Hello there and welcome.
My name is Lisa and I am so grateful to be practicing with you today.
You may have clicked on this meditation because you recently lost a dear family member,
Loved one,
Pet,
And I want to share a little bit of this meditation's journey.
This meditation was originally created some time ago when I was called to collaborate on themes of dopamine,
But in the time that I was working on those themes,
I experienced the loss of my beloved cat,
Baby G,
Who was 19 years old when she passed.
She passed surrounded by loved ones and families with a belly full of treats and so much love.
Returning to this meditation now carries a different depth.
Part of it comes from the earlier moment of exploration,
And part of it comes from moving through the grief,
Learning how to breathe with it,
How to carry love forward,
And how to become more present because of it.
So if you feel different layers within this practice,
That's because it was lived in,
There was a pause,
And then a continuation.
And today it's here to meet you wherever you are.
Dopamine,
Which drives motivation and attention,
Is often tied to people and rhythms that we love.
So when we experience loss,
That reward system can go quiet.
The things that once pulled us in,
Like scrolling or constant stimulation,
May feel less compelling.
In their place,
The brain begins to shift towards deeper forms of meaning and reward,
Presence,
Memory,
And connection.
In the loss of our dear Baby G,
We had found the ability to stay present,
And to be reminded around what truly matters.
So if you have recently lost your loved one,
Family,
Friend,
This is your permission to not escape,
To reframe what may be happening in the mind,
And a doorway to presence and meaning.
So,
With this truth and sacred clarity,
Feel free to find a comfortable position,
Standing,
Seated,
Lying on down,
Coming however you are,
Into presence.
And I invite you to visualize.
Whenever we feel this urge,
This calling,
The unnecessary reaching for the phone,
Or unconscious reaching,
Maybe it's that reach first thing in the morning,
When we're bored or alone,
That reach.
But can we take a moment to visualize,
When we go for that little hit,
That dopamine reward.
And what does this reward represent to us,
The escape after a long day,
A laugh,
Inspiration?
Can we notice these feelings in the body?
How do these feelings present in the body?
Maybe the head,
The chest,
The heart.
And if these feelings were waves rolling in and releasing,
Let's urge serve this desire.
Visualizing that reach,
Or what that scrolling,
Or whatever it is,
Represents for you.
Breathing into the feeling,
Feeling like we are riding the wave of that feeling.
And exhale,
Releasing,
Softening,
Imagining yourself coming down the wave of your feeling.
Letting go.
Inhaling,
Like you are paddling,
Rising to meet the wave of the feeling.
From this space,
Let's close the urge surfing with taking a wave in.
I invite you to breathe in,
Feeling that desire,
That peak.
And exhale,
Release,
Coming back to shore.
From this space,
I invite you to meditate on this day.
Tomorrow is not promised.
So for this day,
What matters most to you?
The people,
The experiences,
Your health?
Taking a moment to visualize what matters most.
And I invite you to set an intention that honors what holds meaning to you.
What is more meaningful than 15 minutes of being distracted or instant reward?
What is the most meaningful thing right now?
And from this place of intention,
Feel free to return back,
Maybe floating the eyes open if they were closed.
Remembering you can do this practice whenever you feel the urge,
The urge surfing.
And then bring it back to what matters most.
As you come back to your present moment,
I want to close this meditation with a bit of a story.
We recently welcomed a new kitten,
Artemis,
And she is definitely not a replacement.
No,
You can't.
But the grief of losing baby G has changed how I show up with this new being.
I find myself more present,
More attentive to the small moments,
More aware of how precious things are,
Less likely to go from my phone.
And that's something grief can do.
It can deepen our capacity to be here.
Whether or not anything new enters your life,
This practice is about carrying that presence forward.
Honoring what you've loved by the way you choose to live now.
If you've loved and lost an animal companion,
You know how deep that bond goes.
I just want to say you're not alone in this.
Your grief makes sense.
Your love makes sense.
And whatever you are feeling right now is allowed.
May you be gentle with yourself,
And may the love that you share continue to live vibrantly in your life and in your heart.
I thank you so much for practicing with me,
My friends,
To all beloved animals,
And especially the companions that love them.
Thank you.
Namaste.
