Grief,
Loss,
And separation are heavy experiences.
Grief feels like a grey cloud that follows you everywhere,
Your life seems dark,
Bleak,
And cold.
Loss feels like a tunnel which is dark,
Lonely,
Scary.
If this is you,
If you have loved and lost,
You are welcome here.
You don't have to be the strong one,
You don't have to hold it all together.
The mighty Ashoka tree is here to support you,
To give you a break from this tug of war that grief has put you in.
To begin with,
Raise your arms and your hands to your shoulder level,
Make a wide circle with them,
As if you are hugging a big tree,
The tips of your fingers are barely touching.
Your arms will be at shoulder level,
Tilt your head forward,
Like you are resting in the embrace of this ancient wise being,
Take a deep breath,
And let it out with a big sigh Lean on this support,
Let this be the wall that holds you,
And let it offload the weight you have been carrying,
And now you can put your arms back,
Let your hands rest on your lap,
Or just on the side.
For the rest of this meditation,
You can be in any position,
You can also change your position as you feel the need,
Let your body find what it needs.
With your eyes closed,
See yourself standing in front of this tree,
A gentle wind blows,
Leaves from the tree start falling in all directions.
Stay here,
Receive this shower of solace,
Of ease.
You are safe,
You are supported.
Take another deep breath in with your mouth,
And let it out with a sigh,
It is all part of the same cycle,
Even evergreen trees go through this shedding and regrowth,
When the time is right,
The leaves will grow back,
When you are ready,
Your life will rebuild itself,
For now,
This is enough,
You don't have to force yourself to release or grieve,
It will happen in its own time,
The cycle will sustain itself,
Nature will take its own course,
There is no pressure on you,
Before you leave,
You thank the tree,
As you turn around,
One leaf falls right into your palm,
This leaf has a message for you on it,
It could be a word,
A phrase,
A sentence,
A poem,
A hello from the future,
Or a goodbye from the past,
Take the leaf with you,
Keep it,
The message will arrive exactly when you need it.
Thank you,
You may now open your eyes.
