Hello,
It's Nicole and I would like to offer a loving-kindness meditation today focused on grief.
Not only our individual grief,
But also our collective grief.
So much is going on in the world that is scary,
Heartbreaking.
There's a lot of upheaval and a lot of loss.
Loss of life,
Loss of normalcy,
Loss of expectations and dreams.
And it's very important that we take our time to grieve the losses,
Even the losses that others might tell us are small or not important.
So I'd like to offer a short but powerful loving-kindness meditation that before we get into the meditation work,
I would like to encourage you to find a very comfortable place for your body,
Preferably in the middle of the night.
And I would like to encourage you to find a very comfortable place for your body,
Preferably sitting in a comfortable position,
An easy position.
Make sure you are in a private space or a space that you feel supported for whatever emotions may come up for you.
And before we get started,
After you are seated and comfortable and if lying down feels good for you now,
Please do so.
Ease into whatever you are sitting or laying on.
Feel the full support.
The earth is holding you.
And surrender,
Surrender to the full support that you have.
And I would like to ask you to feel the full support.
The earth is holding you.
And surrender,
Surrender to being held and supported.
Close your eyes.
You might want to place your hand on your heart or on your stomach,
Both,
But only if it feels supportive to you.
Take any other mudra or hand position that feels good to you.
And let's take a deep breath in.
And I would like you to feel the full support.
And I would like you to feel the full support.
Take any mudra or hand position that feels good to you.
And let's take a collective deep breath,
Filling up the belly and chest.
And side out to the nostrils,
Nice and long and and slow.
Let's do it again.
Inhaling deep,
Filling up the belly and then letting it all go.
As you're breathing,
Open your heart up to that grief,
To your own grief.
We all are grieving some losses,
Whether they are immediate or in the past.
And allow yourself the space and time to feel the grief,
To feel the sadness,
To feel the loss.
Where in your body do you feel it?
You may want to put your hand on wherever that is in your body,
Offer some tenderness and care.
Allow whatever the feeling is and acknowledge it.
Acknowledge the feeling and acknowledge your right to have the feeling.
Don't forget to breathe.
The breath is healing.
The breath is our connection to life,
Creativity and ourselves.
And as you breathe and sit with those feelings,
I will offer these words and I encourage you to repeat them after me,
Either silently or out loud.
May I be at peace.
May I be safe.
May I be free.
May we be at peace.
May we be safe.
May we be free.
May all beings be at peace.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be free.
May our tears water the earth.
May our tears feed the seeds of revolution.
May our tears heal humanity.
May our tears water the earth.
May our tears feed the seeds of revolution.
May our tears heal humanity.
Take a few moments to notice how you feel after repeating those words.
Let's take a few deep breaths together.
Inhale through the nostril,
Filling the belly and chest.
Letting go of the breath.
Let's breathe in peace and safety and liberation.
Breathe out grief,
Resentment,
Frustration.
Feel the earth supporting you.
Feel your ancestors with you,
Supporting you,
Holding you.
And as you inhale,
Feel some gratitude for the earth.
Offer gratitude to your ancestors.
Offer gratitude for yourself for taking the time.
For grief,
Time,
For feeling.
To close,
We'll take one breath together,
Inhaling and exhaling a sigh.
And I urge you to take a few minutes for quiet and contemplation before you join the world and continue with the rest of your day.
I wish you peace.
Remove the excess I bring to realize.
You
