Often, we are so caught up in the emotions of sorrow, sadness, grief, anger, rebellion, and outright rage that we fail to hear our loved ones’ voices. But they are here. They constantly surround us with their love and support. We just have to open ourselves up to be able to receive their messages. One way of doing this is by sitting in meditation. Daily meditation offers us an opportunity to quiet the outside voices—the noises of other peoples’ thoughts and feelings—and tune into our inner knowingness, our inner wisdom. When we meditate, our bodies relax and our minds quiet. Listening in stillness, we come to know peace.
There are many ways to meditate. Some people sit quietly, repeat a mantra in a rhythmic fashion, and find stillness in the gap—that space between thoughts. Others take long mesmerizing walks and allow their thoughts to drift away as their minds fill with clouds of stillness and peace. Often peace will come in the midst of a hot bath. As the mind quiets and thoughts cease to matter, we come to a place of knowingness. We begin to communicate with our Spirit, our Highest and Best Self. Often our loved ones can reach into this space of soft awareness to let us know they are watching over us.
One of the first steps in any meditation is becoming centered and present. Being centered means to be in present time—right here, right now—not thinking of what happened in the past or about tomorrow’s to-do list. Centering becomes a practice of mindfulness, being fully present, with all your thoughts and feelings in one place, a place of stillness. As you sit in meditation and tune out the outer world, you offer your feelings a chance to be acknowledged and your inner voice, your intuition, a chance to be heard. Especially in the first few weeks after a death, activity takes center stage. People come and people go, services take place; there’s a lot to do. But there’s very little time to simply be with your thoughts and feelings. Some people are afraid to step into this space of stillness, afraid that they will be overwhelmed with emotions they’re unable to cope with. Each person must gauge this for themself. There is no right or wrong answer for when and how to feel. What I found true for me was that I needed this time of aloneness. I craved a chance to be still and to feel. I wanted to check in with my inner guidance system and determine what I needed. Instead of wrapping myself in a mantle of outward activity, I found that if I took small, five-minute breaks throughout the day to sit in stillness, I could cope. I didn’t need to think, I didn’t have to process emotions; I just was. I could close off the noise and listen to my inner voice, my inner wisdom.
The following is a short, guided meditation you might find helpful.
I took many five-minute mindfulness breaks throughout the first very difficult week after my son’s death. I continually felt surrounded by the presence of God and angels. I existed in a bubble of love, support, laugher, tears, and gentleness. Rick was with me, and so were family members and friends. I felt supported and loved.
If this post resonated with you and you would like to read more, Walking in Grace with Grief Meditations for Healing After Loss is available on Amazon or order it from your local bookstore. From my heart to yours.
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