Meditation

People have practiced meditation for thousands of years as a path to ultimate consciousness, to develop the ability to concentrate, to understand the mind, and regulate thoughts, feelings, and emotions. There are a multitude of practices and techniques to reach a heightened level of consciousness. True meditation is a means of putting yourself into a state of profound deep peace to achieve inner transformation and a higher state of awareness.

When meditating while grieving the loss of your loved one, it is important to allow yourself to feel the pain rather than try to avoid them or pretend that you do not feel them. There are many free grief meditations in the public domain. One very good article on meditation after a loss comes from writer Tris Thorp, “Healing After Loss: Meditation for Grieving” as found on Deepak Chopra’s website, www.chopra.com:

“Whenever you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with grief for the loss of a loved one, take a few minutes to sit in stillness by following these meditation steps.

1. Find a comfortable place to sit upright where you will not be disturbed for 15 to 20 minutes. Make yourself comfortable with pillows or a blanket.
2. Begin to breathe slowly and deeply and place your attention on how you are feeling—both emotionally and physically. Try not to analyze what you are feeling and rather, just be in the experience. Acknowledge your emotions in a gentle and loving way.
3. Imagine the face of the person you are grieving. You may think of it as a manifestation of their spirit or just see it as a memory in your mind.
4. Now, consider anything that needs to be said or forgiven and begin to have a conversation with them. Visualize this happening in your mind, now. Spend a few minutes saying whatever it is that you need to say from your heart. Then hear them saying whatever they need to say to you from their heart. Tell them you forgive them and hear them tell you that they forgive you, too. Focus on the conversation taking place in a loving and compassionate way—a giving and receiving of open, loving communication with this person.
5. Next, focus in on any one of the most positive memories you can recall with this person and immerse yourself in this memory. Relive the happy, fun times and the deep connections that you shared, knowing that what allows grief to release is positive, happy moments.
6. When you are finished, take a few slow, deep breaths. Sit quietly for a few minutes and bring your meditation to an end. Do this meditation as often as you need to and know that you can always return to this space whenever you want to feel at peace.”

There are also many YouTube videos on meditation that you can access for free. In addition, many grief coaches or counselors have meditation resources on their websites. One that I like is by

F. Michael Montgomery at his website www.inner-healing.com. For those of you who may develop a true love for meditation, you should visit www.insighttimer.com. Here you will find a variety of guided grief meditations that are reviewed by users.