As we begin this guided meditation for caring for grief,
Take a moment to settle into the breath.
Observe the rise and fall of the abdomen.
Support the body to relax,
To be at ease.
Throughout this meditation,
See if you can balance attending to the words spoken,
To the breath,
To keeping the body relaxed,
To caring for the natural ebb and flow of emotion that may arise and pass away.
In caring for our grief,
While it may be necessary through difficult times to keep calm and carry on,
There is a crucial step that is often overlooked,
Devalued,
And even avoided that would allow us to bring more of who we are to the situation at hand.
And that is the permission to grieve.
Around the world there is so much suffering,
So much that people must let go of,
So there must be space for all of us to grieve.
All it takes is a few moments to allow this to happen.
It isn't about wallowing or being overtaken by our grief.
It's about making space to be with,
To be with how you're feeling and to be with what is lost and what must be let go of.
Many of us are also prone to comparing ourselves to others.
And if we deem that our sorrow is somehow less important,
We end up rendering our grief as being wrong.
One of course is then compelled to cut off and suppress their personal grief.
No matter what your situation is,
There's likely something that you have to let go of.
Even in the context of world events,
We need to acknowledge that each of us is likely experiencing loss of something that's important and meaningful to us.
Thus we all need space to grieve.
With safety and permission,
We can allow grief to emerge.
There is growing evidence of the effects of not attending to and caring for our grief or any emotion,
And the significant negative consequences on our minds and bodies.
Know that like a wave,
Rest assured that emotions are transient and temporary.
Just as quickly as they roll in,
When we are able to simply attend to them and give them space,
They pass away.
Denying our grief leads to shallow breathing and tension being held in such areas as the chest and belly.
So let us practice.
Let us once again ground the mind and body.
Take a moment to connect with the breath.
Allow the breath to reach its full potential.
Relax the body from the top of your head right down into your toes.
Through the fullness of breath,
Soften the chest and belly.
Allow all grief arising at this time,
All difficult emotions,
Allow it to be there.
Allow yourself to grieve.
No need to analyze,
Simply observe.
And as you bear witness to the emotion,
Allow yourself to be curious,
Loving,
And gentle towards it.
As you observe your grief,
Can you bring your attention into the body and simply ask,
Where does the emotion sit in the body?
Bring your awareness to this area of the body and imagine that you can breathe into this area.
That you can inhale love and peace into the emotion to offer it some relief.
Know that you have the capacity to be with all emotions,
To be with your grief,
And that your willingness to take this time to care for yourself is an act of self-compassion.
We can also draw upon the compassion of others,
Someone you see as holding wisdom and unconditional regard for others.
Imagine that they are with you and that they are holding you and all of your emotions.
If we can allow the natural arising and passing away of our grief,
Then we will be better able to embody,
Keep calm and carry on,
And generously offer the love,
Patience,
Compassion,
And care for others that so dearly needed at this time.
May the benefit of our practice be for all beings.
May all beings have the love and support to care for their grief.
May all beings be free of suffering.
And may our efforts make it so.
May the love and support of others be with you and all of your emotions.
