Embrace Duality: Gratitude And Grief

My friend, there is always room for multiple feelings to exist at once. All the contradicting emotions and feelings make sense. Despite a feeling like grief, something like gratitude can still be present. This meditation is about allowing and embracing the many things that may be swirling inside of you all at one time. Let's embrace duality, together.

Transcript

Hi friend, This is for you after a busy weekend, Maybe with family or friends, And maybe some of your expectations weren't met, Or things didn't go as planned, Or maybe you're just feeling some type of way today, And so here you are. Instead of leaving yourself, You're choosing to stay with yourself, And sit with all that you feel. Give yourself the gift of a deep, Deep breath. Inhale through your nose, Big exhale, Breath in, Exhale. Allow yourself to simply breathe into the you that is here, Allowing so much to coexist within you, Gently making it known how you really are feeling. In the eyes of the observer, Maybe noticing anxiety is present, Joy is present, Frustration is present, Just noticing and labeling in the quiet of your own mind what is present and real for you right here. Breathe it in, And let it go. Something that I feel is so interesting around the holidays, Is there's these two things that coexist greatly, Gratitude and grief. Gratitude for the here and now, And grief for what is no longer here, Or grief for who no longer is here. Or maybe even just grief of a change in your experiences, Your circumstances. Things aren't the way they used to be, Or things didn't go how you expected. So there's grief there too. Breathe it in, Exhale. Can you simply allow it all to exist within you, All the feelings that are asking to just be felt in this moment? Can you choose a feeling that you've been resisting and feel it fully for an entire minute? Use your breath to support yourself through the feeling of it all, Inhale, Exhale. Notice how this feeling arises in your body, Feel it fully, Breathe in deeply, Big sigh, Allowing the feeling to move on. Notice how you feel now, There's a softening when you stop resisting, Feel the warm energy of acceptance, Permission, And freedom to feel whatever it is you feel, There's nothing wrong with you, Everything is right with you, You are human, Everything that you are feeling makes sense. Zaina Keithley writes, I feel everything, Deep and all-consuming grief that fills my chest and makes it hard to breathe, Homesickness for a home I'm not sure I've ever really known, Desperate longing to return to the days when I was in such a rush to grow up so I can do it all over again, But this time a little bit slower, This time with more intention, This time leaning into each hug a little longer, Inhaling every scent, Memorizing the sounds of my favorite voices until they're embedded in my memory. I feel fear that it's all going to end so quickly, I feel hope so big and great it sometimes scares me, I feel anger at the universe when everything falls apart and sometimes I think it would be so much easier not to feel, To harden the shell around me, To protect from the pain that comes with being a feeling human in a heavy world, But then I think no, I don't want that, Because if my soul really is greater than this body and I choose to come onto this earth and have this human experience, I think this is exactly what I came for, To know what it really means to be alive, To walk through this life with an open heart, To feel extraordinary love and the threads of joy and grief that come with it, Just to feel, To feel everything. Slow inhale, Slow exhale, Can you feel all that has been feeling heavy, Feel a little bit lighter as you wrap it all in acceptance and loving awareness, Breathe in slowly, Exhale. Just one more minute here, Maybe placing your hands over your heart, And just hold your heart and breathe slowly, Bring awareness to the you that is here now, Noticing any subtle shift, Only when you're ready and not a moment sooner, Begin to deepen your breath in a way to come out of this practice slowly, Inhale, Exhale, Energizing your soul, Breathe, Eventually, Slowly, Blinking your eyes open if they were closed, Taking your sweet time, And may you take this into the rest of your day, From my heart to yours. Hi friend, Thank you so much for being here, I am honored you chose to meditate with me. Hey, If you haven't already, Would you be so kind to leave a 5 star review on my podcast? It would mean the world to me. If you'd like to continue your meditation practice or go deeper on your inward journey, Head to my website ileanrose. Me, Where you can find meditation bundles, Anxiety relief courses, Join my meditation teacher training, Get a personalized meditation, Or book a one-on-one meditation experience with me. Until we meet again, Be kind to your mind.

Reviews

I’ve really been enjoying all of your meditations lately and this one really hit perfectly at the right time. Thank you!!

Thank you 🙏🏽❤️ this is exactly what I needed as I say goodbye to someone special x

It’s a reality…holding space for cancer treatment and the truth of a multitude of emotions that present themselves.

The timing of this meditation was perfect . I was just awakened by a critically low diabetic insulin reaction. With glucose tabs I needed to remain alert. Currently I’m dealing with the loss of a very close relationship. Embracing this grief with the joys also occurring in my life offered a needed focus for my healthy recovery in early morning hours. Thank you Eileen.