In this moment,
Wherever you are,
Sitting or lying down,
Place your hands gently over your heart.
To start out,
We'll do three rounds of box breathing together to calm your nervous system down.
Before we attend to the grief that is with you here and now.
If you've never done box breathing,
Don't worry.
I'll walk you through it once before we start the practice.
We will inhale for a count of four,
Then hold our breaths for the same count.
Releasing the breath gently,
We exhale for four,
Then rest again for a count of four,
Before beginning again with an inhale.
Are you ready?
Just listen to my voice and relax your mind,
Letting go of control,
Expectations,
Or the desire for a particular outcome.
I've got you for this part.
You can release everything.
Ready?
Inhale two,
Three,
Four,
And hold two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale gently two,
Three,
Four,
And hold two,
Three,
Four.
Let's go again with an inhale two,
Three,
Four,
Hold two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale gently two,
Three,
Four,
And hold two,
Three,
Four.
Last one,
Inhale two,
Three,
Four,
And hold two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale two,
Three,
Four,
And hold two,
Three,
Four.
Keep your hand over your heart for just another moment as you return to normal,
Slow,
Easy breathing.
Feel the warmth of your palms radiating into your chest and allow the sensation to remind you that you are held even in the midst of pain.
Feel the love and support of those who have gone before you on the path of grieving,
Including me.
Feel the love and support you will someday offer someone else who feels the way that you do right now.
Okay,
You can release your hands if you like or keep them on your chest for the remainder.
Compassion for your grief is not the same as trying to fix it.
It is simply the act of sitting with it and acknowledging that it is okay to feel the fullness of your sadness.
You do not need to make it go away.
You only need to accept an invitation to allow the grief to flow.
Consider this an invitation.
If you haven't already,
Gently close your eyes if that feels okay.
Quietly in your heart,
Repeat the following phrases.
I am here for you,
Grief.
I am here for this pain.
You are seen.
You are heard.
I hold you with kindness and compassion.
I am here for you,
Grief.
I am here for my pain.
I am seen.
I am heard.
I hold myself with kindness and compassion.
Feel how with every breath,
Your heart softens,
Creating space for the grief to be fully felt without rushing to let it go.
You don't have to feel it all right now.
Feel an amount that is okay and let the rest go.
You can feel it some other day.
Now imagine a soft glowing light above your head.
Maybe it's a halo.
Or a shimmering star.
Visualize it any way you like.
This light is filled with pure compassion,
Radiant and gentle.
Allow this light to slowly descend effortlessly into your body,
Gently surrounding your heart,
Soothing the ache,
Softening the tightness.
With each breath,
Feel the weight of acute pain being lifted ever so gently by this light.
It doesn't rush.
It doesn't hurry.
It offers a gentle release.
This benevolent light is transforming your pain into compassion.
It's a sort of alchemy.
The tense muscles in your front body melt as this golden light brings warmth and softness.
The heaviness in your chest softens,
As though you are being wrapped in a soft blanket of understanding and acceptance.
This light can accept any amount of pain.
All you have to do is release it.
The stress and anxiety of your shoulders and back are powerless as this warmth spreads there,
Releasing everything in an instant.
Know that healing does not happen all at once.
As you've already found,
It happens slowly,
Bit by bit,
Hour by hour,
And day by day.
You are not alone in this journey.
Compassion will guide you through the surges of emotion that well up out of nowhere.
The waves of grief that come and go,
Like waves in the ocean,
Crashing and receding,
And eventually,
Like the tides,
Moving in gently and moving out again.
Repeat these affirmations to yourself.
I am worthy of love and healing.
As time passes,
My grief changes.
I honor what is here to be felt today.
I am worthy of love and healing.
As time passes,
My grief changes.
I honor what is here to be felt today.
In this moment,
You are enough,
Just as you are.
Go ahead and drop those affirmations.
You're doing enough,
By the way.
You're feeling enough.
You're healing enough.
It's okay to let go of the future and the past.
Simply be here,
Breathing,
Feeling,
Healing enough.
I'll leave you here for a moment to deepen your awareness of your own pain,
And your own capacity,
Your own tolerance for it,
And the natural compassion that responds to it.
You can try some box breathing if that feels right,
Or simply allow your body to naturally process what's ready to be held.
In just a few minutes,
I'll softly ring a bell,
And we can close the meditation together with a blessing.
As you begin to bring your attention back to the present moment,
Take a few more deep breaths,
Feeling the softness of your body,
And the warmth in your heart.
To close,
Bring that warm glowing light back.
And this time,
It comes from your heart.
Bring your hands,
Palms together to this heart space.
Thank you,
Body,
For carrying me through this life.
Thank you,
Heart,
For beating and working to keep me alive and healthy.
Thank you,
Grief,
For reminding me how deeply I have loved.
Thank you,
Compassion,
For opening my heart.
I hope you carry this feeling with you into the rest of your day.
Thank you for meditating with me.
