Hello and welcome to this guided meditation for grief.
It's important that we acknowledge that grief comes in many forms,
Whether that is the loss of a loved one,
A breakup,
A disappointment in something not working out the way that you wanted it to,
Or maybe even someone in your life has changed and you are now grieving a past version of them.
No matter what the grief you're experiencing is related to,
This meditation will be really helpful in helping to process those deep and powerful feelings that sometimes feel overwhelming when we are grieving.
Now to begin,
Let's get nice and comfortable,
Whether that's sitting up with your back supported or getting nice and cozy in bed,
Wrapping yourself up in a blanket of security and comfort,
Creating a safe and soft place for you to process some of the feelings you've been experiencing that have brought you here today.
And once you're comfortable and supported,
Just begin by breathing deeply in and out,
Nice and slowly bringing your awareness back to your breathing,
Bringing all of that attention and that focus on the here and now and utilising the breath to do so.
And as those breaths start to deepen,
Slow down,
Let's take a moment to check in with ourselves.
How are we feeling in this moment?
And allowing that feeling to rise up without judgement,
Without being frustrated at yourself if you've had a particularly hard day or maybe you're not even quite sure how you feel and that's okay too.
Really focusing on breathing slowly and deeply into your belly if that feels comfortable.
And as that breathing gradually deepens more and more,
We set a boundary,
An intention that exactly where we are is perfectly safe.
It is a really powerful moment for us to just be with ourselves,
Allowing the deep emotions we're feeling to flow through us and to not stay trapped inside our bodies,
No longer suppressed or pushed away but acknowledged and welcomed and allowed to leave.
Now when you feel safe and ready to begin,
Start to bring to mind the personal loss that you have experienced,
Whether that is the recent loss of a loved one,
It might be a loss of a different kind that you've been carrying with you,
Maybe for a very long time or maybe for not a very long time at all.
Whatever kind of grief or loss that has brought you here today,
It's something that is deeply personal for you.
It's an experience,
A person that you might have known.
When you bring that experience or that person into such direct awareness,
Just begin to notice what sensations come forward in the body.
Do you feel perhaps uneasy?
Do you feel that emotion rise to the surface again?
It might even make you smile to think of this experience or this person that you are grieving.
It might help you to imagine them in whichever state feels most natural for you.
Maybe it's a happy memory that you've shared together.
Maybe it's a past version of them that you miss.
The main thing is that we just observe how we feel when this image is conjured in our minds.
To help the observation of those feelings,
Maybe start to name the different feelings that come up when you look at this person,
This experience in front of you that you are grieving.
Observing and acknowledging,
Maybe just listing them as you're feeling that emotion move through your body.
And when you've really noticed those feelings and not attached to them too much,
Start to draw that awareness into your chest,
Into your heart space.
And imagine that all of those feelings,
Those sensations that run through your body when you're experiencing this grief,
Feel it deeply in your heart and feel how the heart holds the grief for you.
Your heart space accepting you in all versions of your grieving,
Nourishing that tenderness in your soul.
The raw depth of your emotions as they beg to be expressed,
Your heart can carry all of it if you allow it to.
So just take a moment to feel the grief be held in your heart.
Keep street lights,
Dean.
And when you've settled with this feeling,
That you've brought into your heart,
You might notice that that emotion has started to creep into the throat.
This is somewhere we humans tend to store a lot of emotion.
That pain you feel at the back of the throat,
When you feel that grief or tears start to rise up.
That gentle ache,
Our body's way of showing us that it grieves with us.
Showing us that our mind and our body are deeply and intrinsically connected,
If we allow them to.
That's an important way for us to learn to move with and through emotion.
So perhaps beginning to notice if that sensation is coming up for you in your throat.
It might have moved elsewhere,
You might be feeling a knot in your stomach.
Wherever you are feeling this grief the most,
It's completely individual and natural for you.
So don't force it where it doesn't want to go,
But simply notice where it is staying.
Where is it lodging itself?
Is it staying stuck in the heart,
In the throat,
In the stomach?
Maybe you feel a pressure in your head or a tightness in your shoulders.
Just notice without judgment.
But as we focus on where that area of discomfort is taking us,
Start to name the emotion that is lodged there.
Maybe if you're holding this grief deeply in your throat,
You feel anger that's begging to be expressed.
Maybe if it's lodged in your stomach,
You feel anxiety,
A nervousness.
Just move to where the sensation is and try to name the emotion that comes up when you focus there.
And just rest a while here.
It is perfectly okay to spend time with your grief.
And it is also important that your body knows this as well.
If your feelings start to be somewhat overwhelming for you,
Then make sure that you're taking some deep breaths.
Keeping your mouth closed and breathing just through your nose in and out.
Nice and slowly,
Maybe extending the exhale.
You can even take a break from this meditation if it feels too much too soon for you.
You need to do what feels safe.
So please honor and respect yourself by pausing the meditation.
If you need a little time to assimilate in dealing with these emotions,
Maybe come back another time.
But if you're still staying with these emotions in these different places in the body,
Then just know you're doing a really beautiful job and your body will be so grateful for giving it this time to process.
It's also important that we're not trying to push the grief away.
It's a very fine balance with grief where we don't want it to consume us,
But we don't want to ignore it.
Grief never actually leaves us on our life's journey.
We simply learn to grow around the grief.
Grieving properly is also a really important way for us to adjust to change.
And if we really listen and we really be with ourselves in that grief,
In those hard moments,
Grief can really be a teacher.
What do you feel this grief you're experiencing is teaching you?
You might even feel drawn to reflect on other things in life that you've grieved,
That you have somewhat healed from,
That you have learned from.
It doesn't mean that it isn't still painful,
But it means that you have processed,
You have sat with those feelings and you've acknowledged them.
It is incredibly hard to accept change.
And part of grieving is experiencing a very big change in your life.
So as we draw closer to the end of this meditation,
It's important that we really understand and affirm with ourselves that it's okay to take things slowly.
It's okay to heal at our own pace.
But when we stop fighting it,
When we can stop pushing against the inevitability of change,
Of grief,
We can come to a place of really deep appreciation and gratitude for what we have in our lives.
Because really we experience deep grief because we love so deeply.
And so please beautiful soul,
Find strength in the fact that you love so much.
Your tender heart and your vulnerability is a gift.
And you will grow around this experience and come out the other side.
Not the same as you were before,
Different,
Changed and that's okay.
So before we move back out of these deep emotions,
Let's wrap ourselves in a beautiful big hug.
We often go to others to ask for hugs and comfort.
Just how often do you really hug yourself?
So wrap your arms around yourself and let your body know,
I am here for you.
I've got you.
You aren't alone.
And opening your eyes still with your arms wrapped around you if it feels comfortable.
And taking in the space around you again.
Helping us move from that deep place of emotion that we've just spent some time in and back into the world around us.
Maybe taking a few calming breaths if we still feel quite deeply in our emotions.
Everything is going to be okay.
Your presence and vulnerability,
Tenderness in this world is a gift.
Thank you so much for being here.
And please seek out professional help and support from loved ones.
You are never alone and there is always someone that can help in your grief.
I hope this meditation has brought you some comfort in moving through and with your emotions.
Feel free to return at any time.
I'll be here waiting to hold that space for you.
Much love and so much gratitude.
