Today I want to talk a little bit about heartbreak and relationships ending.
Breaking up can be very difficult,
A very challenging experience,
Especially when it was a relationship that was very important and went over many years,
Regardless of whether it was harmonious or not.
Even those relationships that we experience as challenging,
We do get attached and when that attachment is disrupted,
It causes a lot of stress on the system.
That stress is first and foremost emotionally,
But it can also affect our physical health.
Studies have shown that heartbreak and the end of relationships can affect the cardiovascular system,
The digestive system,
And of course it can lead to sleeplessness and anxiety and depression.
Many people whose relationship has ended feel a strong need to withdraw and that's okay.
The withdrawal is a direct expression of needing space to grieve and needing space to process your own emotions and it's okay to want that space.
We don't have the energy to deal with other things around us,
So that's why physical withdrawal is often exactly what is needed.
And of course there are often loving family members and friends who want to get us out of this cave or out of this place of retreat and that is a very loving gesture,
But it may be premature sometimes.
It simply takes time to be ready to enter the world,
To be social,
To connect with people again.
So it's okay if you feel like you need to withdraw after a relationship is ending regardless of whether you were the one who initiated the breakup or whether you were at the receiving end of it.
The most important piece is that we take the time to grieve,
That we allow ourselves the space to feel the sadness that comes with every end of any relationship because we are prone to numbing our pain or distracting ourselves from pain and that really only leads to stuffing our feelings down and when we suppress our feelings we don't process them and that is what actually does lead to depression.
So it's really important to allow yourself to grieve,
To cry,
To express your sorrow any way that suits you.
The more you can allow yourself to grieve the faster it will move through and the earlier you will feel normal again.
So with this said I invite you to get into a relaxed position for our meditation.
Again,
Close your eyes and begin to breathe deeply.
Allow any thoughts to simply come and go.
Allow your body to feel whichever way it feels right now without judgment.
And check in with your heart space.
And imagine a soothing light enveloping your heart.
Embracing it.
Holding it tenderly.
And breathing deeply.
With warmth and love.
Choose one thing you miss most about that relationship which ended with grief.
And allow grief to well up.
Whatever sadness wants to come to the surface,
Welcome it.
And release it.
Release your sadness with tears,
With words.
By imagining the energy of sadness moving through your body.
And being exhaled with every breath you take.
And when some of the sadness has moved through,
Imagine sending loving kindness to yourself.
And imagine sending loving kindness to the person in your previous relationship.
And send gratitude for the time you had together and for what you learned from it.
And see both of you surrounded by loving energy.
Honoring the bond you've had.
That even though your relationship has changed,
You still shared your life for a while.
And these memories will forever be a part of you.
And begin to imagine a time when all the grief is gone.
And releasing it will have opened new space for new life,
New love and new inspiration.
And know that it will come.
And now begin to focus on your breath.
And express gratitude and love for your heart.
Your beautiful,
Loving heart.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
