Meditation has helped me navigate one of the most challenging times of my life. Last summer, I started practicing mindfulness as a way to cope with the anxiety I felt around the pandemic. Then, in October, my mother died suddenly from a brain hemorrhage. From there, life became a cascade of death. Eight more friends or family died from COVID, cancer, and other illnesses. Practicing meditation daily has helped me navigate all of it.
Even with daily practice, I still have days when the grief and anxiety threaten to overtake me, and, I am still no expert at it. Still, I have found deep grounding in creating a daily routine. With hopes my experience may provide comfort to someone else, I pass along some of my Mindfulness Moments that have kept me from sinking too deep.
Compassionate Body Scan:
The body scan meditation is one of the foundational types of mindfulness meditations. It takes you right into your breath. It allows you to get to know your body–and maybe even come to appreciate all it does day in and day out. In addition, the body scan is helpful for releasing tension, easing anxiety, and letting go of secondary pain that often makes chronic pain worse.
If you would like to try out a body scan meditation, I recommend the 12-minute body scan posted below. It is led by meditation guide, Vidyamala Burch, which is part of her Mindfulness for Women book and retreat. I highly recommend both. In the UK, you can get her book on Amazon and possibly local bookshops. In the US, I found the book at a used bookstore on eBay.
Vidyamala is best known for her mindfulness for chronic pain. Due to a spinal injury she sustained 40 years ago, she has lived with pain and disability throughout her life. But meditation has helped her to endure and live a happy life. Because it changed her life for the better, Vidyamala went on to help others through mindfulness. She co-founded Breathworks, a leading mindfulness training organization, and she has written quite a few well-known books on the subject.
Compassionate Body Scan led by Vidyamala Burch of Breathworks-Mindfulness on Soundcloud.
If 12 minutes is too long to sit still, visit the website for Breathworks, the Breathworks-Mindfulness channel on Soundcloud, or seek out Vidyamala on the InsightTimer app. Most meditations are free on these sites.
I am not affiliated with Vidyamala Burch, Breathworks, Soundcloud, or InsightTimer.
These links are here for you to enjoy. I receive no compensation if you click on them.
My Wish for You:
May you live with ease.
~ Love, Sherry
May you know comfort.
May you feel safe.
May you experience heartfelt happiness.
Sherry, I am so sorry for all of your loss. That is just overwhelming. Life is hard anyway, but then to lose your mom and so many others you care for in such a short time! I am glad you have found something that is helping you maneuver this difficult time. One thing I have learned about grief is that we often try to not let it overwhelm us. When I lost my dad a number of years ago, I did a lot of journaling about my grief journey. I did the same thing when my younger daughter was going through a rough patch. There is something important about leaning in to our grief and letting ourselves feel and taste it. It seems to enable us to better process the loss. I hope each day will get better and that you will find the small patches of joy! Hugs! – Amy
https://stylingrannymama.com/
Thank you, Amy. ❤️ I totally agree. Trying to fight with grief, to suppress it, to push it away doesn’t work. It is something to be faced, even when it feels like a hurricane slamming into shore. Like you, I have journaled about all of this, and I am in therapy as well. And as I mentioned in the post, mindfulness has been a huge help. It has taught me to face my grief with kindness and tenderness.
I have happier days now than I did just a few weeks ago. I take pleasure in nature and the love of family and friends. I still step in a “puddle of grief” even today, but it’s much quieter and I don’t fear it.
Sending you deep gratitude and love for your kind words.
❤️ – Sherry
Thank you, Sherry.