Hello and welcome!
My name is Sina and today I'll guide you through a brief meditation to gently release subtle layers of sadness and grief that we may be holding.
I say subtle because these feelings are often not so obvious and so we don't always give them space to be felt or processed because we are not really aware they are there,
That they are alive in the body.
Usually what we do is we let go of something mentally,
We move on,
But,
And here you may want to check in with yourself and see if that resonates,
Often these mental letting go decisions are not enough because something unseen or rather unfelt still stays with us.
And often this isn't anything traumatic,
Just things and situations that were not fully satisfying.
Maybe it's about energy we didn't have for something we wanted to accomplish,
For plans that didn't unfold as we wanted them to,
Or maybe it's a job of a re-regret not taking or goals that we didn't accomplish the way we wanted to.
And so we move on from these situations.
But sometimes some subtle grief or sadness sticks with us and it's important to take a moment to give space to these feelings.
Not to make it worse or amplify it,
But to see it,
Recognize it,
Process it and have compassion for ourselves so that it doesn't build up in the background and quietly holds us back.
If that resonates with you,
Let's take a moment now to actually meet those sensations,
Those feelings.
Just find a comfortable seat and we'll start by simply noticing the field of the body.
Bring your awareness to the whole field of your body and simply notice what's present and alive right now.
If it's comfortable,
Place a hand on your heart space or collarbone.
Now notice your breath.
Feel the inhale and exhale.
If you can,
Let the exhale be a little longer than the inhale,
Just for a few breaths.
Now let one missed thing from the past year,
Last few months or weeks gently appear in your mind.
Nothing huge or dramatic,
Just a moment where you think,
I wish that had turned out differently.
If nothing specific comes,
Hold the general idea of missed opportunities or plans that didn't unfold the way you had intended to.
And then trap the mental story as best as you can and focus on your body.
Where does this story live in the body?
What kind of sensations do you notice?
Is it tension in your jaw or maybe your chest,
Your belly?
Or is it something else?
If it feels good,
Simply rest a hand on that place where you notice the sensation.
Feel the warm,
Gentle contact of your hand supporting you,
Carrying you.
Notice the shape,
The temperature or the texture of that sensation.
Just notice how the sensation appears to you.
If it moves,
Move your hand with it.
If you wish,
You can also communicate with that sensation,
Saying something like,
I see you,
I am here.
Feel the edges of that sensation.
On the exhale,
Breathe around the edges of that spot.
No forcing,
Just soft space around it,
As if you were lightly circling it with your breath,
Letting the surrounding muscles soften by maybe 1 or 2 percent.
If anything feels like too much at any point,
Open your eyes,
Look around the room,
Feel your feet and switch to easy breath only.
Now think about one support that has been with you,
Something that you feel is supporting you,
Which may be a person,
A place or a practice.
And maybe you want to express your gratitude,
Simply saying,
Thank you,
Thank you for being with me.
To close,
Let that particular sensation rest in the background.
And for a moment,
Bring your awareness back to the whole field of your body.
Simply noticing and observing what's present and alive in your body right now.
If your eyes were closed,
Now is the time to open them again.
Look around,
Notice a couple of colors or shapes.
Feel the seat underneath you and your feet.
Take one easy breath in and a longer breath out.
Beautiful.
And now I release you to continue with your day.
Namaste.
