow,
There is holy ground,
Oscar Wilde.
I invite you to enter the sacred ground of being,
Allowing your grief and love to be present as the wild alchemy of life creates fertile ground within the suffering.
Simply said that without love there is no grief.
Deep grief has a possibility to soften our hearts and invite in deep compassion for ourselves and the world when we consciously work with it.
It shines a light on our soul as it exposes the preciousness of life,
Often highlighting what is unimportant.
It is a courageous and profound spiritual practice to be present with our grief.
It can move through us with huge storm waves at unexpected moments that can knock us down as well as arising as a quiet sadness.
Each journey is unique.
Therefore we may invite letting go of any judgments about our experience.
If we don't allow our feelings,
They will get stuck and express themselves in some other way.
Grief is painful and exhausting and deep spiritual work.
I invite you to hold yourself with great tenderness,
Acceptance and love.
So please find a comfortable posture that fully supports your body.
Taking this moment to settle in,
Sensing into your being,
Laying or sitting here and bring awareness to the parts of the body that make contact with your seat.
What is supporting you?
Perhaps feeling your feet on the ground making contact with earth.
Earth is supporting and grounding.
Bringing gentle awareness to the breath.
Breath flowing in,
Breath flowing out.
Gently experiencing the body breathing.
Breath expanding on in-breath,
Receding towards the spine on the out-breath.
Settling in now to experience the body and its sensations with kindness.
Taking a moment now to be with the breath.
How is your breath?
Can you invite life in even just a bit with each in-breath?
And exhale sadness,
Regret,
Whatever is ready to be released just a bit.
Perhaps checking in to notice the condition of your heart.
Is it tight and restricted?
Is it open to receiving or someplace in between?
I will pause now for you to sense into this with great kindness and non-judgment.
If the words I speak resonate with you,
Please welcome them in along with your own unique experience.
Continuing now with light attention to the breath and allowing it to flow through you like a gentle breeze.
Recall a loss or losses that have touched you.
Recite silently these simple phrases of truth.
May I be open to this pain of grief,
Allowing whatever to arise.
May I be open to this pain of sorrow.
May I invite the already present inner strength and courage to witness my grief because it is.
Breathe.
You may notice resistance such as the body tightening or a sensation that is making it uncomfortable for you to sit and stay.
Please recognize this as resistance and make the intention to allow the sensations as best you can,
Kindly returning to the sensation of your breath,
The contact your body is making with the ground and the emotional experience arising.
Don't force anything.
Soften the body.
Soften the breath.
Soft belly receiving what is with great kindness.
Each breath softening the body and the belly and the heart.
Perhaps a story arises.
Shoot the story for a bit and I will pause while you do so.
And now invite the story to be in the background and stay in your body with what is here.
Note body sensations.
Note the breath.
May I accept the sorrow that arises knowing that this is part of my experience and not the whole experience of my life.
May I be true to my unique and individual experience of loss.
Breathe,
Softening the heart,
Perhaps placing your hand on your heart with deep compassion.
May I be open to receive the kindness and support of friends.
Bringing to mind your loved ones and offering these phrases.
May I forgive myself for not always meeting the need of my loved one.
May I forgive mistakes I made and left things unfinished.
Acknowledging that we do the best we can with what we have in the moment especially under stressful circumstances.
Note thoughts that arise.
Allowing feelings to arise in heart-mind.
Sensing into the body.
Feeling the ground of being.
Breathing,
Breathing.
Life can be an experience that deepens our compassion and understanding of our humanness.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May my suffering ease the world's suffering.
May I bring kindness to myself and my loved ones.
Returning to the awareness of the body breathing.
Belly expanding and receding.
Experiencing the breath flowing in and out.
In your body making contact with your seat.
Grounding you.
Supporting you.
Aware that the breath anchors you to the present moment.
And when you are ready.
Opening your eyes.
Noticing your surroundings.
Feeling your body-mind present here now.
Noticing the sights around you.
The colors.
Temperature of the air.
Smells and sounds.
Coming back to fully presencing yourself right here,
Right now.
May you experience ease as you move along this journey of grief and sorrow.
Thank you for being with me here today.
Namaste.
