With eyes closed and in a place where you can fully relax,
Begin by breathing in deeply and breathe out slowly.
Once more,
Breathe in and breathe out.
Relax deeply into the surface supporting you.
The death of a loved one is one of the hardest things in life.
We struggle with questions like,
How can this be possible?
And what will I do without them?
The deep sadness we feel can be so overwhelming that we may try to avoid feeling it.
But grieving is a perfectly natural and healthy response once someone we love is no longer in our life.
Trying to block grief can result in other problems.
But it can help to balance sadness with gratitude.
And sometimes our grief can lighten a bit when we forgive ourselves for our imperfections.
So in this process,
We allow ourselves to feel the sadness and then move into gratitude for the life of our precious one.
And through forgiving ourselves,
We explore ways to keep our loved one spirit alive.
First,
Take a moment to call to mind some of the happy memories with your loved one.
Maybe times when you laughed together or discovered something new together.
Remember what you especially loved about this person.
That made them unique and special.
Feeling sad is ever so appropriate because we know there will be no more times like these to share.
Allow yourself to feel the sadness and grieve.
You might also be feeling angry or scared.
That's okay too.
It's okay to feel whatever you're feeling right now.
It's okay to feel the sadness and grieve.
Now,
See if you can move from your sadness to a place of gratitude.
Living thanks for those wonderful memories.
They are precious indeed.
Beautiful.
Now,
Have you been dwelling on something you wish you hadn't said or done?
Or something you wish you had said or done?
Are you dwelling on what ifs?
I encourage you to forgive yourself for whatever keeps nagging at you and to let go of any belief that if you had done something differently,
Your loved one might still be here.
We really don't have as much control as we like to think.
So imagine you're standing in front of yourself.
See your grieving self weighed down with what ifs and understand that this self,
Though imperfect,
Is so very worthy of love.
Put your hand on the shoulder of this self in front of you and deeply forgive this self.
Now become the forgiven self.
Feel forgiveness sink deep into your shoulders.
Allow a wave of forgiveness to move from your shoulders into your neck and jaw,
Mouth,
Ears,
Cheeks,
Nose,
Eyes,
Forehead,
And scalp.
Feel another wave of forgiveness travel from your shoulders down your arms to the elbows,
Forearms,
Wrists,
Hands,
And fingers.
Let forgiveness move across and soften your chest and upper back and your lower back,
Stomach,
Abdomen,
And hips.
Now feel a wave of forgiveness move across your thighs,
Knees,
Calves,
Ankles,
Feet,
And toes.
You have forgiven yourself from the top of your head all the way down to your toes.
Try now to connect with the belief that you can continue forward balancing your sadness with gratitude and by releasing the what ifs and forgiving yourself,
You've made room to explore ways your loved one's spirit can live on in you.
What special,
Unique things about your loved one can you share with the world to keep their spirit alive?
Comment now on this question and see if you can feel your loved one shining through you.
I hope this process offers a small glimmer of hope for you.
Come back to it anytime.
Now it's time to begin to stretch your body and open your eyes.
Much love to you on your grief journey,
Dear one.
