Take a moment to settle into a comfortable position.
Let your shoulders lower,
Your breath move in and out without effort.
And when you're ready gently close your eyes.
Begin by noticing the simple fact that you are here.
Breathing,
Living,
Present.
You don't have to feel calm,
You don't have to feel healed.
You only need to allow yourself to arrive just as you are.
Now,
Bring your awareness to the center of your chest.
This is the space where grief often makes it home.
You might feel heaviness,
Tightness,
Or perhaps nothing at all.
Whatever is there is welcome.
As you breathe in,
Imagine your breath creating a little more room inside your chest.
Not to push the grief away,
But just to make space for it.
As you exhale,
Let your body soften,
Even if the heart cannot right now.
Now gently bring to mind the persons or persons you lost.
See them in a mirror of warmth,
Maybe laughing,
Smiling,
Or simply being themselves.
Let the memory be soft,
Without pressure to feel a certain way.
With your breath steady,
Acknowledge the truth that grief carries love.
You grieve because you cared.
You grieve because their life touched yours.
Let that truth settle.
Now,
Turn your attention towards survivor's guilt.
You might feel it as a why not me instead,
Or a what could I have done,
Or why am I still here?
These thoughts are human.
They come from compassion,
Not failure.
As you inhale,
Phase silently,
I honor my grief.
As you exhale,
Say,
I release what is not mine to carry.
Feel the difference between love and responsibility.
You can keep the love.
You can keep the memories.
But the responsibility for someone else's inner battle does not belong to you.
Now breathe into that truth.
Now,
Imagine placing your hand,
Physically or mentally,
Over your heart.
Whisper inwardly,
I did the best I could with what I knew.
Again,
I did the best I could.
Allow your breath to soothe the tight places inside you.
You are not clearing the grief.
You're learning to hold it with kindness.
Let yourself feel the weight of being alive,
Not as a burden,
But as a continuation of the love that has been shared.
When you're ready,
Imagine offering a silent blessing to the one you lost.
May you be at peace.
May I find peace too.
Take two slow breaths,
In and out.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Return to this moment,
Carrying only what is yours,
And letting the rest settle like dust after a long storm.
You are still here,
And so am I.
And that is not a mistake,
No.
It is a testament to our strength,
Our love,
And our humanity.
Namaste.
