If you are someone who has lost a loved one, the suffering inside is brought about by the perceived lack of connection you feel you have lost. Then, deep sadness ensues because of the same sense of loss that you experience at that moment.
However, if you follow these simple steps on how to use mindful meditation for grief and healing, you will be able to cope with your loss in the most profound way that will give you a deeper connection to all facets of your life.
Mindful awareness will help you more than you know. Let’s dive into it.
Table of Contents
Why Mindful Meditation for Grief?
Mindfulness is the practice of becoming aware, and once we have that awareness, deep insight allows us to take appropriate action steps within our grief journey.
When we become aware of those emotions that arise within us, we can use the power of mindfulness to release those thoughts and emotions without judgment. We can also use this to make a deeper connection with the memory of our loved ones on the other side of life.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the process by which we come to understand ourselves by becoming aware of the present moment in mind and body.[1] We learn to recognize what is happening in our thoughts and how those thoughts give rise to emotions, sensations, and expressions.
This is a deep level of awareness, and it allows us to tap into the answers contained in universal time and space.
When we practice mindfulness, we can remain conscious of our feelings and the feelings of others. We become more aware of our immediate environment, and we see beyond the perceptions and attachments of others.
In essence, we become observers rather than participants and awaken deeper insights. Nevertheless, what many people do not realize is that it can give you the keys to unlock the door to a prison we call grief. We can use mindfulness for grief and healing of the suffering that keeps us in chains.
By becoming more aware, we are able to cope better.
Can You Heal From Grief?
The answer to this is no—not in this realm of existence.
You must understand that grief is a journey. It is one that you will inevitably have to take at some point in your life, and it is not restricted to the loss of a loved one. However, in this article, I will predominantly use the loss of a loved one as the main theme.
Grief can come in so many forms, but the constant that relates to all aspects of grief is that it is an active form of deep loss, and this loss will show up in multiple ways and emotions.
Grief will cause suffering in one’s life, especially if you do not understand how to deal with the grief process.
Grieving Caveat
When I say you cannot heal from grief, I do mean that within this existence, you will not heal from it, especially when it involves the loss of a close loved one.
You need to come to a place of acceptance of your grief on your journey, and learning to accept it will allow you to use the tools of mindfulness to journey through your grief effectively and with less suffering.
Acceptance also allows us to be the observer rather than a participant that can cause suffering within. This all takes deep awareness and insight.
Practice Mindfulness for Grief
The benefits of mindfulness as a tool to help you on your grief journey are tremendous.[2] Becoming aware and taking action from the awareness that rises within will help to alleviate the deep sadness you feel and raise you from the pit of your depression and suffering.
Furthermore, one of the greatest benefits of mindfulness is the connection you will begin to feel with the loved one who has passed. The great thing is that it will reduce the time you have to spend on your journey and alleviate the suffering quicker than normal.
Harvard researchers carried out one such study on the benefits of mindfulness. They found that mindfulness had a profound effect on the brain and in dealing with imbalances of the mind, including healing the effects of physical imbalance within the body.[3]
4 Ways to Use Mindful Meditation for Grief
There are numerous benefits of meditation, and these can have dramatic effects on your mental health and physical health.[4]
Reducing anxiety and stress and dealing with depression are just some of these benefits. It is also possible to reduce blood pressure and heal your body from the inside out with the help of meditation.[5]
We are going to do things differently and use a different approach to meditation by being more mindful of the imprints of energy and becoming more aware of our emotions in the present moment.
1. Use the Breath
We often take our breath for granted and do not understand the power it holds. The breath is how you exist. It has within it the power of the animating force of all life.
It is also the seat of your power to be able to heal the body and the mind, and it is also the power that will fuel your innate connection to your loved one through your mindful practice.
Try this short exercise. Find a quiet place to sit and make sure you are not disturbed. Turn all devices and external noise generating products off. It is important that you find a peaceful place in which you can take part in this exercise.
- Take one deep breath in and as you breathe in, become aware of the sensation of the air entering through your nose. Feel the cold and clean sensation as you breathe in.
- Hold your breath for a count of three.
- At that moment, become aware of the peace that exists within the silence and stillness of the breath.
- Breathe out through your mouth.
- Rinse and repeat for three rounds.
Practice these steps until you are comfortable doing them. Then, we will move on to the next phase. You will always carry out the above steps prior to the next ones.
2. Connect With Your Environment or Something to Your Loved One
Energy cannot be destroyed, yet it can be manipulated and controlled to a certain extent. Therefore, what we want to do is connect to the energetic pattern of our loved ones mindfully.
This can be in the same environment that your loved one was attached to, or it could be an item that your loved one cherished. This could be a favorite item belonging to them, such as jewelry or an item of clothing.
Place yourself in that place. Or if it is a personal item belonging to them, hold it in your hand.
Then again, carry out the breathing techniques above before doing this. Take your deep breaths and relax through the visualization exercise.
3. Use Your Power of Mindful Visualization
Visualization is the power by which we can bring what we visualize into reality.
Thoughts are things, and the reality is that everything that exists in our world was first the product of thought.That thought is visualized in the mind, and the mind activates universal law in action. You take action and make the thought into physical reality.[6]
Think about the inventions that have revolutionized the world. Each comes from thought, and then the thought is visualized in the mind of the recipient.
Now, visualize in your mind something you hold or the place that you are in. Visualize your loved one wearing it or being in that favorite place they used to love spending time with you. In your mind, see it like a movie playing on the big screen of life.
Become aware of the feelings inside yourself as you bring forth those thoughts and feelings and memories that make you smile.
How does it make you feel? Can you see your loved one clearly in your mind’s eye? That visualization is an active thought, and that active thought is a beacon that will go out into the ether and attract your loved one to you.
4. Be in the Now and Become Aware of the Signs
Now, it is time for you to just sit in the silence of your mind. Just be in the place where you have visualized or even in the item you hold.
It is time to just be in the present moment, to be aware of your peaceful breathing, and to become aware of the thoughts that come unexpectedly. Oftentimes, these thoughts can also be from your loved ones, trying to reach out and connect with you.
Signs of Your Loved Ones Around You
Your loved ones are so keen to connect with you from the other side of life. They want to be involved in your life from the other side of the veil. Becoming more mindful in your practice will make you more aware of the signs they are trying to send to you to let you know they are around and still connected with you.
The bonds of love are always there. They cannot be broken because they also exist as an energy that will never be destroyed.
The signs they will send you can be so simple and subtle that you could miss them and, at the same time, they can be so profound.
Final Thoughts
Grief can be debilitating, especially when we do not know how to deal with it.[7] No one wants to spiral into depression because of the sense of loss they feel and, in a worst-case scenario, turn to drugs, alcohol, and other vices.
Being able to connect on a deeper level to yourself and igniting a connection with your loved ones through mindful practice will reduce the impact of grief and allow you to arrive at a place of acceptance.
Featured photo credit: Benjamin Child via unsplash.com
Reference
| [1] | ^ | PositivePsychology: What Is Mindfulness? Definition + Benefits (Incl. Psychology) |
| [2] | ^ | American Psychological Association: What are the benefits of mindfulness |
| [3] | ^ | The Harvard Gazette: When science meets mindfulness |
| [4] | ^ | National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Meditation: In Depth |
| [5] | ^ | Healthline: 12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation |
| [6] | ^ | Scientific American: Can Visualizing Your Body Doing Something Help You Learn to Do It Better |
| [7] | ^ | The New York Times: The Biology of Grief |
