Just for these next few moments,
Soften into a space of allowing.
Give yourself permission to experience the fullness of your grief,
The heaviness of the feelings you were carrying,
The profound sadness that accompanies your loss,
The exhaustion that arises from learning how to be and navigate the world without your cherished loved one.
Just for these next few moments,
Drop all your preconceived notions that you should be over it by now,
That feeling your grief will make it worse,
That what you really need is to get out and do things and the grief will dissolve.
Allow for the possibility that it is safe and healing to feel your grief.
Just for these next few moments,
Be the loving and compassionate witness to the sorrow that lingers inside.
If you are grieving the loss of a spouse or partner,
A child,
A parent,
A sibling,
A pet,
Or another loved one,
Your grief is valid.
If you are grieving the loss of a partnership,
A marriage,
Or a friendship,
Your grief is valid.
If you are grieving the loss of a pregnancy or the yet unfulfilled desire to be a parent,
Your grief is valid.
If you are grieving your hometown after a move,
If you are grieving the loss of a job,
Or if you are grieving any other loss that has not been mentioned,
Your grief is valid.
Take time to arrange your body in a restful,
Comfortable,
And warm position for this yoga nidra experience.
I'll guide you through a breath awareness practice,
A contemplation,
And then a guided awareness practice.
After that,
There will be a few moments of stillness and silence.
You'll hear my voice guiding you back at the end of our time together.
Remember,
This is your time to be with your inner experience with gentleness and kindness,
Whatever arises.
Feel your breath now.
Without changing your breathing,
Just notice.
Is your breath long,
Short,
Or somewhere in between?
Is your breath deep,
Shallow,
Or somewhere in between?
Is your breath smooth,
Restricted,
Or somewhere in between?
Now find a full breath in and sigh a long exhale.
Try that again.
Full breath in,
Sigh a long exhale.
One more time.
Full breath in,
Long exhale.
And now let your breathing find its own easy and natural rhythm.
Our contemplation is drawn from an Inuit proverb.
Perhaps they are not stars,
But rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.
You can allow your mind to be at ease in this space.
Sense your body in the room.
Sense your body against your mat,
In your chair,
Or in your bed.
And gently sense your body softening into the surface beneath you.
Sense your right toes.
Sense your right foot.
Sense your right shin.
Sense your right knee.
Sense your right thigh.
Sense your right hip.
Sense your right waist.
Sense your right ribs.
Sense your right shoulder.
Sense your right upper arm.
Sense your right elbow.
Sense your right forearm.
Sense your right hand.
Sense your right fingers.
Sense your low back.
Sense your mid back.
Sense your upper back.
Sense your neck.
Sense your face.
Sense your head.
Sense the right side of your head.
Sense the top of your head.
Sense the back of your head.
Sense the left side of your head.
Sense your left shoulder.
Sense your left upper arm.
Sense your left elbow.
Sense your left forearm.
Sense your left hand.
Sense your left fingers.
Sense your left ribs.
Sense your left waist.
Sense your left hip.
Sense your left thigh.
Sense your left knee.
Sense your left shin.
Sense your left foot.
Sense your left toes.
Toes,
Feet,
Shins,
Knees,
Thighs,
Hips,
Waist,
Ribs,
Shoulders,
Upper arms.
Elbows,
Forearms,
Hands,
Fingers,
Head,
Face,
Neck,
Upper back,
Mid back,
Low back,
Hips,
Thighs,
Knees,
Shins,
Feet,
Toes.
Now sense your whole body from the tips of your toes to the crown of your head,
From the crown of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes.
Perhaps they are not stars but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.
Abide in that.
Abide in that.
Abide in that.
Abide in that.
Abide in that.
Abide in that.
Abide in that.
Slowly,
Slowly feel your breath.
Feel the quality of your breath now.
Vitality is riding on the wings of your breath,
Filling your beingness with life force energy.
Feel any other sensations that are present now,
Perhaps the drum of your heartbeat or a pulsing in the palms of your hands.
Maybe it's a gurgle in your tummy or the comforting heaviness of your bones leaning into the support beneath you or maybe it's some other sensation all together.
Let's take another moment to sense into any sensations that are present.
And then I invite you to feel any shifts in your emotional tone.
Is there a sense of release or weight lifted or perhaps a greater sense of connection with yourself or your loved one?
Before you move along with your day,
I'll invite you to consider one way you can encourage the flow of vitality.
In other words,
What is one action you can take today that makes you feel alive?
It could be anything from bringing a tea to a coworker to a short walk in nature to engaging in a self-care practice like yoga or an early bedtime.
And finally,
Thank yourself for creating this time and space to turn inward,
To be with what is authentically residing in you at this moment of time and for honoring that.
As you go,
May you always know you are whole,
You are complete,
And you are loved just as you are.
Om.
Om.
.
