So much love and tenderness to you.
I invite you to find a comfortable seated position,
Or feel free to lie down if that's more comfortable.
Take your time to make any adjustments you need to feel settled.
Relax your hands.
Feel your body becoming heavier,
Even sinking into the chair,
The couch,
The bed,
Wherever you are.
Allow a slight space between the teeth so the jaw can soften.
Feel your shoulders dropping down.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in,
And exhale slowly and completely.
Take your time here.
Inhale slowly.
Exhale,
Feel your belly softening.
Inhale deeply.
Exhale,
Feel yourself arriving here and now.
Every part of you is welcome here.
The parts that feel sadness.
The parts that feel anger and resentment.
The fear or shame.
This is a place for all of you to exist.
There is no right way to move through what you're going through.
Although taking this time for yourself,
For your heart,
Mind,
And well-being is truly a gift you are giving to yourself.
Although it can be painful to acknowledge,
Every chapter of our stories,
Every experience and relationship,
Has the ability to help us learn,
Grow,
And become more of the person who we want to be.
Sometimes relationships help us see all of the things that we don't want.
Other times they open our minds and hearts to see and feel things we didn't know we could feel,
We didn't even know were possible.
Part of the profound beauty of relationships is that they are a mirror.
No one can make you feel something.
They help reveal what is already inside of you.
When we love deeply,
The other person does not put love inside of us.
Their presence helps us to experience the love that has been in our hearts all along.
Others can inspire us,
Help us to see the world differently,
Awaken feelings,
Deepen us into our own feelings.
But they cannot make us feel something that is not already inside of us.
The source of the greatest love is inside of you.
Right now this might not feel true.
You may be experiencing the grief and loss of this person who has been in your life.
But I assure you,
Although you may miss their presence profoundly,
The love,
The joy,
The peace you may have felt in this relationship is all inside of you,
Independent of the other.
So let us give some space for everything that we are experiencing right now.
The thoughts,
The emotions,
The resistance.
Bring your awareness back to your breath and really feel your physical body.
Maybe you feel the weight of your body or areas that are achy or tense.
Your body is like a wisdom keeper of all of your experiences.
So rather than judging the body or rejecting what is arising,
We can practice experiencing the body through the eyes of curiosity.
What message is the body holding for me through these sensations,
These feelings?
I invite you to become aware of a place in the body that is particularly uncomfortable.
It could be a strong sensation.
It could be a feeling of disconnect or numbness.
Imagine that you are breathing into this sensation.
Rather than trying to get away from discomfort,
You are practicing meeting it.
And what is it?
It is a part of you.
As you feel this discomfort in your body,
Notice if there are any images arising,
Any emotions,
Any thoughts.
Let us give space for whatever is arising.
Maybe you recognize that there is a strong feeling of deep sadness.
Or maybe there is a thought that says something about what you're feeling,
What you went through,
Or maybe is judging another.
Start to recognize that this part of you is in distress without trying to change this part of you,
These feelings and thoughts,
Without judging it.
For these next few moments,
Practice listening to this part of you with an open mind and an open heart.
Let this part of you express whatever is so challenging or painful that's coming up.
Rather than rejecting this part of you,
Distracting yourself,
Abandoning yourself,
Really fully be here giving this part of you a voice,
Permission to be just as you are.
And now ask this part of you,
What do you need from me?
Listen with an open mind and an open heart.
And now offer this part of you gratitude.
You are inside of a profound unfolding,
The letting go of what has been.
Although painful naturally takes us into a new chapter of life,
Even if we don't want to let go of what has been,
Something is waiting for you on the other side.
Maybe that something is a more loving relationship with yourself,
Greater respect and upholding of your boundaries,
Honoring your needs,
Your heart's wishes.
No matter how painful something is,
There is always an opportunity to learn and to come out the other side of the experience.
Although at times tender and raw and vulnerable,
A new version of yourself.
If you're able to,
I invite you to hold your heart.
Let there be a sense of kindness in your hands the same way that you would hold a kitten or a puppy,
A baby.
Thank yourself.
Thank yourself for being here today and now,
For listening,
For showing up for you today.
And remind yourself that this is a process,
This is a journey.
It's okay to take your time and this will take time.
Healing can be like an unfolding,
Like the petals of a flower slowly blossoming until the flower is fully open and blossoming in life.
Take these next few moments to offer yourself any words of kindness that come to mind that arise from your heart.
Let's take a deep,
Full breath in and out together.
Open and close the mouth a few times to release any clenching in the jaw.
You may wish to massage slow circles on your heart center to gently caress your cheeks,
Your face.
Practice being very gentle and kind with your body and your whole being right now.
Slowly begin to move or stretch in any way that feels nourishing.
Become aware of the space around you.
Feel your breath,
The air moving across your skin.
And when you feel ready,
Slowly open the eyes,
Still aware of everything you are experiencing inside.
Still meeting yourself with the sense of kindness and presence as much as you feel able to in this moment.
I invite you to return to this meditation again and again to meet different parts of yourself or to just give yourself this loving invitation of presence,
Of feeling,
And of being just as you are.
Accepting yourself just as you are.
I'm so grateful to spend this time together.
Thank you for being.
Great love to you in this journey of healing and coming home to yourself.
All my love.
