Close your eyes and notice your breath.
Breathing in,
Breathing out,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Coming to a place of stillness.
When you've experienced a major loss,
When someone you love has died,
Your body and mind go into a state of shock.
This is normal.
This is a natural response to loss.
You might feel numb.
You might feel panic.
You might feel foggy.
You might shut down.
You might feel very confused.
All of this is normal.
All of this is shock.
You are on a journey.
Be gentle with yourself.
Be here now.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
Notice the air coming into your nostrils.
Notice the air going out of your nostrils.
Is the air cool or warm?
You may rest comfortably sitting or lying down as we imagine taking a walk.
Imagine yourself walking into a forest.
It is a warm and beautiful day.
There is sunlight filtering through the trees.
Go up to a tall tree,
A tree that calls to you,
And lean your back into the tree.
Put your spine against the bark of the tree and let the tree support you.
Imagine breathing in the oxygen released from this tree.
Feel the texture of the bark on your back.
Imagine your spine lengthening,
Lifting upwards as you feel the verticality of this tree.
Imagine blending into the tree,
Merging,
Becoming the tree as if you yourself have roots extending from your legs into the earth.
Notice your roots grounding you to the earth.
Now imagine lifting your arms skyward as if you yourself have branches extending upwards into the sky.
Allow the tree to support and strengthen you.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Now inhale and imagine breathing up light from the center of the earth,
Upward through the soles of your feet,
Pulling up the light,
The energy from the earth up into your body,
Filling your body.
Now exhale,
Sending breath and light up to the sky,
Up through the crown of your head,
Up through your arms to the heavens.
Now reverse by inhaling,
Imagining light coming down from the sky,
Down into the crown of your head,
Filling you,
Pulling into your body,
Into your trunk.
Now exhale,
Sending breath and light down,
Down through your legs,
Through your body,
Through your roots,
Back to the earth.
Feel yourself at the center of this circuit of light,
Pulling up from the earth through you out to the sky and then pouring back down from the heavens upon you,
Through you and back down to the earth.
You are part of this circuit of light.
You are part of this cycle of energy.
Feel your spine against the tree.
Know that the strength of verticality is at your core,
Always.
Be with your experience as it is,
Trusting your mind,
Your body and your soul.
Now leaving the forest,
Bringing your attention back into the room where you were resting,
Coming back into this present moment.
Wiggle your fingers,
Your toes,
Coming into the room,
Into the place in which you are resting.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Notice the sounds around you.
Notice the air on your skin.
Notice the sensations within your body.
You are on a journey.
When the shock and numbness wear off,
Grief is going to ebb and flow in your life.
Grief is going to wash over you.
Let it.
Trust it.
Any emotions will come,
But you can trust the process to unfold as it needs to.
Remember,
Grief is always connected to love,
Anchored in love.
You are on a journey.
Now you can open your eyes.
You are on a journey.
